“So as a designer myself, it’s often been a question of how pillows would come together.” I explained “I mean we’ve done everything from sketching out each pillow with material assignments, trims etc. all speced out – to simply giving the supplier our color boards, rendering etc, and let them come back with their proposed designs. Have you worked in these ways,” I asked, “and if so, which way do you prefer?”

“Well, certainly we’ve done it the first way you described, and in truth, literally every variation in between, but honestly most of the time, it’s the later. Over the years I think we’ve earned the trust of our customers to the point where they just give us their palette etc. and then we go away and make it happen…coming back to them with beautiful designs that fit seamlessly and in harmony with the design they’ve created. So, not only does it serve them in the design context, but again, it relieves that burden for them of having to think about every detail or get involved in a sub-project that distracts from their broader focus. It’s something we simply handle for them at a very high level and removing the hassle.”

“Can you tell us a little about the mix of your customer base?”

“Sure, well firstly is probably the OEMs. We work with a lot of them. Then we have a lot of MROs also. Then of course are the major design houses. We work with designers all the time, and all the big independent completion centers. We have a fairly good mix of each, and we’re proud of that diversity. Each sector seems to really like what we do.”

“I have an affinity for throws” I said. “Always have and have always sought to have them included on my projects, both from a functional perspective and from an aesthetic one. Can you tell me about the throws you offer?”

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“An affinity we share I assure you.” Ms. Leonard confessed. “I'll tell you, for our throws, we have three buckets. So, we have your traditional cashmere with the fringe that rock'n'roll - for your charter companies who need four or five or eight or however many per plane. And then we have those that need to be branded. We have a fabulous partner in Mongolia that we use in creating custom colors and designs. With this supplier, we can design them however we want want them and in any colorway. And then our third bucket would be the opportunities where we have the freedom to just make something up. We’ve recently been producing some double-sided blankets, like something soft and gooey on one side and then something completely different on the other. We’ll have beautiful cashmere on one side then another with a fuzzy beautiful washable fabric or even a soft wool. Then stitched with the two-inch band around so they finish out into something glorious!”

Listening to her talk alone, never mind their gorgeous website full of images, is enough to make you want to spend money, plane or no plane! Sōhe  Studio is quite an exceptional company when it comes to the finishings of a jet cabin and it’s quite easy to see where their success has come from. I want to thank Ms. Katharine Leonard for her time in sitting down with me. She is quite the exceptional woman with quite the exceptional vision.

If you aren’t yet familiar with this unique boutique company located in Frisco, Texas, I would highly recommend taking a look. When it comes to raising the level of deliciousness in a finished interior, Sōhe gets it.

It’s ice cream for airplanes!!

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Visit Sōhe  at: sohestudio.com

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