For decades, F/LIST Group has been the secret weapon of luxurious interiors— the unseen force behind countless cabins, yachts and residences. Now this family-run business is opening its doors to showcase the future of design across air, sea and land.
If you’re not familiar with the name F/LIST, you’ll certainly know its work. For decades, the Austrian firm has shaped the interiors of the world’s most exclusive aircraft, yachts and residences from London to Dubai. It has created cabins for 1,000+ business jets and delivered interiors under its F/YACHTING brand for 12 of the 20 largest superyachts of the past five years.
For 75 years, F/LIST has worked under the radar as the trusted partner of owners, manufacturers and designers worldwide. Under CEO Katharina List-Nagl—and with the launch of its marine division F/YACHTING and innovation hub F/LAB—this family-run company steps into the spotlight, shining a light on the craftsmanship, innovation and values that have made it luxury’s hidden champion.
From the village workshop to the world’s stage
F/LIST began in 1950 when Austrian craftsman Franz List founded a small joinery north of Vienna, where he built furniture, kitchens and doors for local houses. Over the following decades, the business grew as Franz’s sons— an architect, an engineer and a master carpenter—expanded into hospitality interiors across Europe.
A chance encounter in the late 1980s would change everything. After completing a hotel in Hamburg, a shipyard owner asked the family to outfit a cruise ship. “We said ‘yes’, without knowing how,” recalls List-Nagl, the founder’s granddaughter. “That was the start of our marine journey.” By 1997 F/LIST had delivered its first superyacht for Oceanco, followed by the interior of renowned residential cruise ship The World.
In the early 2000s the company turned to the skies. Leveraging its expertise in lightweight materials, F/LIST created its first aircraft cabin furniture and in 2004 won Bombardier’s Learjet contract. Challenger and Global programmes followed and today F/LIST interiors fly aboard hundreds of private jets—from Bombardier, Gulfstream, Embraer and Pilatus.
Now employing more than 1,250 people across 10 international sites—in Austria, Canada, Brazil, the US, Germany and the UAE—F/LIST-F/YACHTING is a byword for craftsmanship and innovation in aviation, yachting and residential design, anchoring a reputation as luxury’s hidden champion.
One seamless journey
What sets the F/LIST group apart is a holistic vision. From private jets to superyachts and city penthouses, the company delivers a complete 360° journey. Every project begins with collaboration—a process List-Nagl calls “co-creation”. “We never wanted to be just a manufacturer,” she says. “We see ourselves as a development partner. When we’re involved early on in a project, we can combine the designer’s creativity with our technical expertise to ensure that ideas are both feasible and extraordinary.”
Many clients own multiple assets— jets, yachts and homes—and want consistency of style and quality. “They can come to us for everything,” List-Nagl explains. “It’s a seamless experience across all worlds of luxury.”
That philosophy led to the 2023 launch of F/YACHTING, a dedicated platform for the company’s long-standing marine expertise. “For years, we were the hidden champions,” she says. “We built extraordinary interiors but couldn’t even mention them publicly. Now we can finally tell our story.”
F/YACHTING sits at the owner’s table from day one, co-creating with designers, shipyards and crew so that visionary ideas become technically and environmentally intelligent realities—with support that continues throughout the yacht’s life, long after the launch.
Innovation as craft
Behind F/LIST’s elegant finishes lies a culture of experimentation. At its Austrian HQ, engineers and artisans work together in F/LAB, developing new materials and sustainable solutions. Recent breakthroughs include Shape Shifter, a transformable aircraft furniture concept with integrated electronics; Whisper Leather Waveline, an ultra-light plant-based alternative to traditional hides; and reconstituted veneers with UV-resistant varnishes for exterior yacht use. Even waste such as apricot stones and cork is reimagined as decorative panels through circular economy processes.
“We always suggest the sustainable option,” says List-Nagl. “But sustainability alone isn’t enough; it must perform and look beautiful. For us, innovation means combining technical intelligence with emotional design.”
This approach is certainly turning heads. At the 2025 Robb Report Monaco & Côte d’Azur Best of the Best Awards, F/LIST won Best Private Jet Interior for a striking Bombardier Global 6000 refurbishment delivered with Winch Design and AllianceJet.
F/LAB is driven by a 35-strong interdisciplinary team focused on material science, automation, robotics and design evolution. “We don’t just follow trends; we set them,” says Werner Kartner, CEO of F/YACHTING. Visitors can tour the lab to witness how experimentation, craftsmanship and technology fuse and redefine the potential of interiors.
A very human approach
When Katharina List-Nagl took the helm in 2017, she became one of the few female CEOs in her field and set a new tone for the business. “My father was a pioneer— passionate, demanding and entirely focused on the craft,” she explains. “I lead differently. I’m a woman and a mother, so I had to find my own way: asking questions, challenging traditions, focusing on people and relationships.”
Under her watch, F/LIST has evolved into a collaborative, trust-based organisation built on transparency, shared purpose and respect for every role. “When our managers take over a new site,” she adds, “they don’t arrive in suits. They put on work clothes and spend the day on the shop floor. That’s how you earn respect.”
The result is a fresh energy and modern relevance for this legacy brand—aligning old-world craftsmanship with global agility. “I’m not driven by being the biggest,” List-Nagl says. “I’m driven by being the best—by doing something meaningful with integrity and humanity.”
From hidden champion to protagonist
Today F/LIST operates across three continents yet, despite its global scale, retains its family character and purpose-driven ethos. “We work in glamorous industries,” List-Nagl says, “but we stay humble. Without our craftsmen, engineers and project teams, none of this would exist.”
With its divisions now clearly defined— F/AVIATION, F/YACHTING, F/RESIDENCES and F/LAB—the company plans to grow its yachting and residential arms to match its aviation success, deepen its sustainability credentials and continue to blur the boundaries between craftsmanship and technology.
“Our ambition is simple,” concludes List-Nagl. “If you want to play in the Champions League of luxury interiors, there’s only one address to go to. We’ve been the secret weapon for years—now it’s time the world knows our name.”
