What truly breathes life into a city? At CBA Design, we believe it’s the unseen rhythms, the subtle nuances, the flickers of authenticity that give a place its soul. Design is everywhere: in the grace of a storefront, the silhouette of a building, or the ephemeral poetry of a poster pasted to a wall. It lives in the contrasts—between official art and spontaneous creation, the familiar and the unexpected.
This is the spirit we set out to capture with Pulse of the City, a travel guide imagined as a journey through the heart of fourteen cities where we live and work. Each one pulses with its own rhythm, revealing secrets tucked within. More than a guide, it is an immersion into what fuels our creativity every day: places steeped in history, textures that spark ideas, and encounters where nature, design, and innovation converge.
Because every city unveils itself through its unique landmarks, Pulse of the City invites you on a design-led voyage around the world through six sensorial experiences.
Credit: Bouillon Chartier
Paris—eternal capital of elegance—is a living museum of design in all its forms. Among its gems: Bouillon Chartier, an iconic address that captures the soul of Art Nouveau.
This late 19th-century movement, with its sinuous lines and floral motifs, rejected rigid classicism in favor of expressive, ornamental detail. At Chartier, sculpted woodwork frames towering mirrors, ceramic murals by Louis Trézel grace the walls, and filigreed lighting floats like airborne poetry.
Classified as a Historic Monument, Chartier is more than a restaurant—it’s a step back in time. A tribute to an era when art and craft merged to beautify daily life. Here, tradition meets generosity, and history is savored just as richly as the cuisine.
Credit: Untapped Cities
New York—ever-awake, ever-evolving—is a design lover’s playground. Here, exuberance and elegance collide at every corner. In this whirlwind of influence, we stumbled upon Oscar Wilde, a bar where the glamour of the 1900s Victorian era meets bold, contemporary maximalism.
It’s an ode to a style that defies restraint—layering textures, patterns, and color in lavish harmony.
Stretching 36 meters, the longest bar in New York is a journey through time. Gilded detail, rich velvet, hand-carved wood—each element is a living fresco of a bygone age. Clocks paused at 1:50 nod subtly to Wilde’s tragic fate, while the Carrara marble bar top honors timeless craftsmanship. Here, opulence and modernity aren’t in opposition—they’re in exuberant conversation.
A shift in tone: Madrid, where Mediterranean warmth meets contemporary clarity. Nestled within this vibrant city lies Casa Neutrale—a minimalist haven in its purest form.
Rooted in Bauhaus principles and Japanese wabi-sabi philosophy, minimalism here honors functional beauty and raw materials. The space speaks softly but deliberately: natural stone floors, a monolithic granite table, unadorned walls inviting light to shape the room. Every choice is purposeful, shedding the superfluous in favor of serenity.
Time seems to stretch here, inviting pause and presence. More than a café, Casa Neutrale is a sanctuary of stillness—where simplicity becomes immersive, and refinement whispers through restraint.
Crédit : Casa Neutrale
Credit: ArchDaily
Ho Chi Minh City—a cauldron of motion and reinvention—is home to a rising artistic scene where past and future entwine. De La Sól captures this fusion: a hybrid space uniting galleries, cafés, and shops in vibrant harmony.
Here, architectural storytelling takes center stage. The preserved façade of a historic villa anchors memory, while a modern steel-and-glass structure rises behind it, joined by a sculptural looping staircase. Outside, kinetic sculptures dance with light, turning space into a living experience.
De La Sól offers more than art—it proposes a new lens on evolving urbanism. A manifesto where design, architecture, and creativity mirror a city in metamorphosis.
Istanbul—crossroads of civilizations—reveals its most intimate treasures in its ancient alleyways. Tucked between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque lies the Hürrem Sultan Hamamı, a hidden gem that radiates Ottoman elegance.
Commissioned in 1556 by master architect Mimar Sinan for Roxelana, wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, this hammam is an ode to refined tradition. After a century of silence, it has been reborn—where every detail, from Marmara marble to the play of filtered dome light, is choreographed to heighten the senses.
Credit: Tripadvisor
The hammam’s symmetrical layout, revolutionary in its day, reflects a vision of design rooted in flow, function, and harmony. Here, the body unwinds and the spirit journeys. The Hürrem Sultan Hamamı is where heritage meets sensory design—a place that resonates with how we imagine spaces: immersive, soulful, alive.
Credit: Fronasetti
Next stop: Milan—the global design capital, where every street corner tells a new creative story. At the heart of this pulse lies Fornasetti, a house synonymous with visionary spirit.
Founded by Piero Fornasetti in the 1940s, this Milanese atelier redefined design by transforming everyday objects into surreal artworks. Furniture, porcelain trays, wallpaper—all marked by hypnotic graphics, enigmatic faces, and trompe-l’œil illusions. Today, his son Barnaba carries the torch, blending classical heritage with contemporary boldness.
The Milan flagship is part boutique, part gallery—each piece whispering cultural references through a language uniquely its own. This space is a celebration of audacity, invention, and the poetry of design in its most expressive form.
Pulse of the City is more than a guide: it’s an invitation to feel the global heartbeat of design.
From sprawling metropolises to quiet creative enclaves, each destination is a note in the urban symphony, shaping the way we inhabit our world. This journey through aesthetics, cultures, and innovation is a boundless source of inspiration—reminding us that design is a living force, capable of transforming spaces and experiences alike.
As designers, we see in this energy a powerful opportunity. Brands have a vital role to play: channeling cultural richness, crafting meaningful and lasting experiences, and weaving deep connections with local communities.
At CBA, we help brands translate their vision into tangible realities—grounded, inspired, and deeply connected. Because beyond aesthetics, design is a strategic catalyst—a vessel of meaning and emotion, in service of brands that are more human, more rooted, and more culturally attuned.
