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George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, describe Yabu Pushelberg and what you do.
We are an interior design practice specializing in two areas: retail shops and hotels.
We have offices in Toronto and New York. We’re looking to work with clients that are
at the top of their game. We are not interested in the middle or the mass market,
but if there is a client that’s looking to achieve something as a vision, we work with
them to achieve that vision.
We are always striving to become better at what we do. We have meetings with all
of our team design leaders to decide what our goals are: How do we become better
designers? How do we train our junior designers better? How do we find better cli-
ents? These are all aspirational goals—not to become bigger, but to become better.
That is more important to us. We are also interested and curious always to try new
things, to work in new areas of the world, to hone what we do but not have a singular
style. Our process is about experimentation and moving our ideas around.
Your work ranges from furniture to hospitality to corporate interior spaces. Is there an
underlying methodology that you bring to every project?
You look for your inspiration or your starting point. That could be meeting a new cli-
ent, going to a new place, understanding a new program, understanding the context
of where you are working or the vision of your client or the architecture that you are
working within.
These are the points where you start your research and begin to develop a concep-
tual program. For instance, we are working on the new Mandarin Oriental Hotel in
Mumbai. We’re obviously inspired by the depth and breadth of Indian cultures, we’re
inspired by the notion of the craft and art of India. We’re also motivated by the vi-
sion of a young entrepreneur who wants to become the best hotelier in Mumbai and
wants to attract both the Bollywood crowd—that established wealthy Indian crowd—
and an international clientele. Within that, what does it mean to take an old luxury
company like Mandarin Oriental and move it forward into something that’s new but
still appropriate?
We sift through all that information, distill it, and start to develop a visual language
that is new and appropriate for a particular project. It’s not a singular straight-
forward methodology, but one based on gathering mental and visual information,
distilling it, and then twisting it so that it’s new again. It is important that the work
doesn’t become stylistic, which is a really easy trap that designs can fall into. We
aren’t interested in that. We’re not interested in being followers.
This section of the book focuses on aspects of interior design that appear at first to be second-
ary to the making of space, but actually are integral to understanding and experiencing design.
How do you approach these issues in your practice?
We think that aspects of sound, light, and movement are extremely interesting. In the Amore-
Pacific spa we did in Soho, we used behavioral software together with projected imagery that
is keyed by movement. We project a scene of cherry blossoms falling in the wind, and as you
come closer the cherry blossoms follow you, or images appear on the screen as you get closer
to it. So using one’s senses and using technology in soft ways, done effectively, creates a
more emotionally dynamic interior.
In designing restaurants, bars, or hotels, for us, the success of the interior comes not from
one bombastic idea, but from a collection of parts that creates an emotional response: how
you use light in a more painterly way; how you use technology in a soft way; what you hear
in a space, the acoustics of a space, all of these things reinforce this notion. Sound is a bit
trickier, but in some cases, it can also be used effectively.
How has this idea of soft technology changed the way you practice interior design, from when
you started till now?
Right now we’re using art in many of our installations because it automatically gives us a start-
ing point in our interiors. We’re commissioning art pieces, such as kinetic and video art, that
use technology to customize a response to the person who is occupying the space. The actual
viewing of art in interiors is the first stage, the next stage is experiencing the art.
We’re also really starting to use technology as a tool for designing. We’ve recently used more
graphic-oriented processes to create more complex patterns, not only for things like carpets,
but also for building façades. We’re doing a project for a grand hotel–you think of a traditional
grand lobby with a big, high ceiling space, but with computers you can conceive of more inter-
esting volumes that are less expected.
It’s a double-edged sword. There are times when you need to use technology to create things,
there’s a quality to it that is very modern and works well in some situations. But in other situ-
ations, we are against this process. We have a project where we wanted solid stone tubs,
so we found stone carvers in India to handmake the tubs—there’s a quality that comes from
cutting the stone by hand. Whether we are doing a jewelry store for David Yurman, which is
kind like of walking into a big sculpture, or a green hotel in Seattle, our work is moving toward
creating a space that is more artistic and more sculptural in nature, and a little less rational,
but that still solves the pragmatic issues. So, with technology, it really is a back-and-forth
process.
