Apparatus designs sculptural, practical
It may not have been lightning, but Gabriel Hendifar and Jeremy Anderson were struck by a certain coup de foudre when they met, fell in love and moved in together.
Then came the question of how best to illuminate their new space, and rather than buy something, they chose to build it themselves. In the process of engineering a chandelier (Compass, which they continue to manufacture), they discovered that they share a passion for lighting that suddenly seemed far more important than their careers in fashion and public relations.
The result is Apparatus, the lighting studio they founded. They now also sell pieces in San Francisco exclusively at the recently opened boutique Cavalier, a gallery of rare and exquisite objets curated by Jay Jeffers and Michael Purdy (1035 Post St., www.cavaliergoods.com).
Hendifar and Anderson’s work is loyal to the idea of functional illumination — yet their very architectural and sculptural designs play with the rules of balance and space, such as Highwire, which was inspired by French aerialist Philippe Petit. Bertrand Pellegrin: It seems like so many young designers entered into the field because they were trying to solve a problem. In your case, it was how to light your home. Anderson: All of the fixtures in the collection were initially designed specifically for a room in our own home, and we continue to take that approach. It’s been amazing to see that our clients want to live with them as much as we do.
Pellegrin: At a recent reception at Cavalier, some people mistook some of the pieces for sculpture rather than lighting. Is that intentional? Hendifar: In the sense that sculptural and architectural shapes appeal to
us, yes. But I don’t think we set out aiming for sculptural. The design process is pretty organic and involves a lot of play time and going back to the drawing board. But ultimately, we are making light fixtures, and there is a very utilitarian approach. We are not making art objects. Pellegrin: Your use of materials is unusual. The limited-edition Bowl Sconce, for one, has an interesting story … Anderson: We were in South Africa visiting good friends of mine and had the pleasure of visiting an amazing purveyor of African artifacts. We spent a long time looking through beautiful masks and beads looking for inspiration. And it was the really humble wooden bowls that were the most interesting to us. Hendifar: I knew we had to have them, even though I had no idea how to use them. There was a lot of play time, with the intention of creating a really simple armature that would let the bowls and their natural irregularities be the focus. Some of them have amazing markings and scoring patterns, while others have beautiful cracks and repairs.
Pellegrin: Cloud harkens to Rody Grauman’s iconic 85 Lamps. What do you think gives yours such an ethereal quality? Anderson: There is something very satisfying about seeing a big cluster of something together hanging from the ceiling. There are definitely similarities in shape, but we were aiming for a more hand-wrought interpretation of the cluster fixture. Hendifar: The orbs are hand-blown, and the frosting is applied individually on the surface of the glass. We love the irregular, coarse texture this creates, as well as the contrast between the weight and heft of the chain and the weightlessness of the glass. Pellegrin: Each of the 11 pieces in your collection is made by hand. Have you begun to worry about supply and demand? Hendifar: Certainly there will be limitededition components of the collection that will come and go, but it’s really exciting to think about ways to amp up our production as our fixtures gain popularity. It’s part of the fun of owning a business — building your crew. Pellegrin: Being lovers and business partners can be challenging. What do you think this brings creatively to the lighting you produce? Hendifar: It certainly has its ups and downs, it’s hard to know where the personal relationship ends and the professional one begins. But luckily we work very well together. I tend to take the lead on the big picture design. I need more time to think, marinate and pull something out of my hat. Jeremy is very good with the finer details and filling in the blanks. He’s a great editor. Anderson: We’re always talking about “work,” and I say that in quotes because it doesn’t feel like work. It’s a tricky balance to strike, work and love, so you feel drawn to successful examples when you find them. This is one of the reasons we are so excited to work with Jay and Michael at Cavalier. Pellegrin: If you each had to choose one light to live with in a room, what would it be? Anderson: Cloud! Hendifar: But we live with them all. It’s like “Sophie’s Choice,” you can’t just choose one.