A tour of design duo Yabu Pushelberg's home and some of their recent projects

To find a suitably sumptuous setting for our March issue's Black Swan fashion story, we turned to Yabu Pushelberg, the design duo known for their interiors for hotels, private houses and fashion flagships across the globe. They handed us the keys to their New York apartment in a Richard Meier-designed tower on Perry Street. Here, our softly tailored looks seemed right at home amid the sculptural furnishings and rich textures of the 4,000 sq ft space. And what model wouldn't be pleased by some of the most flattering light in town.
Layered with deep, rich woods and sinuous silhouettes, the apartment is a testament to the timeless Fifth Avenue aesthetic that's seen George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg feted the world over (their beauty floor at Bergdorfs is still there 15 years later). It's a look that's elegant but not decadent, subtle yet memorable, gracious but not prim. When Shanghai opened its first Lane Crawford department store with a Yabu Pushelberg interior last autumn, it was a sign the city had matured beyond its boom time flash and settled into its prime.
In projects like the Clement restaurant at New York's Peninsula Hotel and the London Edition, the team has excelled by delivering what guests want, even if they don't know they want it: luxe finishes, great lighting and showstopping artistic flourishes. More recently they've updated the Hotel Victor in South Beach with warm tailoring and woody accents as a counterpoint to the celebrated Art Deco fixtures. And their pared-back interiors for New York's One Madison development focus on expensive grainy woods and veined marbles.
Yabu Pushelberg create the kind of cocooning environments that you just don't want to leave - which made handing back the keys to their Perry Street home all the more of a wrench.
The overall look is timeless, with elements from every decade of the 20th century – but still crisp and contemporary
The bedroom carries over their archetypal palette of neutrals
Materials, like the deep-grain woods, are reminiscent of their blue-chip commissions for hotels and fashion flagships across the world
Marble is fundamental to their bathrooms and kitchens
Clean lines in the kitchen of the apartment on New York's Perry Street
Among George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg's recent projects is the Clement restaurant at New York's Peninsula hotel. Here, dramatic touches draw the eye into the space
They outfitted the dining room in a palette of tans, ambers and ochres
Last autumn Lane Crawford launched its first Shanghai store with an interior by Yabu Pushelberg
The furnishings are tailored and luxurious
The pair have always incorporated refined dining spaces within their retail projects
They worked with Ian Schrager on the interior of the London Edition hotel
The luxurious finishes and fabrics are subtle yet warm and memorable
At One Madison, a 60-storey development in Manhattan, they’ve used restraint so as not to upstage the skyline views
The interior is classic Yabu Pushelberg: just enough layers to add depth without intensity
Parquet flooring and marble surfaces bring pattern into the interiors
At Hotel Victor in South Beach, they’ve brought woody accents and Latin flair to the Art Deco icon
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Based in London, Ellen Himelfarb travels widely for her reports on architecture and design. Her words appear in The Times, The Telegraph, The World of Interiors, and The Globe and Mail in her native Canada. She has worked with Wallpaper* since 2006.
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