HE A D - OF - STATE C OMPLETION
“ The Dutch can make fun of
themselves like no other – so
we really wanted to bring in
some fun and quirkiness”
businessjetinteriorsinternational.com
OCTOBER 2019 023
whole nation of tax-paying design-savvy observers.
The Dutch know their design – they have a great design
history and an extraordinary current crop of
internationally recognised designers including Hella
Congeries, Wieki Somers, Hester van Eeghen and Marcel
Wanders. The common theme though is that the Dutch
can make fun of themselves like no other – so we really
wanted to bring in some fun and quirkiness to what was
basically a vanilla government aircraft. We wanted
character, and not any character – Dutch character.”
ORANGE AND BLUE
Dunlop points to the lining of storage areas
in Sunset Orange Alcantara suede;
a reference to the colour most closely
associated with the Netherlands.
Hemmed curtains and leather
details are blue with a
contrasting orange stitch –
either zig-zag or straight.
There are also panels in a
shade of blue that matches the country’s famous Delftware
china. “We tried 14 mixes of paint before we got exactly
the right hue,” says Dunlop. “We also found a fabric
developed by Deborah van de Leijgraaf, a Dutch graphic
designer and maker of children’s clothing. It is brilliant,
quirky, fun and depicts lots of Dutch clichés, from clogs
to tulips and canal bridges. We used this for all the
interior pillows, and it works perfectly.”
While there is humour in some of the design’s themes,
Dunlop stresses his team’s seriousness in its process. “We
are not just interior designers; our technical knowledge
stems from my background, having worked for aircraft
interior manufacturers,” he says. “We sketch, draw, create
CAD models, renderings and even use 3D printing to
work out every important detail to pass on to the
completion centre’s engineers. This ensures there is a
complete understanding of what we are after. Sure, we
also want input from the guy who has built aircraft for
40 years or the lady who knows how to hand-dress
leather, because they really know and above all care
about what we are trying to achieve.”
ABOVE LEFT: THE BLUE TONES
THROUGHOUT THE CABIN
REFERENCE DELFTWARE, WHILE
THE CUSHIONS ARE FINISHED IN
A FUN FABRIC WITH DUTCH MOTIFS
BELOW AND INSET: THE STAFF
LOUNGE PROVIDES LIE-FLAT SEATS
FOR 12 PEOPLE
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