How I Curate My Space: Stephanie Barba Mendoza’s Maximalist Townhouse

Stepping through the front door of Stephanie Barba Mendoza’s home in North West London is something of an immersive experience. From the street, it is a handsomely familiar Victorian townhouse, blending seamlessly with its neighbors. Inside, however, it is a glorious world of saturated color, antiques, botanical flourishes and exquisitely playful details. A home, if ever there were one, that rewards its guests’ curiosity.

A sense of wonder and delight is entirely fitting for this particular interior designer, though. Having grown up in Mexico, before spending almost a decade at Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, where she led landmark hospitality projects such as Annabel’s and Sexy Fish in London’s Mayfair and The Beekman in New York, the timbre of Barba Mendoza’s aesthetic is well-documented globally. She established her own London studio in 2020 and, since then, has built a reputation for creating exuberant interiors that lean into personal, fun and lively themes – balancing elevation and style with warmth. It is a revelation to nobody, then, that her own home follows suit.

“I think what this house does better than most is surprise people,” she says. “People don’t expect all the layers and color.”

Like many designers, Barba Mendoza doesn’t subscribe to the idea that a home is ever truly complete. Despite the totally immersive feeling of her bold choices – such as ceilings encased in wallpaper, styled to match the surrounding tiles – she insists that her rooms continue to evolve as she finds new treasures and reconsiders her palettes. Living inside your own project, after all, is a lovely and ongoing opportunity to experiment.

Despite its richly curated appearance, Barba Mendoza’s home was designed to be lived in – particularly when friends are around. “We love entertaining,” she says. “The house isn’t huge so, instead of big parties, we usually have intimate dinners with friends. My favorite nights are when everyone ends up hovering in the kitchen, someone puts music on and before long we’ve got a kitchen disco with somebody dancing on the counters,” she says. “Always the sign of a good party.”

To the average eye, the house looks complete and finished to an impeccable standard, but for Barba Mendoza – someone for whom the creative process is constantly in development – there are plenty of tweaks ticking over in her mind. “Some of the furniture in the living room that we’ve had for a while…” she says. “There are pieces you want to keep forever, of course, and I don’t tend to change things just because I’ve had them for a while… But the sofas might need a new home – and I might need new sofas!”

For Stephanie Barba Mendoza, the best part of decorating an interior world is the freedom to keep playing.