From super-boutique hotels to whimsical furniture collections, Yabu Pushelberg has a knack for designing places and products that are luxurious, layered, and full of feeling
The last two years have been extremely busy for Yabu Pushelberg, the global design practice founded by partners George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg in 1980. In London alone, they designed the city's biggest hotel openings of 2021—The Londoner on Leister Square and the Pan Pacific London in Liverpool Street, the Singaporean hospitality brand’s first foray into Europe. While the firm designed both properties (which opened days apart from each other), each one looks and feels distinctly different.
The Londoner, which bills itself as a “super boutique hotel”, is like a glamorous members club with dark wood panelling, lacquered jewel-tone doors, and replete with hidden touches like peep holes in the lift where you can view art. The Pan Pacific London, on the other hand, evokes an East-meets-West appeal with a fresh colour and material palette, Chinoiserie-inspired accents, and a focus on well-being.
Keen observers, however, would notice that Yabu Pushelberg has a penchant for sinuous lines, rich colour combinations, and brass detailing—design decisions reflected in both properties as well as in their furniture collections like that with Stellar Works and Lasvit.
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