Air France today launched its new first class (La Premiere) cabin, found on its 777-300 fleet, titled ‘A Designer Suite’. With only 4 suites available onboard, the airline has decided to reduce the cabin size, and make the whole experience a little more ‘intimate’ and special – now offering 3 square meters of space per passenger. The seats will match the ethos and design concept of their newly introduced business class cabin.
“Totally refined, the first class seats are dressed in soft, harmonious colours, subtle combinations of ice blue and very light grey, delicately enhanced with touches of red, Air France’s signature colour.” And it works. This simple, elegant and light colour palette really is sophisticated and offers a touch of ‘living room’ class, less airplane, more private residence. Is this another example of Priestmangoode‘s excellent cabin design? It is, and actually, it excels from their previous projects, offering something truly unique and refined in appearance.
Air France are utilising fabrics with tweed accents and refined metallic finishings to great effect. The “leather-effect” cabin walls provide a cosy atmosphere. The high-quality leather can also be found on the headrests and armrests. A thick, soft woven tweed fabric covers the seat, providing a touch of elegance to the ensemble. A vast console next to the seat underlines the purity of the cabin’s design. The various storage compartments are padded with suede. With its stitching, touches of wood and metal, la suite represents the utmost in sophistication, down to the slightest details.
The cabin’s lighting intensity, radiant or soft, is chosen by the passenger. Much like BA or Emirates, at the flick of a switch, the automatic window blinds close. The passenger can then choose different lighting moods; ambient lighting, adjustable reading lamp, or a beautiful ‘seahorse studded’ bedside lamp, a symbol of Air France refinement reserved only for the La Première cabin. Easily accessible at any time, the various storage compartments blend into the seat environment in a considered and effortless way. There are compartments and drawers for the passenger’s belongings. Each suite also has its own private wardrobe.
In the seat’s adjoining console, a large table (60x61cm) is available for the passenger to dine or work. A great touch, and one easily overlooked in seat design, each passenger can leave their seat without having to clear it or store it away. The suite can also be enjoyed with a fellow passenger. Opposite the seat, an ottoman enables the passenger to invite a guest for dinner, or “simply for a conversation” but don’t expect us to leave our own luxurious seat if we were flying in this cabin!
A nice element is that Air France dresses each suite with thick curtains, held back with leather tiebacks, unlike the privacy doors found on Middle Eastern carriers. “A unique and daring concept” state Air France, they enable the passenger to decide whether to be totally isolated or just partially. Once the curtains are closed, the passenger has the feeling of being alone at home, totally enclosed in their private cabin.
The seat, naturally, turns into a fully-flat bed over two metres long. When the armrests are fully retractable the seat becomes a bed that is 77 cm wide. When the curtains are closed, the partition raised and the light subdued, the suite becomes a cocoon of total privacy. For a good night’s sleep the cabin crew can install a mattress on the seat, for impeccable comfort. They are then given a ridiculously oversized pillow and a Sofitel My Bed® duvet. The pillow is placed in a soft cotton pillowcase for ultimate softness, guaranteeing a perfect night’s sleep.
Each guest has a personal 24-inch (61 cm) HD touch screen, one of the largest ever seen on board, offering a totally new intuitive navigation experience on an exclusive graphic interface, inspired by the iPad and available in twelve languages. Movies, games, music, TV series, etc. Close to 1,000 hours of programmes on demand will soon be available. Obviously Bose noise cancelling headphones are order of the day. As for the amenities, as well as the usual first class items, expect a bag full of Givenchy goodies.
The facts
Designed for Air France by the manufacturer B/E Aerospace, the new La Première suite is the only one of its kind in the world. Its unique design has been specially created by designer Priestmangoode and design and branding agency, Brandimage. 19 aircraft will progressively be fitted from September 2014.
76 seats equipping 19 Boeing 777-300 .
An exclusive cabin with 4 suites
A unique concept, with each suite featuring adjustable curtains
A suite designed with top-of-the-range materials – leather, woven fabrics, suede, etc.
A spacious, ergonomically-designed seat, with integrated lumbar support
Direct access to the central aisle
A large fully-flat bed
A sleek console with integrated storage compartments
A large table and an ottoman for inviting a guest during the trip
A mobile partition and adjustable curtains, allowing each guest to choose their preferred level of privacy
A cotton plaid and “boudoir” cushion available as soon as the guest boards
A mattress, cushion and warm duvet for optimum sleeping comfort
A private wardrobe
A 24-inch High Definition screen and touch remote
The window blinds close at the flick of a switch
Accessories to make the guest feel at home; bedside lamp, pillow, plaid, etc.
The Suite
Bed length: 2.01 m
Bed width: 77 cm
Width of the seat: 57 cm
Total length of the suite: 2.30 m
Total surface area: 3 square metres
Tutte le immagini su
http://thedesignair.net/2014/05/07/air-france-launches-a-more-refined-la-premiere-first-class/
