The public voting has drawn to a close in the semi-final of Flexjet’s US$100,000 design competition, through which it intends to find its next LXi Cabin Collection interior, to be installed on one of its Gulfstream G650 aircraft.
The competition aims to uncover bold new artistry to complement Flexjet’s existing selection of more than 50 custom interiors.
“What we know is that our competitor’s fleet interiors are greige, very corporate and exactly what travel used to be 20 years ago,” says Kenn Ricci, chairman of Flexjet. “Every configuration is the same. Our interiors are unique – we come up with a theme for each one. But with more than 300 airplanes in our fleet, it’s starting to become challenging to come up with new themes.”
An in-depth feature on the Project LXi endeavour was published in the December 2024/January 2025 edition of Business Jet Interiors International.
The competition was open to anyone. The brief gave complete creative freedom, but designers were asked to “surprise and delight” Flexjet aircraft owners, while ensuring a welcoming and elegant experience, using aviation-appropriate materials.
“There were amazing designs that came in,” says Ricci. “I was surprised at how innovative they were.”
Flexjet selected 12 semi-finalists from the submissions, which were put to public vote. These semi-finalists are:
- Ander Turueno Garcia, Embry-Riddle student, with ‘Escape to San Miguel’;
- Woojae Sohn, Embry-Riddle student, with ‘Functional Timeless Perfection’;
- Naomi Clarke, interior designer, with ‘Regency Hollywood Glamour’;
- Dave Slama, designer, with ‘Vintage Palm Springs’;
- Dieter Franz, head of sales, with ‘Heritage Meets Modern’;
- Jean-Pierre Alfano, designer, with ‘Paris Love Affair’;
- Kristin King, architect, with ‘Parisian Inspired Café’;
- Molly Bryant, interior designer, with ‘Scandinavian Sauna Culture’;
- Robin Dunlop, design director, with ‘Calm Functional Balance’;
- Steve Varsano, aircraft sales executive, with ‘A Celebration of Flight’;
- Susan Byrd, interior designer, with ‘Mid-Century Modern’; and
- Todd Rushing, designer, with ‘Apogee: Pinnacle Design’.
While the voting has closed, the designs can be viewed here.
Those that have the highest number of public votes will partake in an individual virtual Q&A session with the Flexjet team and then present their designs in person to Ricci at Flexjet’s global headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. Ricci will make the final decision on the winning design.
