Canadian designers Glenn Pushelberg and George Yabu
Yabu Pushelberg
Glenn Pushelberg and George Yabu know a thing or two about design. The interior design duo is the force behind the Yabu Pushelberg design company, a household name in the world of fashion.
Pushelberg and Yabu have been working together for 30 years, renovating Bergdorf Goodman’s flagship store in New York, working with Carolina Herrera, and designing salons for Louis Vuitton. They have worked on tableware with Italian brand Pampaloni and designed the New York Edition Hotel. Not to mention the Goop pop-up store and Bruno Mars’ Las Vegas lounge called Pinky Ring.
AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, designed by Yabu Pushelberg
marriott international
Pushelberg and Yabu recently completed the design of two properties in downtown Los Angeles: AC Hotel DTLA and Moxy Hotel Downtown Los Angeles. They share the same building. This design approach couldn’t have come at a better time. It ties in with our obsession with Wild West fashion, which is all the rage right now.
From motorcycle jacket-inspired ottomans to desert-friendly cuisine, Pushelberg and Yabu looked to desert culture and the Wild West for inspiration for the hotel. “There’s a rawness to it,” Pushelberg said. “Good art is never literal, but always the emotion and atmosphere created by calming others.”
AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, designed by Yabu Pushelberg
marriott international
Wild West fashion is back for a variety of reasons. Just look at Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album, Pharrell’s Americana Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2024 collection released earlier this year, and the return of cowboy boots and hats. “This is just a complete nod to creativity,” Yabu said.
That got them thinking about their youth and the movie Easy Rider, starring Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson, and Peter Fonda. The film was released in 1969 and set the tone for the bad boy of the 1970s, complete with motorcycles, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and leather jackets. “We started talking about the desert and how crazy bike guys and gals are,” Pushelberg said. “We wanted to design something that felt like it belonged in L.A., in downtown L.A.: something jumbled and completely imperfect.”
(Original caption) Dennis Hopper (left) and Peter Fonda ride bicycles in a scene from the movie “Easy Rider.” June 30, 1969.
Bettman Archive
The design duo wanted to recreate what they felt Downtown LA had always represented. “These hotels have a moodiness to them, with unconventional art that frames the landscape, the sky, and the views of the rest of the city,” Pushelberg said.
The hotel draws on this Western-chic inspiration. “We came up with the Easy Rider metaphor because it symbolized how we were feeling about it,” Yabu said. “Historically, America is the Wild West of opportunity. Even in the downtown L.A. community, there’s a Wild West feel to everything that’s happening now and on a micro level.
“These hotels balance each other out,” Pushelberg said. “One is Moxy, which is a little bit edgier, and the other is AC Hotel, which is a little bit less edgy, but they both serve a slightly different purpose. They each have their own personalities.”
AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, designed by Yabu Pushelberg
marriott international
Pushelberg looks back to the 1980s, when he and Yabu were young, living in Toronto after graduating from Toronto’s Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University). About 30 years ago, he said, they used to frequent downtown L.A., and “at the time it was rundown and abandoned, but there was a free zone there.”
He likens the lobby of the AC Hotel to a fashion show. “The lobby is actually like a boardwalk,” he said. “You’re watching people, and you’re being watched in this place. There’s social interaction and the ability to choose whether you want to join the party or watch the party.
Modern art, wood wall sculptures and abstract paintings decorate the hotel, creating a moody atmosphere. AC Hotels was a Spanish brand until 2011 when it was acquired by Marriott International. “AC Hotel was a very bespoke brand, and we wanted to give it an edge because downtown L.A. deserves it,” Yabu said.
AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, designed by Yabu Pushelberg
marriott international
Located near Crypto.com, LA Live, and the Los Angeles Convention Center, and featuring 12 eclectic dining and entertainment concepts, including Level 8 of Houston Hospitality, this hotel’s inspiration is to ask the following questions: I had to ask myself that question. Want to be an artist living in downtown LA?
“Each of us has an ambitious dream of a different life, and I’m obsessed with it,” Pushelberg said.
AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, designed by Yabu Pushelberg
marriott international
“It feels like an artist’s loft in LA. It’s high in scale, there’s a lot of sculpture, it has a lofty feel. It’s all about mood and emotion. For us, that’s what makes a successful place.” I think it’s a thing.”
Yabu explains: “There’s always been a creative force behind being a pioneer in different areas like Downtown Los Angeles. And look at it now. The Broad Museum and all these galleries are working together to The momentum of building that. That’s a place we wanted to be a part of and felt our guests would be a part of.”
AC Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, designed by Yabu Pushelberg
marriott international
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