High above a cobblestone block in lower Manhattan looms a Herzog & de Meuron residential building with a twisting cast-aluminium gate and a façade of mirror-polished stainless steel, glass and pre-patinated copper in brilliant green. The grandeur (and shine) of this material palette gives the 11-storey complex the feel of an urban fairy-tale palace.

That would make Gabriel Hendifar, artistic director and CEO of the New York-based lighting and furniture design studio Apparatus, a rather buff, burly (and bald!) Rapunzel, peering down from a floor-to-ceiling window in his apartment.

KENT JOHNSON Stephen

Hendifar, who has claimed an elevated perch not only in this building but, increasingly, on the international design scene – his brand’s ‘Cloud’ pendant light has surely achieved contemporary classic status – moved into this new home in 2019 with his former partner in life and work, Jeremy Anderson. After the couple split at the end of 2020, Anderson left both their shared apartment and Apparatus to focus on his burgeoning ceramic practice. Since then, Hendifar has fully taken the reins at the company. He also added the finishing touches to the look of his home, turning it into both a design laboratory and a place to unwind.

In the decade since co-founding Apparatus in 2012, originally focusing on lighting before expanding into furniture, Hendifar has spent quite a lot of time innovating and building his brand – and his home has played an important role. ‘What I’ve allowed myself to do in this apartment is to let my brain go where it wants to go, to guard my time alone and indulge in whatever feels inspiring.’

KENT JOHNSON Stephen