PERSPECTIVES ON ENVIRONMENTS:
YABU PUSHELBERG
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THE INTERIOR DESIGN REFERENCE + SPECIFICATION BOOK
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
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Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
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Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
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This section of the book focuses on aspects of interior design that appear at first to be second-
ary to the making of space, but actually are integral to understanding and experiencing design.
How do you approach these issues in your practice?
We think that aspects of sound, light, and movement are extremely interesting. In the Amore-
Pacific spa we did in Soho, we used behavioral software together with projected imagery that
is keyed by movement. We project a scene of cherry blossoms falling in the wind, and as you
come closer the cherry blossoms follow you, or images appear on the screen as you get closer
to it. So using one’s senses and using technology in soft ways, done effectively, creates a
more emotionally dynamic interior.
In designing restaurants, bars, or hotels, for us, the success of the interior comes not from
one bombastic idea, but from a collection of parts that creates an emotional response: how
you use light in a more painterly way; how you use technology in a soft way; what you hear
in a space, the acoustics of a space, all of these things reinforce this notion. Sound is a bit
trickier, but in some cases, it can also be used effectively.
How has this idea of soft technology changed the way you practice interior design, from when
you started till now?
Right now we’re using art in many of our installations because it automatically gives us a start-
ing point in our interiors. We’re commissioning art pieces, such as kinetic and video art, that
use technology to customize a response to the person who is occupying the space. The actual
viewing of art in interiors is the first stage, the next stage is experiencing the art.
We’re also really starting to use technology as a tool for designing. We’ve recently used more
graphic-oriented processes to create more complex patterns, not only for things like carpets,
but also for building façades. We’re doing a project for a grand hotel–you think of a traditional
grand lobby with a big, high ceiling space, but with computers you can conceive of more inter-
esting volumes that are less expected.
It’s a double-edged sword. There are times when you need to use technology to create things,
there’s a quality to it that is very modern and works well in some situations. But in other situ-
ations, we are against this process. We have a project where we wanted solid stone tubs,
so we found stone carvers in India to handmake the tubs—there’s a quality that comes from
cutting the stone by hand. Whether we are doing a jewelry store for David Yurman, which is
kind like of walking into a big sculpture, or a green hotel in Seattle, our work is moving toward
creating a space that is more artistic and more sculptural in nature, and a little less rational,
but that still solves the pragmatic issues. So, with technology, it really is a back-and-forth
process.
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How has lighting technology changed the way you present interiors? Is there more theatricality,
or has the technology allowed for more subtle installations?
There is also more energy conservation today, and it does have an impact on how we light
our spaces. We choose to light our surfaces more judiciously and we try to avoid stray light
as much as possible. The resulting effect is actually quite interesting. It’s more like that Old
World painting technique, chiaroscuro, where you have very intense areas of light and you
contrast it with very little or no light. Your eye adjusts to it, so you believe that there is a
higher level of intensity. In fact, you’ve dramatically reduced your energy consumption without
a sense that your lighting has been compromised.
The toughest constraint on energy consumption and lighting is in retail, of course. But
technology is moving so quickly. Light-emitting diode (LED) technology is really a savior in our
industry, especially when you can have such a strong range of color temperature now. There
are interesting things happening in lighting that we are in some ways forced to do, but in the
end, they are really good for design.
How do you approach issues of design that may not be visual ones? When you are designing an
interior, do you think about ambiance?
First you start with the proportions of the space: How does that make you feel? Is it some-
thing that is high and soaring? Or narrow? That makes you feel one way. Or are you coming
from a space that is dark and moody and then you enter into light? Or do you have the sound
of water around your feet? Certainly, there is this notion of the sensuality of the space. How
you respond emotionally to the space is actually dealing with the temperature. How you feel
about the space is visual. You use all these devices—whether the height or proportion of the
space, the tactile nature of the materials, how the space is lit, and how you transition from
space to space—all of these parts make the whole.
