When people think about Airstream, one of the first things that come to mind is the iconic exterior design that creates a common thread through all of our models. The aluminum paneling that adorns every Airstream is as much a part of us as the name Airstream. But what happens when the aluminum comes inside.
Designer Christopher C. Deam had wanted to find out for years, but had not found a good opportunity. “It would be overwhelming, too much of a good thing,” he feared. With the redesign of the International Sterling model, that opportunity came with an epiphany – to contrast with the grained exterior aluminum, anodized aluminum would be used in the interior. “It was a very methodical process to make it work and look right,” Deam says.
There was certainly a method behind the decision – as founder Wally Byam said, “don’t make changes – only improvements.” And a design alteration for no reason wouldn’t be an improvement. “We put our heads down and analyzed the problem…how do we do something nobody else can do? How can we be authentically Airstream?” says Deam. “Aluminum’s a challenging material, but that’s what we wanted to show off – Airstream’s great skill and craftsmanship with it.”
The goal all along was to make the interior deliver on the promise made by the exterior. “It’s a total experience, rather than a dissociated experience we’re going for,” says Deam, and done right, the interior could even improve on the exterior, by building the aluminum accents into the more retro, 1930s-aircraft-inspired décor.
The end product? A trailer that combines modern and past design, and is ready for what the present holds. Functional and practical, stunningly beautiful, and uniquely Airstream – with Christophers design, the International Sterling checks all the boxes.
