The Art of Aircraft Cabin Design

Aircraft Cabin Design | STARLUX Airlines

Last week at the RedCabin Aircraft Cabin Innovation Summit 2023, we partnered with STARLUX Airlines to co-present how we worked together to create a unique aircraft cabin design across fleets, that appreciates passengers across all classes.

Our design collaboration with STARLUX began long before its first aircraft — the A321— took flight in 2020. Over the last five years, we’ve continued evolving on our initial aircraft cabin design to create their latest cabin experience in the recently released A350. We’re incredibly proud to have stood on stage with STARLUX, and to share a behind the scenes look into our ongoing creative collaboration.

Creating a brand experience.

The most important question we posed in our design process with STARLUX Airlines was: How do you create a brand experience without leaning on traditional branding markers like set color palettes and logos? With STARLUX, we had the unique opportunity to build an experience that would best serve STARLUX’s passengers, without being limited by existing elements. Our key takeaway was: “Brand should be felt, not just seen.”

What makes home, home?

We created the most comfortable aircraft cabin design experience by focusing on the factors that make home feel like home. The most important truth we uncovered, is that home is a layered experience. In our design process, we focused on making passengers feel like every detail was chosen for their comfort and enjoyment.  When creating personal spaces, we often surround ourselves with multiple textiles, objects and colors derived from a variety of emotional contexts. So we designed STARLUX’s cabin to include a wide array of haptic experiences. This creates richness and makes passengers feel appreciated.

Guiding design themes

We created two distinct cabin experiences for the A321. Both experiences use the same ‘Pure Tea’ theme, which embodies mindful luxury while honoring regional traditions.

An ongoing creative collaboration

The A350 provides a unique cabin experience with first class seating, four distinct classes, and an overall home-like ambiance. Our ‘Glisten’ theme expands on the original ‘Pure Tea’ design, incorporating warm metals, natural elements, and diverse textures to create an enchanting yet relaxed atmosphere. Passengers feel appreciated and indulged, regardless of their class, through thoughtful and elegant touches.

Local authenticity

We wanted to create an environment that truly reflected STARLUX’s Taiwanese heritage. To achieve this, we drew inspiration from the natural beauty of the country, incorporating elements such as bamboo patterns, rain droplets, and leaves into the cabin design. These were combined with subtle metallic reflections to create a sense of calm, comfort, and elegance. The result is an authentic and immersive experience that celebrates Taiwan’s unique culture and environment.