"Luxury is a horrible word," said award-winning interior designer Glenn Pushelberg. "It should be about quality of experience." From North America to Asia and the Middle East, the hotels, restaurants, retail stores and residences Glenn Pushelberg and George Yabu have designed, from Ian Schrager's new Edition Hotel in Miami Beach to the Louis Vuitton store in Hong Kong, are experiences that are transcendental.
Former college acquaintances, their partnership bloomed when they bumped into each other serendipitously while they were each looking for office space. "We didn't start with a business plan," George Yabu recalled. "We started with a shared passion for design." Their ethos is that good design is about problem solving .
Their design firm, Yabu Pushelberg has received numerous honors for its contributions to design excellence. From Designers of the Year and 101 People You Must Meet to Hot Interior Design Firm, the list goes on and on; they are long-term inductees into the Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame.
Every year at its DX Intersection event, The Design Exchange celebrates an individual or partnership that exemplifies creativity, outstanding talent, and innovative vision. "We're excited that this year's DXI awardees are George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg," said Design Exchange President and CEO Shauna Levy who is responsible for bringing modern exhibits representing popular culture to the Design Exchange. Recent exhibits include a 20-year survey of the work of the famous French shoemaker Christian Louboutin and a Pharrell Williams curated conceptual toy' show representing the intersection of street culture, hip hop, graffiti and fashion. On why Yabu Pushelberg were chosen as this years awardees, she said, "Their work is thoughtful, imaginative, and emotive. They create true design experiences." And as I learned in my interview with them, they are witty, curious, and fascinating too.
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