Interview | Gabriel Hendifar, APPARATUS

APPARATUS' Gabriel Hendifar: Noble Materials, Hidden Meanings, & His First Visit to the Middle East

I grew up in a very creative family that was filled with music and dancing, and this remnant of material culture that they couldn't bring with them from Iran.

Things that they had lost, stories that they were telling.

I was always looking at how people experience space, how they sit in a room, where they gather, what the attitude is of how people think about community and how that is reflected in the ways that they live in their spaces.

Apparatus is the beauty of the word; it means everything.

And when I'm reaching for a new idea, a new concept, a new object, a scent, it's really about creating more of the universe.

The foundation of our studio is about noble materials that have some sort of historical precedent.

Then on top of that, for me, what becomes really interesting are the materials that kind of don't reveal what they are until you have to really look closely or you think are something and they become something else.

I like to imagine that our pieces are kind of winking at you from across the room and are bringing you closer and you know, upon inspection, you go, "Wait, what is that? I didn't know that could do that."

Horsehair was one of those materials.

It's been used traditionally in design for a very long time.

This stewardship goes beyond keeping items safe; collectors help shape trends, support new artists, and assist institutions in maintaining the life of design traditions. The story of each piece, its journey from creators like Sabine Marcelis or Andres Reisinger to museums or personal collections, enriches the design scene. It keeps heritage alive while encouraging change.

It's been used for for weaving and upholstery, using it in a way that implied strength and and sort of structural integrity.

And that just became fascinating.

We are always flirting with opportunities around the world and this place feels like a particularly vibrant seed. Even just looking out the window, you see how much energy is put into growth and renewal here.

So, I didn't meet Cristiano in person until Milan of last year in April.

My favorite moment was learning that he grew up in a lamp making shop and that his family are lamp makers.

If Apparatus were a piece of music, it would be Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto.

The the emotional complexity of it, the modernity of it, the classicism of it.

That's that's what I think it would be.

I am actually still just the insecure kid who's trying to prove something.

I've built this world as a response to my own feeling of wanting to anchor somewhere. But in the middle of that is this little boy who just wants to do a good job and make things beautiful that people like.

My name is Gabriel Hendifar from Apparatus for COLLECTIONAL.