We go people watching at Annabelle Selldorf’s 42 Crosby

Barbara Probst - Photography
Annabelle Selldorf’s name is architectural shorthand for restrained elegance, where subtle spaces are brimming with life, textures and quality materials. The German-born, New York-based architect is as known for her art projects – such as the Frick Collection makeover and galleries for David Zwirner – as her residential, the latest of the latter is 42 Crosby Street, an ode in glass and steel that sits on a relatively quiet corner in the heart of SoHo.
The development, created for Atlas Capital Group, features just ten apartments; a boutique selection of residential interiors that focus on light, materials and generosity of space. The top unit is a striking duplex penthouse.
This sense of space is not confined to the living areas. The apartments have the option of a parking spot underneath the development, which adds an extra layer of ease and luxury for the residents. Meanwhile, retail options have been placed on the street front ground level.
'Double Take', shot by Barbara Probst and styled by Isabelle Kountoure, features is in the July issue of Wallpaper*, out now
The exterior shading system not only enhances the building’s sustainability credentials, by helping to reduce heating and cooling costs, but it also helps articulate the facade, underlining the design’s strong grid geometry and balanced proportions. Glass, stainless steel, aluminum frames and metal mesh come together in the translucent composition that uses pre-fabricated building techniques as part of its thoroughly contemporary approach; at the same time materials and design are also a nod to the area’s cast iron architectural heritage.
Common areas were designed with attention to detail too. The scheme features a bespoke terrarium art installation by Paula Hayes in the main entrance lobby, which leads the eye to the planted courtyard beyond, and the mature Norway Maple tree that greets the residents there.
Selldorf’s sophisticated approach and the building’s strategic location – a stone’s throw from Soho’s busiest streets, yet at a slightly calmer part of town – made it the perfect setting for our main July issue fashion story, ‘Double Take’, shot by renowned German artist and conceptual photographer Barbara Probst, expertly mixing streetlife scenes with chic animal prints.
See more of the ‘Double Take’ fashion story in Wallpaper* 232, the magazine’s July issue, out now.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
The structure is an elegant composition of glass, stainless steel, aluminium frames and metal mesh
The development also features parking space below ground
Mixing urban setting and animal prints, ‘Double Take’ was staged outside 42 Crosby
Inside, the apartments are generously proportioned with warm timber flooring
Swathes of glazing bring natural light deep into the floorplate
The interior features Selldorf's subtle elegant aesthetic
Barbara Probst is well known for her unique take on street life and urban sceneries
42 Crosby features just ten luxury apartments, one of which is a duplex penthouse
This modern scheme unites contemporary architecture and calm surroundings, making for the perfect urban retreat
INFORMATION
For more information visit Annabelle Selldorf’s website
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
A 432 Park Avenue apartment is an art-filled family home among the clouds
At 432 Park Avenue, inside and outside compete for starring roles; welcome to a skyscraping, art-filled apartment in Midtown Manhattan
-
Kitchen Trends 2026: luminosity, colour, and unexpected materiality
These are kitchen trends shaping interior design in 2026, from collaborative kitchens to warm luminosity
-
A gallery in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales showcases work inspired by nature
Thorns Gallery opens in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, with founders Jonathan Reed and Graeme Black aiming to showcase artworks inspired by the natural world
-
A 432 Park Avenue apartment is an art-filled family home among the clouds
At 432 Park Avenue, inside and outside compete for starring roles; welcome to a skyscraping, art-filled apartment in Midtown Manhattan
-
Discover this sleek-but-warm sanctuary in the heart of the Wyoming wilds
This glorious wood-and-stone residence never misses a chance to show off the stirring landscape it calls home
-
Inside a Montana house, putting the American West's landscape at its heart
A holiday house in the Montana mountains, designed by Walker Warner Architects and Gachot Studios, scales new heights to create a fresh perspective on communing with the natural landscape
-
The great American museum boom
Nine of the world’s top ten most expensive, recently announced cultural projects are in the US. What is driving this investment, and is this statistic sustainable?
-
Peel back this Michigan lakeside house’s cool slate exterior to reveal a warm wooden home
In Detroit, Michigan, this lakeside house, a Y-shaped home by Disbrow Iannuzzi Architects, creates a soft balance between darkness and light through its minimalist materiality
-
Inside the new theatre at Jacob’s Pillow and its ‘magic box’, part of a pioneering complex designed for dance
Jacob’s Pillow welcomes the reborn Doris Duke Theatre by Mecanoo, a new space that has just opened in the beloved Berkshires cultural hub for the summer season
-
A Rancho Mirage home is in tune with its location and its architect-owners’ passions
Architect Steven Harris and his collaborator and husband, designer Lucien Rees Roberts, have built a home in Rancho Mirage, surrounded by some of America’s most iconic midcentury modern works; they invited us on a tour
-
Inside Frank Lloyd Wright’s Laurent House – a project built with accessibility at its heart
The dwelling, which you can visit in Illinois, is a classic example of Wright’s Usonian architecture, and was also built for a client with a disability long before accessibility was widely considered