Gabriel Hendifar is one half of the duo behind Apparatus alongside Jeremy Anderson. In the space of 5 years what they have achieved is remarkable, from designing their own light fittings for their apartment, to making orders for friends and moving into a 10,000 square foot design studio.
I was introduced to Apparatus on a visit to Spring restaurant in London and experienced what I know now as an emotionally resonant moment. I was blown away. I wanted it all and I wanted it now! I still do, more than a dozen visits later. Alas, a Cloud 19 will suffice . What Gabriel and Jeremy and the team at Apparatus have achieved will become even more significant in time. Putting the New York design scene on par with Europe along with their contemporaries such as Lindsey Adelman, Calico and BDDW.
LG: You have spoke before about creating emotionally resonant moments which you have achieved so successfully in your work but what do you think are the ingredients of this ... I am interested in why some brands are able to nail this so well while others seem to lack a certain authenticity.
GH: For me, one of the essential parts of designing new collections is imagining the context in which we will present them - the colour and mood of the rooms, how those rooms should make us feel, who lives in them, what they collect, what they wear. In this way, our studio practice has always been intimately tied to an exploration of space. The references inform a larger story we are telling, and the collections are the most tangible piece of that story. I think committing to this story in all of the choices we make, from the product, to the photography, to the spacial experience, is what breathes life into the work. 
LG: Which other creatives/brands do you think are doing an amazing job of delivering emotionally resonant moments in any field?
Dimore, of course - they are masters. Andrew Bolton’s Costume exhibitions at the Met. The work of Pina Bausch. The sets of Robert Wilson. Dior Couture shows generally.
LG: You started with lighting and have moved into objects and furniture, I read somewhere you also have an interest in designing whole spaces....what would be a dream commission ?
GH: Oh this is a tough one. I think spaces that have a heightened sense of occasion are interesting design opportunities because they are meant to create impressions, rather than to be experienced over prolonged periods of time. Hotels, restaurants, etc.
"I think designing a place of worship could be really incredible."
LG: In another life what would you have been ?
GH: A pianist.
LG: What's next on your travel wish list?
GH: Jeremy and I would love to spend more time in Italy. We’re there once a year for Salone and its never enough.
LG: Finally you have friends coming to visit in New York for a weekend- What's on the itinerary
GH: We would take them up to our house in the Hudson valley, cook at home, check out the main drag Warren Street in Hudson, Opus 40, Dia Beacon, Storm King. So many things to do! Thats probably more than a weekend’s worth.