London-based Winch Design created a portfolio for a potential buyer who wanted a “quiet, clean and modern” design that would fit a wide body – a Boeing 787 or a Dreamliner. The partnership never made it past the initial design phase, but Winch was so impressed with what they started together — that the team finalized the design and added it to their list of available concepts.
“Part of the goal was to get away from feeling like you’re on a plane,” said Greg Jolly, a fellow at Winch who worked on what the company calls Sky Residence. Rob’s report. “It’s a cozy place, the kind of place you want to spend time in, but it’s not quite like home.”
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The first task was to create a sense of space, which the company did by removing partitions and dividers where possible. “Instead of feeling like many small rooms, there’s a sense of connected spaces,” Julie says. “We used a lot of sliding doors that can be left open and transparent screens. From several places there are views 60 or even 100 feet below the cabin.”
Courtesy winch design
Winch also created unique window treatments – broad, light-diffusing rectangular panels connected by silver rods that almost disappear into this light.
“Blocking the windows helps keep you away from feeling like you’re on a plane,” Julie says. “It creates a continuous horizontal graphic that gives the feel of one large space rather than the single ports you normally see.”
To achieve the “calm and clean” part of the initial order, the team used lots of natural materials, warm colors, and cozy furnishings. “There’s a lot of bleached wood and stone that plays on ideas of light and space,” Julie says. “There are radical colors but it’s more about texture than color.”
Courtesy winch design
The muted tones are offset by what Julie calls “pattern details,” including the raised stitching and circular design that appears in everything from the round entryway to wall hangings, rugs, and furniture to the arrangement of the seating areas. “It provides richness without giving it a lot of color,” notes Julie.
The end result is a spacious, lodging-like cabin that is unparalleled in the air. Despite the customer’s initial disapproval, Sky Residence is putting itself out there, waiting for the perfect match.
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