Design firm Yabu Pushelberg has opened the doors of its new office and gallery in New York City to showcase its latest furniture, including tables that look like pools of water and chairs with chunky wooden legs.
Yabu Pushelberg's new releases comprise two collections – the Puddle side tables and Noce dining and lounge chairs – designed and produced in collaboration Italian furniture brand Henge.
The pieces are currently on show on the lower level of the design firm's recently acquired office, which occupies three floors of a building in the city's TriBeCa neighbourhood in Lower Manhattan.
Yabu Pushelberg founders George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg intend the floor to be used for a wider events programme, including installations and talks, alongside its design practice.
"It's really double the space we need but it's such a beautiful area and such a beautiful building [we thought] let's buy all three floors," Pushelberg told Dezeen at the installation opening on 21 March.
"Let's just create an events space where we can bring in chefs to cook, we can bring in people to speak, we can do presentations like this, " he continued. "Our idea is to keep changing this space to show our work [and] to talk about issues that we are interested in."
Marking the first event, the Henge collection exhibit transforms the space into a forest-like setting designed to complement the naturalistic features of the furniture.
Within the first section of the space, the metallic Puddle side tables are dotted between grassy mounds, while a black-and-white movie shot by artist Jason Bruges, displays woodland and creatures on a screen behind.
The coffee tables come in various shapes and metal, including a mix of polished silver, bronze and burnished brass. Each table is cast using a wooden mould that is thrown away each time, making each top different.
"What's interesting about working with Henge is that they experiment with materials," said Pushelberg. "Each table is different."
In the adjoining room, Noce dining and lounge chairs set above mirrors that are shaped to resemble pools of water and create reflections on the ceiling above.
The tables and chairs are set on three legs that were handmade in solid wood, resembling a thick tree trunk, with rounded seats set on top.
"Three-legged chairs are seemingly simple but difficult," said Pushelberg. "They don't tip over."
Yabu Pushelberg is best known for its designs of luxury brands across the world, such as Four Seasons, Marriot and Park Hyatt hotels and world-famous stores: from Paris' Printemps and Hong Kong's Lane Crawford, to New York's Barneys and Tiffany & Co.
First established in Toronto in 1980, the studio set up a second office in New York in the 1990s to capitalise on the success of their interior for the Bergdorf Goodman store in the city.
Its recent move into the three-storey TriBeCa space – located near to R & Company gallery – marks a major growth for the company. In recent years, this has involved a greater focus on product design with outputs including the Mushroom table series with Henge and lighting for Lasvit.