How to get the Soho House look
In two decades, Soho House has grown from a single London Members' club into an empire that spans the globe. Alice B-B traces the history of a brand that puts comfort at the heart of its design
When members' club Soho House opened its Farmhouse in Oxfordshire last summer, it was the biggest thing to happen to the English country-house hotel since, well, since it opened Babington House in Somerset 18 years ago.
Though nearly two decades apart, both hotels revolutionised the concept of a country escape. In 1998, Nick Jones, the founder of Soho House - a creatives-only club on Greek Street - wanted to add to his portfolio a country outpost for his members. So Babington House was born, overseen by designer Ilse Crawford, who filled the Georgian manor with Italian furniture, Cole & Son woodland wall-paper and roll-top baths in the bedrooms. It was an instant sensation.
Now, once again, the group has hit the sweet spot. Farmhouse, plopped into 100 acres of prime Cotswold countryside, combines the traditional American country club with the new trend for 'cabin porn': corrugated cabins, reclaimed-board cladding, outdoor copper bathtubs, Crittall windows in Cotswold stone barns, and a swimming pool sunk into a lake.
Since the first club opened in 1995, the Soho House global empire has grown to 15 Houses (nine with bedrooms), 36 restaurants (including Cecconi's, Dirty Burger and Pen Yen), and the non-member hotel Dean Street Townhouse. Design is at the heart of each space's success. Over the years, various designers have been called upon to add their touch to projects. As well as at Babington, Ilse Crawford combined industrial chic with her emotionally driven, flea-market-find aesthetic to create Soho House New York, while Martin Brudnizki referenced vintage Havana at Soho Beach House in Miami. For Shoreditch House in east London, Tom Dixon designed lighting and a range of chairs made by George Smith, and in LA, architect Waldo Fernandez created the appropriately sweeping entrance staircase for Soho House West Hollywood.
However, the core of the Soho House look is led by Nick himself. 'It's about creating relevant, comfortable places that people feel good in and that make you want to order a second bottle of wine,' he explains. With a tower of imminent projects (25 and counting), the in-house design team has also grown. Nick is now flanked by group design director Vicky Charles, whose first job for him was as a waitress, and European design director James Waterworth, who previously worked for Martin Brudnizki.
While a chunk of the Soho House design ethos is to deliver a familiar clubby feel wherever you are, there's no one-size-fits-all. As the team prepares new Houses in Barcelona, Amsterdam, Malibu and a second space in New York, Vicky explains: 'The building starts every design process. We spend a lot of time walking the floors, feeling it and photographing all the original finishes. At our new Lower East Side project in New York, which was an old funeral home, we're keeping the original studded and etched glass doors.' The city and its culture are also revered. 'When you're staying in Istanbul, you want your hotel to feel "Istanbullian",' says Nick. So alongside the leather club chair and Chesterfield sofa at Soho House Istanbul, there are Turkish tiles, rugs and woodwork.
It's inevitable that, as the scale of the projects develops, so too will the design. 'I think it's going to get a bit richer,' says Vicky. 'More vibrant, more pattern, more layers, more decorating. The neutrals and the industrial greys are kind of done. But the practical nature of a room comes first. It doesn't matter how beautiful a chair is, if it's uncomfortable, it will never work.' James recently completed work on the newest House, 76 Dean Street - a mid-Georgian townhouse rebuilt and restored by the group after it was ravaged by a fire in 2009. He describes its design as 'less traditionally English. We've mixed it up with mid-century pieces, bespoke designs, white lacquer banquettes and punchy paint finishes'.
Predictably, there have been requests to deliver the Soho House look to the homes of its members, including rock stars, comedians and, most recently, George and Amal Clooney. 'I'm really proud of that one,' says Vicky. 'Amal has amazing taste.' Private House - a bespoke interior-design service headed up by Vicky - launches this spring. Hot on its tail is Sohohome.com - a website selling a curated collection of pieces designed by Soho House. So that mohair chair you curled up in at Babington, the bed you slept in at Chicago, the robe you wrapped up in at Farmhouse or the Burleigh teacup you sipped from at High Road House in Chiswick can all be yours.
Despite this massive expansion and global success, the design remains grounded. Nick is a humanist, whose company has become a religion to its members, its houses a church for creatives. And there's no stopping him, because, 'A, I love it, and B, we're on a roll. We've got the controls and can create different places in different cities and different cultures - not many people in our business can do that'. And C, Nick Jones wants us to keep ordering that second bottle of wine.
For details on all of the hotels in the Soho House group, and to apply for membership, visit sohohouse.com
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