From a Chinese Soul to a Business Jet Cabin

LiChing Liu Tsai is Taiwanese by birth and an industrial designer by profession. It was three years ago that she was hired by Kalogridis International to turn owner and president George Kalogridis’ dream into reality.

A year ago, that dream was introduced as Deconel, a 3-D decorative process applicable to bulkheads, headliners, window panels and dado panels. Today, the Dallas-based company, best known for its custom carpet design and manufacture, offers Deconel in some 300 styles, from a satellite view of the desert to split bamboo. While the finish is smooth and hard, easily cleaned and abrasion resistant, the illusion is one of depth, whether it is embossing, debossing, carving or a special effect. It was created, said
LiChing, to replace the tapestry, fabrics and leathers that are typically applied to bulkheads and other cabin surfaces.

The process is also practical as well as decorative, she explained, because the product weighs “much less than most other applications and when applied throughout the cabin, can reduce noise levels by as much as 4 dB.