Bio
George Yabu is an interior designer, and co-founder and partner of Yabu Pushelberg, a holistic design practice with its foundation in Interior Design. The firm’s multidisciplinary approach is informed by an endless curiosity and driven by partnerships with thoughtful, creative like-minded people. Evolving to encompass all aspects of design, including many product collaborations, each new venture reflects an edited approach that is imaginative, thoughtful and honest – continuously shifting between the rational and the intuitive.
Raised in Toronto’s Cabbagetown neighborhood, Yabu attended an interior design workshop in college and became interested in, what was then, an unknown industry. A graduate of Ryerson University with a Bachelor of Interior Design (1976), Yabu was also later awarded an Honorary Doctorate Interior Design in 2003. Having traveled extensively, to over 125 countries, he feels there is always more to explore and learn. As new projects lead him to different parts of the world, he continues to be driven by the ever-changing global landscape. Attention to detail and a spirit of exploration remain a hallmark of Yabu’s work.
For more than thirty years, George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg have created distinctive signature environments for a diverse and often high profile group of clients. The firm has collaborated with some of the world’s leading innovators of hotel groups, retailers and restaurants, including Ian Schrager, Daniel Boulud, Jean-Georges Von Richten, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Park Hyatt International, Barneys, Tiffany & Co. and Lane Crawford to name just a few. With over 125 employees and offices in New York and Toronto, they are inspired and impassioned by the melding of cultures, ideas and energy in both cities.
George, alongside his partner, Glenn, has been recognized as a design industry innovator and has earned countless accolades for his work and for his contributions to design excellence internationally. In 2013, they were both appointed as Officers for the Order of Canada; they have been listed in Interior Design Magazine’s ‘Hall of Fame’, the Wallpaper* Power 200 list and the Business of Fashion BoF 500 list – an index of people shaping the global fashion industry.
TAGS: Architecture | interior design
