Imagine for a moment you’re at an exclusive dinner party, and rather than hiding away in the kitchen, you’ve employed the skills of an expert chef to plate up a visual feast. You also happen to be cruising at 40,000 feet on a private jet.
It may sound like a fanciful affair, but it could become a reality for some, with London-based design firm PriestmanGoode – the team behind Lufthansa’s upcoming Allegris first class – plating up a fresh concept for exactly that.
The concept is described as ‘the ultimate dining experience in the sky’.
Reflecting what PriestmanGoode calls the “modern lifestyles and personal interests” of jet owners and their guests, the ‘Culinary Odyssey’ interior changes up the traditional front and aft-facing layout for a more social and intimate setting.
The firm’s website explains: “We see the luxury market evolving towards a younger profile, working in new, emerging sectors, in different parts of the world and with changing values. We feel that current private aviation interiors don’t always reflect that.”
Travel with a side of theatre.
At its core of Culinary Odyssey is the chef’s table – “a stage from which the culinary experience will unfold”. A casual lounge and coffee table also fill the space.
Galley and food prep areas are hidden from the view of diners, with the firm adding they may form part of the boarding space. This allows the cooking to be done out of the sight, and the chef to simply add a finishing touch of theatre table-side, much like at a restaurant.
Customisable lighting can instantly change the mood.
When the dining is done, or there’s business to attend to, the table can easily transform into a meeting space, with custom lighting setting the mood.
“The lounge is configured for less formal discussion or work from a tablet – or as a relaxing, entertainment space.”
An overview of how the space might look.
Of course, there are some functionality concerns with the layout, not to mention safety ones, with seating around the dining table and lounge lacking seatbelts. But it is just a concept.
Last year, German design firm Lufthansa Technik debuted its own entertaining-focused VIP concept, albeit for a considerably larger aircraft: the forthcoming Boeing 777-9.
Lufthansa Technik’s Boeing 777-9 concept.
Unlike PriestmanGoode’s concept, this also revealed traditional seating for the wider entourage, including a mix of business and economy-like seats and sleeping booths.
