20 years crafting innovation By Katharina List-Nagl, CEO of F/LIST.

F/LIST has been uniting craft, technology and design to create prestigious interiors for business aviation for twenty years. Katharina List-Nagl talks about the company’s evolution from kitchen cabinet maker to renowned interiors specialist and the impact its innovative spirit has had on cabin interiors.

Ask anybody who works in business aviation; it is generally agreed that twenty years is a long time in the industry. As we reflect on our first two decades of activity in the aviation sector, we realize that our passion, dedication, and experience have assured our longevity. We handcraft exceptional cabin interiors, which is why we are still here.

This lateral thinking and creativity began when my grandfather started a small carpentry shop fitting kitchens and living rooms for local houses; my late father, Franz List, joined him as an apprentice at 14. He invited me to become part of the story when we worked on our largest project to date, the outfitting of MS The World, a residential cruise ship of 165 luxury apartments.

The completion of the project coincided with our launch into the aviation market. We had been developing lightweight interior products for some time, and we believed the aviation sector would welcome our expertise.

This innovative approach is reflected throughout our aviation business. The Austrian aerospace and defence company FACC recognized the value our creative spirit would bring to business aviation. The company entrusted us with the refurbishment of a Bombardier Learjet, and from that single project on an iconic airframe, we have become leaders in the field.

As a new player in the market, we welcomed this project to showcase our capabilities. We were a small company with huge ambition, and we focused on evolving our services through intelligent application of original thinking to meet the changing demands of business aviation. This practical and mental agility has given us a significant advantage in growing into an international business with facilities in ten countries.

As we evolved in the sector, we transitioned from simply delivering on customer requests to focusing on understanding our customers, analysing the market, and imagining what future customers would need. We focused on improving our capabilities, which, in turn, stimulated product and service development that had never before been seen. This commitment to excellence and originality formed the foundation of our reputation for delivering high-quality standards that resonate strongly with discerning customers across the globe.

F/LIST wood veneer.

Through the years, we’ve created impressive new concepts that have influenced and augmented cabin design. Our inherent knowledge of wood and composite veneer products was augmented through research and development to evolve the finest, most durable, stunning cabin veneers. We go beyond the surface to create the wood and composite veneers our customers imagine.

Stone veneer floor and milled countertops created by F/LIST.

We were the first company to finely mill natural stone to add elegance to cabin flooring, galleys, bathrooms and bars as we enabled the introduction of stone surfaces into the cabin. More recently our technicians have created the world’s first bio-based materials for use in the cabin. These state-of-the-art materials have transformed thinking around what is possible in the cabin and given customers and designers a new toolbox to craft interiors.

Through our F/LIST ShapeShifter concept, we are surprising and delighting our customers. It is in our DNA to challenge the status quo, and we have proven that we can make the impossible possible by combining dynamic pneumatic functions that enable furniture and monuments to magically morph to create new solutions to optimize spatial constriction in aircraft cabins. With its genesis in the F/LAB, our multidisciplinary team of engineers, designers, and technologists collaborate with cross-sector experts from academia, transportation, design and industry to explore cutting-edge concepts and solutions to redefine the world of interiors. The aim is to foster knowledge and encourage thinking without constraints. State-of-the-art laboratories, workshops, and testing areas equipped with advanced tools and technologies are optimized to formulate unprecedented possibilities for the interiors landscape.

Katharina List-Nagl, CEO of F/LIST.

We want to enable our employees to drive the developments that keep us at the forefront of our industry. There is so much experience and knowledge throughout the company. Our colleagues question everything; they want to see how far they can push the designs, materials, and themselves. It is that endeavour, that level of mastery and dedication, combined with invention and imagination, that makes us stand out. It is that drive that ensures our clients get the best possible experience.

These core values allow us to bring success to both us and our partners, suppliers and, ultimately, our customers. We are exceptionally proud to have significantly impacted how aircraft interiors are designed and are excited to see what the next twenty years bring.

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 11th July 2024 | Issue #756