Coach Airways offers a unique experience to its visitors: an experiential journey featuring a store and café inside a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet.
Located in the Malaysian city of Alor Gajah and designed by fashion brand Coach New York in collaboration with local architectural studio Spacemen, the interior design pays homage to the golden age of air travel, the 1970s.
The Retro-Futuristic Interiors and Lighting Design of Coach Airways Store and Café
The studio teamed up with the New York luxury brand to create a unique atmosphere with retro-futuristic elements. The first space, the first-class cabin, features a grated glass floor with warm lights and membrane ceiling lights, providing an elegant aesthetic that balances old and new.
The rounded interiors and lighting reminiscent of the film ‘2001: A Space Odyssey‘ combined with a pastel colour palette of orange and cream, suitable for a Wes Anderson film, define this and the other three cabins.
The Experience Inside Coach Airways
Each of the four spaces in Coach Airways offers a distinct function, guiding visitors on a journey through time. The first area features a faux two-seat cockpit with monochromatic flight controls and yokes, followed by 12 retro-style seats. The project’s standout features include curved walls, rounded furnishings, and a pastel colour palette. These areas are designed as expansive showrooms, allowing visitors to browse and try on clothes comfortably.
Mirrors and display supports, strictly aligned with the Space Age aesthetic, enhance the style. The final space houses the atmospheric Coach Airways Café, featuring a central cylindrical volume functioning as an all-orange kiosk, accentuated by the same grated glass floor from the first class. The fourth cabin invites passengers to relax and enjoy the ambience.
The Lighting Design Project
A crucial element of the retro-futuristic style is the lighting, which creates a soft glow on the rounded edges and accentuates the curved lines of the cabins and furnishings. Seamlessly integrated into the design, the cool-toned lighting serves as both flooring and skylights, balanced by the warm colour palette to create a harmonious ambience.
Additional lighting features include decorative signage with messages like “Fly in Style” or “Baggage,” indicator lights between cabins, and the Coach New York logo, enhancing the space’s unique identity. In the commercial areas, hidden spotlights in the false ceiling are carefully positioned to highlight the products on display.
