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Designers George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg may operate studios in both Toronto and New York, but the pair are adamant that they do not differentiate between the two.
“Our ethos has always been ‘two cities, one studio’,” designer Glenn Pushelberg told Frame magazine in 2022. “We don’t enforce much of a hierarchy, or treat the company as two geographic entities[…].”
Yet even this “two cities” approach sells the practice’s geographical range short. Since its foundation in 1980, Yabu Pushelberg has spread its wings internationally, working on projects from Tokyo to Las Vegas, Paris to Guangzhou, creating hotels, restaurants, furniture and lighting that the studio's founders characterise as “high humble”: spaces and objects that elevate everyday materials and forms to create new experiences and expressions of design.
“At the end of the day, in both retail and hospitality,” Pushelberg told Frame, “the most successful spaces are the ones that evoke an emotional experience, and that’s when all parts work together to make the whole.”
It is this attention towards experience, and the delicacy through which it plays out in the studio’s treatment of material and space, that has seen Yabu Pushelberg commissioned to create designs for leading brands such as Molteni&C, as well as sought after to design hotels for Park Hyatt and Edition, drawing its founders all over the world. “It’s curiosity that drives us,” Yabu noted in a 2022 interview with Molteni&C that was prompted by the release of the studio’s
One of the cities in which the Yabu Pushelberg aesthetic and approach has been most successful is Shanghai. In 2022, the studio designed department store Lane Crawford’s outpost in the city, having previously designed Canadian fashion brand Ports 1961’s flagship space and crafted the interiors for the luxurious Twelve at Hengshan hotel in the city’s Hengshan Road district. The third largest city in the world, Shanghai marries the extreme modernity of regions such as the Lujiazui financial district with the historical grandeur of areas including the Bund, a protected district along the Huangpu River that bears a strong European influence from its status in the 19th century as a major trading centre. As a city, Shanghai exhibits the kind of complexity and variety upon which Yabu Pushelberg thrive.
Now, as Molteni Group opens its latest Flagship Store in Shanghai, providing a new home for both Molteni & C and UniFor, M Magazine reached out to Yabu and Pushelberg to share their recommendations from the city. Covering the best places to stay, eat, relax and explore, the pair have cast their expert eye over all that the city has to offer, making a series of recommendations for the spaces that have most resonated with them throughout their time in the city.
Aman Yangyun, China
Where do you like to stay in Shanghai?
THE PENINSULA HOTEL on the Bund for its views and the combination of old world Shanghai service and style. Alternatively, AMAN YANGUN offers Ming and Qing-dynasty inspiration, set amidst a relocated camphor forest, 40 minutes from the centre of Shanghai.
What are some of the best places to eat and drink?
GINGER, set in the former French Concession on Xingguo Road, is an institution for the Shanghai insider. Owned by Singaporean expat Betty Ng, who studied at the Tokyo branch of Le Cordon Bleu, it blends Eastern flavours with Western techniques. For pastries and coffee, visit LA BOULANGERIE at the CAPELLA SHANGHAI, which was transformed from a cluster of former Shikumen townhouses. Its fusion of French and Chinese elements is a nod to the golden era of Shanghai in the 1930s.
We also like DIN TAI FUNG, the original of which was founded in Taipei in 1958 and named as one of the top ten restaurants in the world by The New York Times. Dumplings, buns and noodles made by hand in open kitchens in branches across the city – tasty, local and affordable.
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Din Tai Fung Shanghai
What museums or cultural venues would you recommend?
The SUZHOU MUSEUM by architect IM Pei is one of his last works. Located in his ancestral home of Suzhou, it houses ancient Chinese art, paintings, calligraphy and handmade crafts. The museum is also close to the 16th-century LION GROVE GARDEN, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Additionally, WEST BUND SHANGHAI is a collection of museum and gallery spaces located in vast warehouse spaces alongside the Huangpu river. SHANG ART GALLERY was founded in 1996 by Swiss Gallerist Lorenz Helbing and was one of the first contemporary art galleries established in China – it’s a key anchor of the district.
Skyline of Pudong
Where can you see Shanghai’s most striking architecture?
The evening view from the BUND, looking down on the historic, European influenced promenade and gazing across the river to the soaring skyline of Pudong presents a dramatic contrast of architectural style across two centuries.
Another view of Shanghai comes from experiencing the intimacy of the FRENCH QUARTER. Its intimate lanes are best navigated on bicycle, opening onto tree-lined avenues. It gives a glimpse of both 19th-century lane houses and palatial mansions with grand gardens, built in European styles often accentuated with Art Deco influences .
What is your favourite market in Shanghai?
COMMONRARE MARKET is an outdoor fair, hosting hundreds of stalls with handcrafted goods, antiques and homewares.
Tsutaya Bookshop
What are some of the best bookshops in Shanghai?
The TSUTAYA BOOKSHOP, located in the former Columbia Circle Country Club (built in the Spanish Mission Style), was designed by American architect Elliot Hazard and completed in 1924. We also recommend reading FRENCH TOWN SHANGHAI by Tess Johnston and Deke Erh and SHANGHAI: THE RISE AND FALL OF A DECADENT CITY by Stella Dong.
Which parks would you recommend visiting?
YU GARDEN is a classical Chinese garden built in 1559 at the time of the Ming dynasty. Central to the garden is its famous tea house, which has hosted international luminaries such as Queen Elizabeth II, who visited in 1986 on her first visit to China.
HARDOON’S GARDEN in the French Concession, meanwhile, is anchored by the gracious white Belle Époque mansion on Fenyang Road. It was built in the early 1900s by Silas Hardoon, then Shanghai’s richest man, and the house and garden are a fine example of the importance, both economically and culturally, of Shanghai at that time.
Molteni&C Shanghai Flagship Store
In June 2024, the Molteni Group unveiled its largest Molteni&C Flagship Store and UniFor Showroom in the heart of Shanghai, a collaborative project with strategic partner Domus Tiandi, a leader in the retail furniture industry. Spanning more than 3,500 square meters and featuring an art gallery and a restaurant, this expansive new store aims to establish a transformative design landmark in the city.
The Shanghai Flagship Store, located in the "Golden Union Shi bo" compound along the banks of the Huangpu River, near the Shanghai Power Station of Art and the Expo Riverside Dingbo Tower, features a blend of history and modern design. The compound, once an industrial heritage site, now symbolizes Shanghai's evolution from its industrial roots to a contemporary urban landscape.
Vincent Van Duysen, Molteni&C’s Creative Director, envisions the store as a palace-like space with a succession of elegantly refined rooms, interconnected by a sculptural staircase and adorned with details that nod to Chinese culture. The design incorporates exposed reinforced concrete columns, a tribute to the building’s industrial past, seamlessly blended with modern metal accents.
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