In the design world in 2021, the most out-of-the-loop event is undoubtedly the landmark building located at the junction of the lively right bank and the left bank of literature and art, between the Louvre Museum and Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been revitalized for a hundred years. Bernard Arnault, president of the LVMH Group, took a gamble and invited designers such as Yabu Pushelberg and SANA to spend 20 years and 750 million euros to awaken la Samaritaine, a century-old legendary department store in Paris, which caused a global sensation for a time.
La Samaritaine, funded by the LVMH Group
La Samaritaine is adjacent to several of Paris's most famous tourist destinations, and its Art Deco design has made it a new landmark in Paris. In 2001, LVMH acquired a majority stake in La Samaritaine and in 2010 acquired all of them. In 2005, LVMH shut down la Samaritaine due to fire safety issues.
Yabu Pushelberg was asked to design the interior of La Samaritaine for the renovation, and as they took over the design work, the two designers couldn't help but ask, "This was once a large, splendid grocery store for Parisians, so why not let the locals resonate with it?" So, inspired by Edmund White's book The Wanderer of Paris, Yabu Pushelberg wanted to get a kind of "Parisian stroll" romance in addition to an intimate and friendly shopping experience.
Yabu Pushelberg
George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg are two of the world's most renowned design gurus. They are known as the "godfathers" of the world's design world; their works are imitated by designers. Unique, it is the exclusive soul of Yabu Pushelberg. In Yabu Pushelberg's work, emotions, hopes, expectations, lives, and art all seem to beat strongly. It's not so much that Yabu's designs create beauty, but rather that their designs drive aesthetics.
In 1980, Yabu Pushelberg Designers was officially established to create design boutique projects such as The London EDITION, Printemps Paris, Four Seasons Hotel New York, and Louis Vuitton Hong Kong.
Recently, in Grosvenor Square in Mayfair, London, England, you can admire Yabu Pushelberg's new design masterpieces and get a closer look at the unique space art of the two design giants.
In 1938, Grosvenor Square I, II and III were combined into a magnificent building that became the residence of the U.S. Embassy and Ambassador to the United Kingdom. During the construction of One Grosvenor Square, Yabu Pushelberg distilled the design concept from the elegant mansion, and through size, proportion and detail, the luxurious mansion was slowly presented to the world like a historical picture, "We wanted to create a rare world without pretentiousness, giving this historic building a rhythmic and rhythmic independent space." The cleverly concealed sight between the rooms not only creates the act of running through the house, but also naturally integrates the vignettes of personal life into a warm work of art. ”
The design of One Grosvenor Square was inspired by the historical significance behind it and the grandeur of the building. As they once said, "Going back in time will make the designs we make more resonant, and the project itself will have a greater weight." "The iconic oval elements of the original embassy have also been preserved and integrated into the residential promenade, becoming architectural passages that continue the historical significance of the building. In addition, Yabu Pushelberg retained the original replica of the room, the Oval Office, which allowed the building, which served as the former U.S. Embassy in the United Kingdom, to be restructured to play a pivotal historical role. In design, the duo further extended New Georgian architectural features to the interior through grandiose, timeless interior details and formal floor plan design, and derived cascading rooms from classic interior details and a solemn floor plan.
For the two designers, the design of each work is a new departure. In Yabu Pushelberg's previous design projects, the list of world-renowned buildings is numerous. Star hotels in New York, restaurants in Hong Kong, private homes in London... George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, who are used to traveling through different cities, take people to travel and live in the places they yearn for with a pen and inspired drawings. Glenn Pushelberg revealed that every project he takes over adheres to the commitment of creating an emotional resonance space, because this is the only sincere contact between the space and the public, and it can also connect and emotionally resonate with people.
In The world of Yabu Pushelberg, design is a romantic thing, you never see any copy-paste, they once said they were good at creating unique, hate repetitive designs, as George Yabu said, "No two projects are exactly the same." They may have the same desire or style, but every experience that connects with us must make a clear point. Therefore, the works or spaces they design can be called "unique in the world.".
"Curiosity has always been the driving force behind our designs." George and Glenn, who love novelty, have spent 40 years arriving at their original design – living in a desirable destination, surrounded by an environment worth nostalgic surroundings and caring objects. George and Glenn's works may also have a vein to follow, they appreciate the flow and change, but always adhere to the emotional attention to people in the design, the outline of spatial lines, the choice of materials, the arrangement of artworks, all connected with the natural environment and regional culture.
In some cases, they are more like film directors than architectural designers, using design to outline the framework but not presetting the "plot". They like to start with a "story of the guest playing the protagonist", a narrative-based approach to design that allows people to touch every element of the experience, and every element of design slowly unfolds through the experience of the person. "In this way, we are able to create a place of ingenuity and vitality that resonates emotionally with people and impresses their minds and hearts." George Yabu added.
Park Hyatt Shenzhen
"There's no way to fake a design." George Yabu always emphasizes, "It can be good, bad, or just a little bit off, and the difference is usually whether the project was 'intentionally' built." In order to resonate with reality and transcend the limitations of time and space, you must design a project that can accommodate souls. Designed to share and help individuals grow with the environment around them. If a project can have a personal conversation with someone, it can embody the subtleties of design in its purest form. It is also the most sustainable and ethical option for our planet. ”
This attitude towards life is also reflected in their past works, "We do not do 'rush design', but step by step, brick by stone. George Yabu said.
The London London Hotel, which took 2.6 billion yuan to build, took 7 years to build
The two designers are very precise in their control of details, because in their opinion, the smallest details can enhance the experience or destroy the experience. "We used to design for a luxury jewelry store, and usually the jewelry store uses light of different color temperatures to enhance the jewelry display effect. When the lights are focused, the gemstones are on the most exciting stage, and most designers don't think about the moment when the customer takes the gem out of the display area, they will lose the brilliance of the lighting. And this also inspired them to think about more details of space design.
With the change of the times, people's positioning of "luxury" and the demand for luxury hotel design have changed dramatically. Glenn Pushelberg believes that during the pandemic, people's values have been reshaped, "whether it is from the design aesthetics or the project itself, it will return to simplicity." ”