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APPARATUS + Business of Home: 5 PART PLAY

“Since its founding in 2012, APPARATUS has exploded. The brand has two dedicated showrooms in the U.S., with another forthcoming in London; more than 30 stockists internationally; and more than 100 employees. The company is that rare beast: both a financial and an artistic success story. It’s a result, says Gabriel Hendifar, of a design vision based around emotional resonance more than any one aesthetic.”

In an episode from early October 2022, Business of Home podcast host and NY School of Interior Design Dennis Scully interviewed APPARATUS founder and Artistic Director Gabriel Hendifar to understand the nexus of the brand’s creativity – its past, its present, and its future. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, Scully and Hendifar take the listener through a five part play, revealing glimpses into the brand’s hero journey. As the audience, we know the magic is partly in awaiting the collections – also known as ACTS – that APPARATUS launches with baited breadth, knowing the curtain is about to lift upon the most enveloping story that unfolds through various channels.

“What good is the set if you don’t actually have the play to watch? Those moments of communal joy and celebration and seduction and excitement and intrigue—that’s the whole point,” Hendifar shares.

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Behind the Scenes of Caste with Ty Best

Crafted in noble materials including bronze, steel, marble, bridle leather, and classic woods, Caste founder Ty Best’s pieces invoke seemingly contradictory responses: luxurious/simple, complex/comfortable, fine art/furniture. The unique aesthetic has been described as “future primitive.”

Born & raised in Montana, Best left the Midwest to study fashion design in California & later create fantastical window displays for Barneys with the likes of Malcolm Hill and Simon Doonan. With this deep visual arts & sculpture knowledge in hand, Best returned to his home state to continue his creative journey which led to furniture design.

Inspired by his surroundings in Missoula, Montana, the tension between landscapes and seasons has created memorable, provocative work. Best continues to show us that Mother Nature knows…best.

“The rugged terrain of his home state of Montana is one of the many disparate influences he draws on for his powerful yet refined pieces the designer aims to incorporate his daily surroundings into his work. “I get inspired by elements in nature, whether ice formations or the erosion of a rock,” he says. “The daunting Montana landscape has a lot to do with the shapes of my ­pieces.” – Elle Decor