How to... reinvent your tableware with Qantas
Qantas has unveiled new tableware including crockery by Noritake. David Caon, lead
designer of the Qantas 787 Dreamliner interiors, talks us through its creation
MAKE A PLAN
Working in collaboration with Qantas creative director of food, beverage & service, Neil Perry, Caon was briefed to design new tableware that was modern, lightweight and practical for First, Business and Premium Economy, and in the Qantas lounges.
SET OBJECTIVES
Caon's objective was to combine minimal, classic elegance with quality and functionality. “There is a fine balance between finding ingenious ways of making a product lighter and compromising its utility or quality,” he explains. Aside from aesthetics and functionality, he was also tasked with minimising the airline's carbon footprint, cutting tableware weight by 11%.
GET INSPIRED
Caon took his design cues from the 787 interiors, creating a 16-piece crockery set crafted from fine bone china, a five-piece brush-finished stainless steel cutlery set and a collection of modern glassware. “Straight lines were minimised in the design with the same 800mm curve applied to each object in a way to soften and humanise. This organically geometric aesthetic lends continuity across the range and to the aircraft,” he says.
TRIAL IT
Once he was happy with the look, the set was tested. Caon explains: “Over many months we sought feedback from crew, customers and Neil's team around the functionality inflight. The crockery allows the culinary team to be more creative with the inflight menus and gives crew more opportunities to interact with customers. It modernises the dining experience for travellers too."
DRAW ON EXPERIENCE
Caon founded his studio in Sydney in 2009, having worked in Milan and Paris where he designed alongside fellow Australian Marc Newson for clients including Dom Pérignon and Samsonite. He was also part of the team which created the interiors of the airline's Airbus A380 and was previously responsible for the refurbishment of the airline's Boeing 717s and Boeing 737s, as well as the design of Qantas' international lounges in Hong Kong and Singapore. He partnered with Noritake for the project as the crockery specialist has been making inflight tableware for Qantas since 1962.