October 4, 2021 By Hadley Keller House Beautiful
“I have a really romantic notion of travel,” admits Ken Fulk, perhaps unsurprisingly. After all, the designer is known for masterminding everything from elite private clubs to over-the-top weddings. “Every project we do starts like a movie, with a written narrative,” he explains.
In the case of a private jet he conceived for some well-heeled, on-the-go clients, that story line was “ ’60s Gucci era meets James Bond dapper.” The result is an opulent but handsome 400 square feet—with every square inch as carefully considered as it would be for a (non-airborne) home. “So many private planes feel pretty anonymous,” says Fulk, who admits he has had the privilege of traveling on a few. “Why don’t planes have personalities and opinions and style like other spaces?”
In Fulk’s hands, they do: Working within the Gucci/007 aesthetic, the designer selected the kinds of hardware, materials, and finishes he would for a luxury home, then adjusted them to fit a small footprint and meet aircraft standards for weight and durability. Many details, from polished wood veneer to hand-stitched leather seats, were inspired by automotive design from the mid-20th century. Nearly everything was customized: tableware, Dopp kits, even a matching Peloton that can be used in flight.
No one realizes more than Fulk that a private plane is, to put it mildly, a lavish expenditure. All the more reason, he says, that it should be decadent: “It’s like a Christmas gift,” he muses. “If you’re not going to get joy out of it, why bother?”
LAVATORY
Dedar striped wallpaper provides a playful balance to the sleek wood and metal in this private plane designed by Ken Fulk. “It reminded me of a necktie, how you get that unexpected pop within a serious suit,” he says. Countertops: Da Vinci
Marble. Sink: Waterworks. Faucet: Kallista. Towel: custom, Leontine.
GALLEY
“Everything on the plane is about weight,” says Fulk, who had Cambria quartz countertops shaved down to be as light as possible. Many of the accents, from dinnerware and bar fixtures to thin metal cabinet fronts inspired by car grilles, were custom designed accordingly. Faucet and sink: Waterworks.
CABIN
Fulk upgraded a standard-issue interior with thoughtful details, like a polished-nickel inlay border on the table, seats in Moore & Giles leather that were hand-stitched in Italy, and a custom hand-tufted carpet by Marc Phillips.