There is an undeniable mystique that surrounds the work of Apparatus Studio. The lighting is bold and groundbreaking, the furniture is intricate and arresting, and the collection of haute objet—from incense burners to fruit bowls—have become status symbols. But beyond their tactile creations lies another layer of creative self-expression, one that must be experienced to be understood. Tucked deep inside their curated world of art and design, dual maestros Gabriel Hendifar and Jeremy Anderson of the New York-based studio have perfected the combination of shock and pandemonium with nearly everything they create.
Walking into one of their storied, thematic parties or viewing a new collection—even watching the two short films they have produced—are events all their own; that’s the Apparatus way. When surrounded by experiential art performances and obscure displays of grandeur, shock is an inevitable state. It’s only upon realizing the moment is fleeting that pandemonium strikes—leaving all who were invited under the veil to return to the way they were, only now more elevated, educated, and incredibly moved by what Hendifar and Anderson have been able to achieve in only eight years.
What makes Apparatus’ work coveted and envied is Hendifar’s ability to tap deep into his creative genius and not hold back. “I have become quite comfortable with the distance between the idea and the reality,” says Hendifar, who studied costume design and worked in womenswear is Los Angeles before moving to New York with Anderson, his husband and partner, in 2011. “The more years I get to do this, the more I’ve learned to celebrate the fact that things don’t always turn out the way I have imagined.”
Hendifar not only orchestrates the creative direction of each collection but also organizes them by acts, three of them to be exact, with an interlude that debuted in April at Salone del Mobile in Milan and culminated with the release of the hand-embroidered floor lamp at the Salon Art + Design show at the Park Avenue Armory in New York in November. Not unlike the other acts, the composition of the seven pieces in interlude were centered around a narrative that is woven throughout each piece.
“There are people out there who have sacrificed everything for their art and that informs a lot of what we do,” says Hendifar, who created interlude as a brief pause before releasing another full collection. “The passions behind the virtuosic performer, midcentury classical music, and the depth of Maria Callas is found throughout each piece.” If the narrative is the leading lady, the materials make up the supporting cast. Eel skin is layered over hand-embroidered mesh to create a towering four-panel screen. A three-piece, curvilinear coffee table is topped with rare Patagonia marble and rests on six polished brass cylinders. More eel skin, folded leather, alabaster, bronze, hand-dyed silk, and tiny glass beads make up the rest of the collection, placing interlude on a level all its own.
There is a lot on the horizon for Apparatus, but perhaps not as obvious as the luxurious materials or the dreamy narratives is another tenet to their work: community. “Jeremy and I like to think we have an obligation to make things that stand for something a little bit bigger,” says Hendifar. “Our tentpole moment is about generosity, making beautiful things, bringing people together, and being nice in return.”
Interlude features a marble-topped coffee table and a towering four-panel screen, among other pieces in the collection
