Image Courtesy of Moët & Chandon.
The duo Glenn Pushelberg and George Yabu have become one. Not because they have been working together for over 4 decades and founded their own design studio or are partners in real life. But because their energy together is vibrant, warm and welcoming. It’s something you can tell the first moment you see them.
When SLEEK meets them in the new Moët & Chandon Bar Berlin at KaDeWe, they are a little bit late. “Sorry! We were shopping!”, says George and laughs. In his hands, he has two big bags. Glenn adds: “We bought chocolate!” It’s licorice chocolate. They love it.
A few days ago, the Moët & Chandon Bar Berlin on the popular 6th floor of the luxury shopping mall celebrated its big opening with guests from all over the world. The elegant interior is reminiscent of the organic, yet futuristic style of the 60s and 70s. The colors glow underneath golden LED lights while the main bar creates a seemingly never-ending loop in the middle. Although Yabu Pushelberg designed the interior, it’s only the second time Glenn and George have seen the place in real life.
For our interview, we go to one of the laid-back coves behind the bar – a monochrome deep red corner with curtains, a bench, and a round table. “The currywurst at the opening was oishii!”, starts Glenn. “That means tasty”, translates George for us “Glenn just arrived from Japan.”
That’s how our conversation starts – a conversation about champagne, design, lights, AI, and the wild days of Studio54.
Glenn and George. Image Courtesy of Yabu Pushelberg.
SLEEK: George, Glenn, first things first, do you drink champagne?
George: I like the taste, but I can’t drink a lot.
Glenn: Yeah, we definitely drink more champagne than we used to, since that project. When we are meeting people now, we usually start with champagne. Because it’s entertaining. Everyone loves champagne.
S: What was the inspiration for the Moët & Chandon Bar?
GE: We wanted to create a feeling like being inside of a champagne bubble.
GL: If you think of champagne, you think of enhancing the mood because you’re thinking about meeting friends, talking, going to an event and celebrating – it’s uplifting. So this is the emotion we wanted to capture with the interior. That’s why we have these three elements at the Moët & Chandon Bar Berlin: the creamy colors, the golden colors, and the red colors. Each of them changes your mood in a different way. Whether it’s sensuality, intimacy, conviviality, or serenity.
GE: Yeah. And as in all of our projects, the psychology of light was very important for us. For us, it’s like painting a wall, but instead of a bucket of paint, we use light. The light of this floor in KaDeWe is very bright, even, and hard. We installed removable blocking screens to protect this space from this light to make the Moët & Chandon Bar Berlin like a warm cocoon.
S: What is your favorite detail about the Moët & Chandon Bar?
GE: For me, it’s this red cove we’re sitting in. In here, I feel like anything can happen, especially at night. It’s like I’m the center of attention in the bar. I can see everyone from here and they can see me as well. Still, it is a special, intimate, and a little bit laid-back space. Across the room, there is another corner, which is my second favorite detail in the bar. From there I’m the silent observer, without being in the center of attention. I can watch people that go around in a circle or people crossing paths.
Image Courtesy of Moët & Chandon.
S: How do you include your own personality and experiences in your designs?
GE: The things that Glenn and I have seen over the decades still inspire our work today. You know, for instance, our reference for this bar was the world of nightclubbing. Back in the day, Glenn and I were partying in Studio 54. If you arrived there around midnight, it was the early part of the evening. It was just getting started. The space was an old television studio with a stage and they kept the hydraulics for the sets. At 2 or 3 am, when it got busier, they pulled up a set of curtains and expanded the dancefloor. This transition of the space and how it changed the evening was absolutely phenomenal.
GL: Georgie and I were gamers. We would have no money. We were born in Toronto, worked really hard, drove eight to nine hours in a car and stayed at a fleabag town to get to New York. But when we arrived at Studio 54 – those are the moments you never forget.
GE: Yes. With the Moët & Chandon Bar Berlin, we wanted to capture those experiences. We wanted to create a carefree space where you can be anything you want and can let loose. Today you have smartphones, you have to be scared that someone will film you if you do something unusual. It wasn’t like that back then.
S: What has changed since your beginnings in the 80s?
GL: Everything. There are more layers to our work. We do interiors, design products, and lighting. We’re also designing buildings and have to think about everything. The industry in itself hasn’t changed that much since the 80s. I think the principles of what we want, mostly remain. What changes is the social connection, how you communicate, and the places where you meet. But we are not afraid of the future. We are already jumping on the AI train, we are already investigating new technologies and how to integrate them into our work.
GE: We want to rule technology before technology rules us. Glenn and I are not afraid of anything.
Image Courtesy of Yabu Pushelberg.
Image Courtesy of Moët & Chandon.
S: You did the interior for some hotels as well.
GL: Oh, lots!
S: What is the first thing you look at whenever you enter a hotel?
GL: I don’t want to be confronted by a desk. I don’t want to feel obligated. I want to feel like I’m moving from the outside to the inside, for the hotel to open up and show me its personality through my experience there. Because a hotel has a lot of public spaces like bars, restaurants and spas. These places should be comfortable.
GE: A hotel should be a home away from home.
S: You two have been working together since the beginning. What is the challenge or the beauty of working together?
GE: Well, you need an army to create stuff. But the core of a good project is to stay true to the concept, to stay consistent, and to protect the idea. We once worked on the interior design of a hotel for 11 years. That’s a very long time and on the way, a lot of things can get lost. So as an architect and as a designer you must protect your idea – this is something Glenn and I are very good at together. Together we’re strong enough to do that.
GlL: Exactly. In general, we hold everything close. We are not a huge corporate company. We are working in two cities and have one studio. So, we are a very tightly-knit family even with our clients. We support each other – and that’s probably something you can feel in our designs as well.
S: Both of you studied interior design. What would you tell your past student self today?
GL: I think just exactly to be fearless.
GE: Be fearless to live off limits. Fearless to live every day to the fullest.
Visit the Moët & Chandon Bar Berlin at KaDeWe and reserve a spot here.