Hospitality Design - November 2016 - 124

A rendering of the Ned's Club Upstairs

A rustic bedroom at Soho House Barcelona features
Spanish patterned textiles

House, or West Hollywood and Malibu; there is
an inherent Soho House 'home from home' feel
in each property, but the local inspiration means
that each feels individual.
[Most recently] in Barcelona, we were
inspired by classic Catalan design, with Gothic
architecture influences and double-height,
vaulted ceilings. Bedrooms have a modern but
rustic look, with lots of warm, Mediterranean
colors and traditional Spanish patterned textiles.

You launched online retail store Soho
Home. Why did this make sense for the
brand and what do you offer?
Members always ask us where they can buy
the things they see in the houses, so we created
a range to bring the house home-from the
Chesterfield sofa you sit on at Soho House
Chicago to the Barwell crystal you drink your
Negroni from at 76 Dean Street. We launched
it within the UK in September and are looking
to have it available around the world within the
next year.
Soho Home has been a long time coming;
we've been planning it for years. Every single
piece of it has been tried out in our houses. Each
of them has a story.

You also just ventured into co-working
with SOHO WORKS.
In January, we launched SOHO WORKS
Shoreditch, a round-the-clock workspace
designed to support people and businesses in the
creative industries.
There is a group of entrepreneurs and
businesses where the standard 9-to-5 day in an

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office no longer exists and people make their
work fit around their lives. SOHO WORKS has
come about as a response to this. By working in
the same space as other like-minded companies,
the members are part of a creative community
that supports itself, which is massively exciting.

Can you tell us about your next project in
London?
We've joined forces with New York's Sydell
Group to create the Ned: a hotel, social, and
fitness club as well as a collection of restaurants
in the City of London [opening next year]. It's
set in the iconic former Midland Bank building
that was designed by Sir Edwin 'Ned' Lutyens
in 1924. The space has nine restaurants, 252
bedrooms, a Cowshed spa, Cheeky and Neville
[beauty shop and barber], and Ned's Club-
where members have access to a rooftop pool,
gym, spa, hammam, and a late night lounge bar.

How do you continue to curate the right
mix of members for each house? You've
even revamped membership at some
locations. What's the hardest part of that
process?
In every new city we go, we form a membership
committee, and we get a lot of insight from
them on the local culture. There is quite a
bit of research and feedback, which happens
before we even start the membership process.
It's important to respect that and make sure
the house is in tune with the local creative
community.
For our houses that have been around for
years, we still have members who've been here

since day one. It's amazing to see them mixing
in the same spaces as an under-27 [member]
who joined last week. It keeps it fresh.

How have the ways members use the
houses changed over the last ﬁve years?
The biggest change has happened since we've
expanded around the world. It's fun to see a
member in London one week, and then in West
Hollywood or Berlin the next.

There are rumors that you have a motel
concept on the boards. Where else
do you think there is room in today's
crowded hotel space?
Yes, a motel concept is in the cards. Earlier this
year, we opened 15 bell tents at Farmhouse in
our Farm Camp. Each tent comes with a 6-footlong bed, a woodburning stove, rugs, and a pair
of armchairs. The bathroom, shower, and sauna
facilities are located in the Boathouse, which is
less than 350 feet away. They've been popular,
especially with the under-27 members.

Looking back, what have been some of
your secrets of success?
To keep it simple and keep the customer as the
No. 1 focus. Never lose sight of what they want.

As this is the new icons issue, who is the
next to make their mark on the industry
or perhaps already is?
I'll be watching Tim Siadatan and Jordan
Frieda, the guys behind [London's] Trullo. Their
new restaurant, Padella, is great.

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Hospitality Design - November 2016

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