It was a mutual hatred of examinations that first propelled George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg into studying design. “It’s the lazy man’s way out,” laughs Glenn. “But it was just kind of fun. We were in this class that was energising, with lots of interesting people, and we drove each other. Whether through the study of photography, filmmaking, or life drawing, the focus was on letting preconceptions go and understanding what the meaning of creativity is.” This was the foundation that led George and Glenn to launch design practise Yabu Pushelberg in 1980. 

Inspired by an intense curiosity, it’s been a fruitful forty years since, that have taken the design duo from Toronto, where they’re from and where projects have spanned from homes to hotels, to New York, where their first foray into fashion retail included designing a store for Carolina Herrera, and where they have since opened a second studio. Projects at Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman followed, and, further afield, at Lane Crawford Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Next spring will see the reopening of LVMH-owned heritage department store La Samaritaine in Paris, revamped by the pair. “Now more than ever, retail has to be more engaging and have a point of view. Good retail has a kind of engagement, it’s immersive, the shopper has to be able to connect,” says Glenn.  

This sense of engagement is something that Yabu Pushelberg strives for in their work. “We are modernists, but we are emotional modernists,” says Glenn. “It’s important to us to create interiors that resonate emotionally with people, and have some life beyond an immediate flash.” Since its inception, the firm has evolved from interior design to building 360-degree design concepts for brands. “It’s all about the fuller experience,” says George. “We like to take more of a 360-degree approach to design. We even want to get into uniform design.” This is apparent at Hong Kong restaurant Arbor, where the firm designed everything from lighting and furniture to the logo and tableware. “We wanted to create a French flair but didn’t want to be prosaic about it. It feels French in a natural way,” says Glenn.  

While the firm is yet to have an outpost in Asia, they certainly aren’t short of projects here, with their latest including Rosewood Guangzhou, 11 years in the making, The Grand Hyatt Shenzhen, and Raffles Sentosa Island in Singapore. “I find clients to be somewhat more accepting in Asia,” says Glenn. “There is a greater entrepreneurial spirit to exceed the opposition and just go for it.” 

Their dream project is yet to come – a hotel somewhere by the ocean, a natural extension of their home. “We have a house on the ocean between East Hampton and Montauk where we entertain in the summer and if we were to build a hotel it would be an extension of that,” says Glenn. “At home, our style is easy, barefoot, but we always aim to create an experience, whether it’s a beautiful dinner or someone playing the guitar under the stars or dancing on the countertops. It’s about creating a mood.”