Who are they? The Canadian interior design duo are responsible for the new Lane Crawford store in the IFC Mall in Central and other famous retail and hotel projects.
How did they meet? George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg met while studying interior design at Ryerson University in Toronto in the early 1970s. In 1980, they joined forces to form their own company.
What have they done at Lane Crawford? The 82,000-square-foot store has been designed with subtle sophistication and aesthetic creativity. From the Travertine marble flooring and dreamlike art installations by Hirotoshi Sawada and Dennis Lin, to the use of natural light and the womb-like, circular martini bar (right) in soft red lacquer, the single-level store is disarmingly welcoming. Pushelberg says they attempted to imbue the store with 'an almost residential feeling', although the use of screens to separate the sprawling space into distinct rooms gives an impression more akin to an art gallery.
What is their design philosophy? There is no signature style in Yabu Pushelberg's work as they approach each project with a fresh eye. Emotional value and the integration of art and design are the constants rather than stylistic motif. Pushelberg is the design strategist, refining clients' requests into a coherent proposition, while Yabu is the designer.
What do they have to say? 'You can't re-invent ice cream but you can make people look at it in a new way. We try to change how people experience something, to re-introduce a sense of wonder.'
What else are they doing? Alongside their never-ending roster of retail and hotel commissions, including hotels in San Francisco and Montreal and the new Kate Spade store in New York, they are considering branching out into furniture design.