Gulfstream’s revamped London showroom lets you design your jet, your way

The revamped studio on Mayfair's Sackville Street, Titan Gulfstream's showroom brings private flight to the heart of London

By Christian Maddock

A view of Gulfstream's revamped London showroom

An overhauled private jet showroom in the heart of London promises to make kitting out a plane a much smoother process for the jet-setting super-rich.

Gulfstream unveiled its redesigned London showroom this week, allowing customers to fully customise their jets without leaving W1.

The 5,500 square-foot showroom on Mayfair’s Sackville Street, had its major refurbishment last year, 11 years after it opened in 2013. The new space allows customers to be fully immersed in the design of a bespoke jet, from the interiors right through to construction.

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The design process is brought to life through full-size mockups of the company’s G400 and G800 jets’ cabins (pictured below) and a wall-to-wall screen capable of showing the minutiae of a jet’s interior. An interior design studio allows customers to experience the luxury carpeting, leathers and woods firsthand.

Full-sized models of the G400 and G800 cabins can be viewed at Gulfstream’s London Showroom

Each of Gulfstream’s jets can be fully customised, with seating configurations and interior finishes crafted by the company’s design team. The smaller G280 seats up to 10 passengers, and has more limited layout options. In contrast, the spacious G700 and G800 models accommodate up to 19 guests and can feature dedicated living and dining areas, a bedroom and a bathroom. There is even the option of bunk beds for cabin staff.

The company’s president, Mark Burns, said the company was continuing to invest in bringing ‘unparalleled’ experience to their customer base.

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Founded in Savannah, Georgia, Gulfstream has more than 3,300 jets in service around the globe and has won the Collier Trophy for its aircraft design three times, an award which celebrates the greatest achievements in aerospace in America. To put the calibre of the other entrants into context, NASA won last year for the Parker Solar Probe.

The Gulfstream’s team have a few tips for those looking to design their own private jet.

Design it to your needs

While Gulfstream can help a client create their dream jet from start to finish, having an idea of what you want is helpful, as the design process can be lengthy.

From the veneers of wood panelling to the quilting on the seats, every aspect of a Gulfstream jet’s interior is customisable. Using their design app, Cabin Creator, individual features of the aircraft’s interior can be easily changed on a computer. These interactive images are blown up on the showroom’s wall-to-wall screen, allowing customers to fully envision their future aircraft.

Clients can sit comfortably whilst going through the digitally rendered options for their prospective aircraft

‘The cabin is really about comfort. Health and wellness is becoming an increasingly important thought for our clients,’ said interior design director Tray Crow. ‘We have even done rowing machines in planes.’

Their technological advances have limits, as clients are not yet able to access the customisation app at home. However, digital copies of the cabin’s layout can be downloaded for the customer to get an overall picture of their jet.

Securing a seat

A seat is the defining feature of air travel. A good one can make the time fly by on the longest of journeys, and a bad one can make it a memorable experience for all the wrong reasons.

‘A customer might spend four hundred hours a year in the aircraft,’ said Michael Swift, vice president of international sales. He added that the priority for any passenger should be comfort.

The showroom boasts examples of seats upholstered in combinations of leather, cashmere and cotton. On display are a wide range of neutral colours, although their Senior Principal Designer, Michael Bryden, tentatively said that any colour combination could be made possible. Bryden used to design bespoke cars for Rolls-Royce.

The mockup cabin’s leather seats can recline to a horizontal position, turning into a bed for long flights

Hospitality is key

While a 98ft high-speed jet may not squeeze into Mayfair’s notoriously tight streets, the Gulfstream showroom offers the next best thing for wealthy clients seeking to personalise their jet.

The design process can begin in their Beverly Hills showroom, move a month later to the New York office and finish in London. The same designer works on each project from start to finish, said Bryden.

There is the option for customers to have Gulfstream travel to wherever they are based, although Michael Swift said the experience in London is ‘second to none’.