Flying Residences

A new era of aviation design and luxury led by Aurora Saboir

By Nathalie Tovar

At the intersection of luxury, design, and aviation engineering, Aurora Saboir, founder and head designer of Aurora Aero Design, sees freedom where others see limits. For many, the interior of an airplane is frustrating to work with, but for Saboir, it revealed her calling.

“You can’t do what you are normally doing in a residential interior, like putting a beautiful, big chandelier on the ceiling and calling it a statement.” Saboir explains. “I immediately found a lot of liberation with that. I can focus on small details and be creative with it instead."

Aurora Saboir

With a background in industrial engineering and product design, Saboir began as a furniture designer, focusing on custom furniture and statement pieces for residential homes. Her entry into the world of aviation came in 2021, shortly after the pandemic when asked for styling advice on a small private jet. From the moment she stepped inside, it instantly clicked: this was a space she was meant to explore.  The interior was an entirely new space where her eye for detail and design could take on a new challenge designing explicitly for life in the air. 

From there, she built her aviation career from the ground up. From sketching concept designs to submitting her work for awards, Saboir quickly made a name for herself as a designer with a holistic and experience-focused approach. “Aviation is very different from interior design or furniture design because you have to combine both the world of technology, engineering and manufacturing with style and how things look and feel,” Saboir explains. “I’m designing for people who might spend eight, ten, twelve, even fourteen hours in that space. That changes everything, because I’m thinking not only about comfort and how things look, but also about accessories, well‑being, wellness, and entertainment.” 

For Saboir, an aircraft is an extension of an owner’s home and habits, what she describes as “flying residences.” She approaches each project with a deep sense of care and intention, often a process that unfolds over several years as she works closely with clients to bring their visions to life. Floors and seatings of the aircraft are delicately wrapped in cashmere and wool while silk and cotton line the pillows and blankets on board. Each material is carefully selected not only to meet the non-flammability requirements, but also for its use of natural fibers and finishes, creating an experience that feels familiar, sustainable, and luxurious. With the ability and freedom to work with any designer brands for custom-made furnishing and accessories, each design becomes a blend of elegance and comfort.  

"What everyone wants is that their lifestyle continues when they are flying,” she shares. “It's a different environment, but they still want to be comfortable. Whether to eat with their family, to watch a movie, or to rest well, it’s all about optimizing a living space around them. When clients are genuinely happy with ideas that once felt strange or unfamiliar to them, that’s an incredibly rewarding feeling.”

Though her entry into the field was recent, Saboir has quickly emerged as a designer to watch. In 2024, she hit a major milestone in her career: collaboration on a commercial aircraft alongside designer Swizz Beatz on a custom Boeing featuring a Formula 1-inspired livery for Qatar Airways. Fashioned in a striking palette of maroon, black, and white, the design was the first of Saboir’s for the global public, expanding her work beyond the private sphere. 

This milestone is only the beginning; as Saboir continues working at the intersection of aerospace engineering and industrial design, it is clear her passion for redefining what it means to curate environments built for comfort, focus, and privacy shows no sign of slowing. “As a designer, it’s a unique opportunity to have a truly hands-on influence on an entire industry,” she explains. “It’s difficult to come up with new ideas, but once you do, entire teams invest in them and work to make them happen.”

With each new project, Saboir continues to capture the core of her clients’ lifestyles, transforming aircraft cabins into a place to sleep, work, and travel without interruption. From material selection to color choice, each intentionally picked detail mirrors the philosophy of her design process, one that transcends all expectations and sets a new standard for flying private in luxury.