Townhouse, a new coffee table book by Cultural Union, explores the "rhythm of vertical living," sharing peeks inside some of the most beautiful modern homes around the world, including Georgian London terraces, New York brownstones, and Amsterdam canal houses, designed by the likes of Byran O'Sullivan, Greg Natale, and Sophie Paterson.
In the excerpt shared below, we see inside Banda’s Hyde Park Townhouse project, and hear from the firm's founder, Edo Mapelli Mozzi, on how townhouses can be reimagined in a way that balances historical character with the luxuries of contemporary life.
And if you like this, you might also be interested in Cultural Union's other new volume, Penthouse, which explores the "floating sanctuaries," including a 78th-floor Steinway Tower residence.
Featuring 230 stunning images of some of the best townhouses from around the world, Cultural Union's 'Townhouse' is now available and is currently 30% off on Amazon.
“At Banda, our aesthetic is rooted in a simple, confident elegance,” says Edo Mapelli Mozzi, founder of the design and property firm. “We are drawn to timeless forms, rich natural materials, and an architecture-first approach to interiors.”
All these are evident in Banda’s Hyde Park Townhouse project – a 7,000-square-foot (650msq) London townhouse which combines clean, geometric architecture with sculptural furniture and a blend of neutrals, jewel-tones and layered textures, anchored in bare oak floorboards.
“We strive to craft spaces that feel considered, layered and deeply human,” says Mapelli Mozzi. “There’s a deliberate restraint in our work; we aim for beauty that reveals itself slowly, and design that doesn’t shout but lingers in the memory.”
The townhouse occupies five levels of a Victorian shell, with a brief that included structural reconfiguration, light control, and the integration of a wellness suite – alongside full interior design and curation.
In the ground floor sitting room, a Jelly Pea sofa by India Mahdavi, upholstered in Pierre Frey Bold Army velvet, establishes a curvature theme which is carried through the George Smith ottomans and a wonderful Calanque ripple pool coffee table in bronze by Charles Zana.
The dining room, painted in Farrow & Ball’s Green Treron, features 12 mid-century Etel GS1 chairs, Brazil-made and designed in the 1950s by Italian Giuseppe Scapinelli, set around the clients’ own original dining table.
In the bay window at the end of the dining room is a curved Pierre Augustin Rose sofa in Teddy Mohair with a Tatau black oxidised bronze coffee table from Maison Armand Jonckers.
The kitchen features a table designed by Yabu Pushelberg with Carl Hansen Wishbone chairs, with a 1950s Italian space-age chandelier above. And the principal bedroom, with its serene hanging linen curtains and organic forms, features a plinth bathroom with a Carrara marble bath and Crittall shower enclosure.
Other notable spaces include an enveloping cigar room, the walls and ceiling wrapped in Bauwerk’s signature tactile plaster in Hazelnut, with a 1950s Finnish Asko chair by Ilmari Lappalainen and custom sideboard by Banda Design Studio.
On the lower levels, Banda delivered a full-scale amenity wing comprising a pool, sauna, gym and cinema, all of which sit below garden level. These spaces maintain the same tactile serenity found upstairs, mitigating their utilitarian purpose with natural stone, warm timbers and carefully calibrated lighting
With their Hyde Park Townhouse, Banda have demonstrated the enduring nature of Victorian London houses – their ability to allow their form to be stripped back and remoulded around the exigencies of new generations and lifestyles, their inherent architectural harmony revised and updated, but always providing the perfect backdrop to sophisticated city living.
“For us, a successful townhouse balances its historical character with the rhythm of contemporary life,” says Mapelli Mozzi. “It is not about nostalgia but about respecting a building’s structure while crafting spaces that feel relevant, warm, and liveable today.”
Order your own copy of Townhouse: The World's Most Elegant Townhouses by Peter Martin from Amazon.
