Act III

Act III presents a collection in which, for the first time, artistic Director Gabriel Hendifar mines personal cultural history to inform the studio’s new work. The genesis of the collection is a box, intricately inlaid in the Persian Khatam style, which his grandmother brought with her from Iran to the United States in 1979 as a political refugee.

As a first-generation American born after the Islamic Revolution, Gabriel’s moments of intersection with Iran and its culture were experienced at a distance. Passed down as an idealized and melancholy memory, it is kept alive through storytelling, food and music. This collection is an attempt to create a tangible connection to this place suspended in time, while also imagining it as a futurist fantasy.

The objects in this new collection evoke a pan-cultural aesthetic reminiscent of Bugatti, with elements made in Tehran, Italy and the United States. These include pieces using Khatam, a marquetry technique which originated in Shiraz, the birthplace of Gabriel’s grandmother; a dining table inspired by the Tombak, a drum that is foundational in Persian music and played by Gabriel’s father; a group of marble and leather tables that reference nomadic tray tables used across the Middle East to serve tea; a range of alabaster and fluted brass lighting that references Berber jewelry while pushing it through a futurist lens; a semi-precious stone sconce inspired by the details of statues at Persepolis.

  • Minimalist outdoor seating area with wooden panel walls, hanging pendant lights, woven cushions, and desert landscape view
  • Bronze metallic pendant light with cylindrical shape hanging above two stacked circular shelves against neutral background
  • Artistic modern sculpture on a stone surface casting a shadow against patterned brown walls
  • Warm ambient light from four circular wall lamps arranged asymmetrically on a smooth brown wall above a dark wooden pedestal with a sculptural vase
  • Minimalist interior with wooden columns, perforated wooden doors, a small bench, and a dog bed with a chew toy.
  • Minimalist metal pendant light fixture with spherical bulbs and decorative beads casting a shadow on a textured wooden wall
  • Wall-mounted light fixture with round bulbs and wooden bead detailing against patterned dark wallpaper background
  • Minimalist interior with round stone table, stacked cushions, vertical columns, and a chandelier against an arid mountain backdrop
  • Minimalist interior with textured walls, a slim console table, round mirror, and soft natural light filtering through an open doorway
  • Modern black metal chandelier with wooden beads and round frosted bulbs casting grid shadows on brown wall
  • Three slender wooden tables with round tops casting shadows on a textured rug in a minimalist interior setting
  • Close-up of a wooden table edge with cylindrical metal legs wrapped in textured rope against patterned wallpaper.