Do you design with music in your mind? Do you have a soundtrack to the spaces that you create?
It’s less about music and more about the acoustic quality of the space. We are cognizant of
acoustics a lot, especially in hospitality and public spaces. Can you have a decent conversa-
tion? It’s also having all of your senses working together. You can inuence the way people
respond to a space by the space itself. When you walk down a corridor in a good hotel, if the
lighting is right and the materials are softer, your voice drops lower. If it’s something that is
high and grand and hollow, your voice gets bigger and the noise in your walk gets bigger. That
is like music, as you move through different spaces and change them. There are rhythms in
how they change, but it’s not really connected, it’s isolated.
Can you think of two or three recent projects that have inspired or impressed you?
There’s a lovely hotel in São Paulo called Fasano. The restaurant is very grand, very formal,
minimal, but very beautiful in its simplicity. You think the room has been there for a long time,
it almost feels like it’s from the 1960s, but it doesn’t reference the decade in a direct way. All
of the parts work to create the whole again. We’re much more interested in that than in all this
bombastic throwaway design that exists today.
The new Apple Store in New York, the entrance on Fifth Avenue. The glass box of the entrance
on General Motors Plaza is so rigorous and rational. You can appreciate how it’s very nely
detailed in its simplicity.
A third project would be Tawaraya in Kyoto, the ultimate classic Japanese inn. We rst went
there twenty years ago. Every room has a view of a private garden. There’s an order based
on the proportion and number of tatami mats in relation to the garden, and the room con-
verts from a bedroom to a dining room to a sitting room—it magically changes. The bath tub
is crafted out of wood and it’s always full of hot water for soaking. When you step over the
threshold from the street into the hotel itself, there is this beautiful long rock, two meters
wide, and it announces that you are stepping into another world, backward in time. It’s a
beautiful experience.
Overleaf
Bottom Right Amore Pacific, New York. Photo by David Joseph.
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Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
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Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
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How has lighting technology changed the way you present interiors? Is there more theatricality,
higher level of intensity. In fact, you’ve dramatically reduced your energy consumption without
technology is moving so quickly. Light-emitting diode (LED) technology is really a savior in our
How do you approach issues of design that may not be visual ones? When you are designing an
from a space that is dark and moody and then you enter into light? Or do you have the sound
about the space is visual. You use all these devices—whether the height or proportion of the
Do you design with music in your mind? Do you have a soundtrack to the spaces that you create?
high and grand and hollow, your voice gets bigger and the noise in your walk gets bigger. That
Can you think of two or three recent projects that have inspired or impressed you?
There’s a lovely hotel in São Paulo called Fasano. The restaurant is very grand, very formal,
minimal, but very beautiful in its simplicity. You think the room has been there for a long time,
it almost feels like it’s from the 1960s, but it doesn’t reference the decade in a direct way. All
of the parts work to create the whole again. We’re much more interested in that than in all this
bombastic throwaway design that exists today.
The new Apple Store in New York, the entrance on Fifth Avenue. The glass box of the entrance
on General Motors Plaza is so rigorous and rational. You can appreciate how it’s very nely
detailed in its simplicity.
A third project would be Tawaraya in Kyoto, the ultimate classic Japanese inn. We rst went
there twenty years ago. Every room has a view of a private garden. There’s an order based
on the proportion and number of tatami mats in relation to the garden, and the room con-
verts from a bedroom to a dining room to a sitting room—it magically changes. The bath tub
is crafted out of wood and it’s always full of hot water for soaking. When you step over the
threshold from the street into the hotel itself, there is this beautiful long rock, two meters
wide, and it announces that you are stepping into another world, backward in time. It’s a
beautiful experience.
Overleaf Left and Top Right St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco. Photos by Joe Fletcher.
Bottom Right Amore Pacific, New York. Photo by David Joseph.
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Perspectives on Environments
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