Full-service airlines make the bulk of their profits from their business class cabin, whether that’s called business class or something a little more opaque — remember Clipper and Ambassador Classes, and all the names since? At this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo, more business class seats broke cover than ever before, whether that was out on the stand or behind the closed doors of seatmakers’ secret rooms.

There’s incredible engineering going on to balance comfort, density and of course safety, but what struck me most this show was the amount of texture, tactility and soft surfaces that seatmakers are introducing to change the look — and especially the feel — of these seats.

Much of what I was seeing, both in public and behind closed doors, explores how to bring a real liveable tangibility to the seat, and particularly to the increasingly important shrouding and sidewalls.

Stelia’s Rendez-Vous staggered seat is one of the best examples of this trend, emerging from last year’s secret rooms to the main stand. Rendez-Vous feels as if you’re wrapped in a luxurious European suit, with premium fabric extending from the seats to the sidewalls and beyond. The retro mid-century aesthetic and the way the seatback disappears into the sidewall — notably in the centre honeymoon pairs — are both big gamechangers.

Stelia’s Rendez-Vous  photo by Frank Socha