A kitchen table by Yabu Pushelberg surrounded by Carl Hansen & Son Wishbone chairs looks out onto the garden. Above the generously sized setting hangs a 1950s vintage Atomic Italian chandelier.
A London townhouse interior is reimagined with tactile finishes creating a soulful framework for an incredible art collection.
There’s nothing more exciting for a designer than developing an interior around a striking artwork. Multidisciplinary global design studio Banda found themselves in this unique position when an avid art collector whose collection includes paintings, photography, and sculpture by the likes of Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, and Tracey Emin engaged them. “We were lucky to have full access to the client’s collection of incredible pieces collected from far and wide,” Banda founder and creative director Edo Mapelli Mozzi says.
The property was not without innate assets. The five-storey Victorian townhouse has an enviable location in Kensington Village, close to Hyde Park. Despite being situated in central London, it’s exceptionally wide, with the lower ground kitchen and dining level opening out onto an artfully executed garden by Olivia Truelove, equal parts manicured and wild. Below the garden is an unexpectedly light-filled basement complete with a cinema, gym, pool, sauna and steam room. “The current owner and his family have lived there for over 20 years and asked Banda to undertake a full-scale, top-down redesign and renovation,” Edo recalls of the one-year process from start to finish, during which Banda led the interior design and project management.
The Lanserring kitchen has Gaggenau appliances and a Calacatta Primavera marble benchtop and splashback. Edward Johnson bespoke bar stools feature around the kitchen island reupholstered with Moore & Giles ‘Hair on Hide’ cushion pads.
Etel GSI chairs by Giuseppe Scapinelli, in ebonized wood and leather, complement the client’s original dining table. Farrow & Ball’s Treron green provides a serene backdrop for ‘Dorothy XIII’ by Mando Valde.
The formal living room is centred around a Calanque coffee table in bronze by Charles Zana and a Jelly Pea sofa by India Mahdavi. ‘Standing Matter IV 2007’ by Antony Gormley, ‘Self Portrait of You and Me (Elivs mirrored on mirror)’ by Douglas Gordon and ‘Love Bronze Rouille’ by Robert Indiana complete the picture.
The brief naturally centred around showcasing the art and sculpture while retaining a strong sense of home rather than a gallery feel. “The natural palette against the boldness of the artworks makes it feel unique,” Edo explains. In the dining room, Farrow & Ball’s ‘Treron’ green anchors the arresting ‘Dorothy XIII’ by Mando Valdes. Shades of green weave their way inside and out from the Cuff Studio’s Block bench in the entry to the ‘Jelly Pea’ sofa by India Mahdavi in the formal living room and the new seven-metre-high living wall seen through the double-height bay window at the front of the house. The cigar room, a favourite space of Edo’s, features Bauwerk’s signature plaster in Hazelnut on both ceiling and walls.
A Block bench upholstered in Dedar mohair in the entrance hall creates a visual connection to the green of the Jelly Pea velvet sofa by India Mahdavi in the formal living room.
A cosy seating area off the kitchen features a COR Trio corner sofa, a stone composite coffee table by Mike Ruiz Serra, and Stephen Conroy’s ‘Man from Turtle Island’. In the background, a glimpse of the hazelnut-coloured cigar room can be seen.
Tactile finishes create a soulful framework for the art. “The pared-back aesthetic and timeless elegance through the use of rich raw materials and natural textured linens, boucle, warm woods, stones and marble is very Banda,” Edo says. Throughout the home, light grey timber floorboards are layered with elegant rugs. In the expansive ensuite, a freestanding Carrara marble bath stands atop a custom-designed Carrara plinth, while the kitchen boasts a finely detailed benchtop and splash back in Calacatta Primavera. “The aesthetic is inspired by the effortless simplistic beauty of a French art collector’s home and is characterised by elegance and attention to detail,” he adds.
Distinctive furnishings hold their own beside the carefully curated art. “There is a dedication to craftmanship – thoughtful locally-sourced pieces” alongside discoveries across the globe against the backdrop of the show-stopping art,” Edo explains, adding, “Overall, this offers a design that invites life and feels homely.” The formal living room is centred on a ‘Calanque’ bronze coffee table by Charles Zana, a nod to the metallic tones in Antony Gormley’s ‘Standing Matter’ and ‘Love Bronze Rouille’ by Robert Indiana. Vintage finds like the pair of 1950s ‘Laila’ armchairs in the cigar room and the Pierre Chapo special edition stools in the master bedroom complete the picture. According to Edo, “There’s a level of sophistication just through knowing every single piece is a collectable whether it’s the art, a piece of furniture or a Banda bespoke piece.”
Bauwerk’s Hazelnut limewash paint imbues a rich warmth within the ‘cigar room’.
The built-in wrap-around seating in the sunken home cinema was reupholstered in richly coloured Dedar mohair with playful matching ball-shaped scatter cushions.
Yet, while many of the pieces are arresting, the spaces are far from overwhelming. “We carefully considered each art piece, its prominence and location in the home to complement and often direct the aesthetic, giving a personal touch that makes this house a home,” the creative director says. From the formal rooms that peel off the entrance hall to the more intimate bedrooms or spa area, the spaces are balanced, harmonious, and, above all, inviting.
This feature originally appeared in est magazine issue 52: The Nature of Design.
The Serge Mouille Lampadaire Droit floor lamp in the bedroom.
The basement gym and pool area features ‘Wind’ by Gerhard Richte.
