Aviation Carpet Wizardry
Continued from main page . . .
JCFM: One of a kind carpets...totally unique custom designs, can wind up being beautiful pieces of art. In a home or institutional setting, where they stand alone in a sea of hard-surface floor, this is perhaps best appreciated. Yet in a jet cabin, where the carpet generally covers the entire floorspace, competing with many other materials, colors etc, how often do these beautiful designs wind up undergoing either minor or major redesigns once the cabin renderings have been produced. In other words, how often do you find that a stunningly beautiful carpet design (on its own) simply not work when laid into the surrounding cabin? And when it does happen, what is the process for correcting the issue?
AA: Aviation designers understand the unique design environment within in aircraft. As you mention, the carpet covers the entire floorspace, but the surface area of the carpet that is visible averages anywhere from 3 to 8 feet wide. When determining the suitability of a pattern for an aircraft, it’s important to consider how much movement does the pattern create when repeated out in the aircraft, what will the effect of using high contrast colors be on the eye. How will certain colors or combination of colors or patterns make someone feel after looking at it for 3-8 hours, and in potentially turbulent conditions. We work closely with our clients to ensure that they understand the pros and cons of what design they are considering. Our rendering team will also lay the pattern out in the aircraft in color to illustrate the result.
JCFM: I have used silk or silk blends in several of my own projects, simply because of the illustrative shimmer it yields. My clients have loved it! But I also know that newly installed silk carpets often shed for quite some time before they stop. Is this still a pervasive issue with silk and if so, what are the techniques you advise the customer in dealing with it? As a follow-up, when does the shedding usually stop?
AA: I agree, there is nothing compared to the beauty, softness and sheen of a silk rug.
Silk carpets will always have a level of shedding after they are installed. Spun silk is produced with shorter staple fibers, and with agitation those fibers will “fuzz” or shed over a period after the rug or carpet is installed. Cut pile will shed more than loop pile. We recommend vacuuming every day for up to 6 months using a soft brush roll vacuum on low suction setting for silk and specialty fibers. In our production process, to help minimize shedding we utilize a proprietary silk latex formula to improve tuft bind and at the final finishing stage, we use a machine to lift and agitate the silk fibers, which we then shear and vacuum before shipping.
JCFM: With "weight" being a pervasive, all important issue on aircraft projects, what are some of your latest techniques in maintaining quality but keeping the per square ft weight to an absolute minimum? Also, is it generally the backing that weighs the most - or the carpet face itself?
AA: About 2/3 of the total weight comes from the yarn. Lowering the pile height will help reduce the amount of weight in the carpet, however we maintain a standard for density of the yarn even at a lower pile height to ensure the carpet continues to wear well.
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JCFM: How often do your VVIP customers order "double" shipsets? I assume the advantage to that is obvious but can you perhaps put a finer point on it for us?
AA: Currently about 50% of our customers will order double shipsets, the obvious being that they can rotate the carpet out of the aircraft for cleaning and maintenance. Taking the carpet out of the aircraft and performing a thorough cleaning will maintain the quality of the carpets longer.
JCFM: What sort of new trends are you seeing in recent years - either in terms of geometrics vs. organics etc etc, manufacturing techniques OR color palettes?
AA: We are seeing much lighter color palettes, light creams, and white used in the carpet. On our recent trip to EBACE, we received a great response to our new collection of cut pile textures shown in monochromatic hues of berry and light mauve.
JCFM: SGS is clearly one of the world's most renown aviation carpet makers. In a philosophical context, what has all that vast experience taught you - and how do you bring those yields to your customers and the industry in general.
AA: We have worked hard to strengthen the culture within our company through our core values of integrity and quality. These values apply to everything we do, from building product to the high quality of our raw materials. We believe by supporting our colleagues and treating our suppliers and customers with integrity and respect, we contribute to the greater good of the entire industry.
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JetCabin Freshbook Magazine would like to thank Alyssa Aguilar for taking the time to sit down and answer our questions. It’s always great to check in with SGC and see what they’re up to. It’s never a surprise to learn they’re still on fire as one of the world’s premier aviation carpet makers serving our industry.
And finally, I would like to give a personal thanks to Jessica Zientek, SGS’s Visual Design Team Leader for her amazing, extremely short lead response in providing us with an array of silk blend tufts for a fast-track presentation in our studio earlier this year. This all took place in late March when Jessica took my ‘frantic’ call and within 24 hours had not only provided the custom tufts we required but had had them professionally photographed and arranged for our presentation, due four days later – all with their usual high degree of professionalism.
Thanks Jessica!
For more information on Scott Group Studio, visit: scottgroupstudio.com
