Soho House - Eat, Drink, Nap

SOHO HOUSE: 40 GREK STRET. FOUNDED LONDON 1995

Since we started Soho House back in 1995 Ive been amazed and frankly flattered by the number of times our members and hotel guests have asked where we get our stuff and how exactly we make their favourite dish or drink.

Weve learnt a lot over the years and were still learning the next Soho House we open will be different from the last; but at the heart of every House are central guiding principles that help to make it what it is.

From how to throw a memorable party to how to make a truly comfortable bed, if you like what we do then this book will help you take the House home.

NICK JONES

RECLAIMED CEILING TIN FROM A BODY SHOP IN NEVADA, CLUB ROOM, SOHO HOUSE NEW YORK VINTAGE WALL SCONCE, LIBRARY, THE ELECTRIC; THIS PAGE: PANTONE 5493C AS USED IN HIGH ROAD HOUSEMOHAIR CHAISE LONGUE, BEDROOM, SOHO HOUSE NEW YORK

When we opened our very first club at 40 Greek Street in Soho, London, we wanted it to feel welcoming. A proper home from home. Weve opened more Houses around the world since but the aim has remained the same; each House has its own individual sense of identity and style, but they all stay true to the original spirit.

Getting just the right measure of grit and glamour takes planning. Youve got to love the feel of a building when you first walk in. We work to bring out the history of the place, and source furniture and lighting that are in tune. We add personality and comfort with big, comfy sofas and practical tables to eat and work on and memorable statement pieces like chandeliers and mirrors. Reclaimed flooring and tiles make our places feel multi-layered and a little bit undone. The style is practical yet indulgent and it neednt cost the earth.

DINING ROOM, SOHO HOUSE NEW YORKSOHO BEACH HOUSE MIAMI

Each club has a strong sense of place in its design and needs to be created with an understanding of wholl be coming through the doors each day. Everything starts with the history of the building itself and time spent doing a bit of research can really pay off.

VINTAGE-INSPIRED LOUNGERS AND UMBRELLA, SOHO BEACH HOUSE MIAMI

In Miami we drew inspiration from some 1940s postcards of the building in its swinging heyday as the Sovereign Hotel. We chose beach parasols with Forties fringing, mirrored cocktail cabinets and handmade tiles to add a splash of Cuban colour.

ROOFTOP, SOHO HOUSE NEW YORK

In New Yorks Meatpacking District we exposed as much of the original warehouse as possible, including the floorboards, roof beams and brick walls and then found industrial lighting and tin ceiling tiles from the same period to match.

GAMES ROOM, SOHO HOUSE NEW YORKGARDEN, SOHO HOUSE WEST HOLLYWOODGARDEN, SOHO HOUSE WEST HOLLYWOOD

In West Hollywood, Soho House occupies the penthouse floors of a landmark 1960s block that had been the personal apartment of Charles Luckman, the architect behind Madison Square Garden in New York and Kennedy Space Center in Houston. We played the strong natural LA light against sharp modernist lines, weathered wooden floorboards and contemporary artworks. Eating under the olive trees, hung with simple rattan globe shades creates the perfect central city escape.

ROOFTOP POOL, SOHO HOUSE BERLIN

Soho House Berlin has made its home in a building that started life in the late 1920s as a department store before being requisitioned by the Nazis during the war. It went on to become the Communist Partys offices of state. Thankfully it was eventually returned to the descendants of the original Jewish owners and is now a cornerstone of a burgeoning creative hub in the Mitte district.

Berlins brutalist edge has been tempered using English chintz prints reimagined with contemporary colouring, while the modernist lines of the rooftop pool chime with the citys aesthetic.

SOHO HOUSE BERLIN6TH FLOOR RESTAURANT, SHOREDTICH HOUSEROOFTOP, SHOREDITCH HOUSE

At Shoreditch House, which occupies the top three floors of a 1930s warehouse in Londons East End, the view is central to the atmosphere, as are the furnishings no drapes, windows that frame and break up the urban skyline, and seats that face out as well as in. You can apply the same principles to a central city home; sitting rooms, kitchens and terraces can really benefit from welcoming the vibrancy of the cityscape in.

Clock your space

Note the period of the building and the location of the room. Empty the space completely and strip everything right back. Whats under the carpet? If there are floorboards they might be worth sanding or painting then adding an interesting rug. Look up at the ceiling too is there anything worth highlighting? If not, paint it out in a single colour.