The new laid-back look for homes
Luxe cosy
Ever since the ebullient Nick Jones opened Soho House in a warren of panelled Georgian rooms in 1995, it has been a byword for laid-back cool. Membership of this urban sanctuary has been virtually essential for creative types who love to make a deal over chunky-cut chips and cocktails.
And as the original devotees have grown up, so has the group. Today, there are 17 houses around the world, from Malibu to Istanbul. Five more are opening in the next year; Barcelona is next on the map with the rollout continuing in Mumbai, London’s White City, New York’s Lower East side, Los Angeles and Amsterdam.
And as if world domination, city by city wasn’t enough, Jones has now got designs on your home. It was at Soho Farmhouse – their one-year-old booked-out Cotswolds retreat – that an enthusiastic Jones and his close-knit team led by design director Vicky Charles, revealed their latest project: Soho Home, an interiors line of furniture, lighting, textiles and tableware from their various houses. Available online at sohohome.com, shoppers can choose from House favourites, from the Slovenia-made crystal barware to the Frette sheets, cashmere throws and signature velvet chesterfield sofas made by quality British upholsterers George Smith.
This new interiors venture has been bubbling away for the past few years, but it has been able to grow as a fortuitous by-product of the houses rather than a conscious attempt to take on the likes of Heal’s or the The Conran Shop. “There’s always been a demand for ‘the look’,” explains design director Charles, who’s based in New York and bears a resemblance to the actress Katie Holmes. “We’d receive an email every other week, asking where we got certain things from, so it made
sense. We were already doing the product development for the houses and had good suppliers. It was just the logistics we had to work out.”
The sprawling Chicago House provided the springboard they needed in terms of extensive buying in bulk, and then last year they appointed Jayne Demuro, formerly beauty and home buying director at Selfridges, to become managing director of Soho House Retail.
But don’t expect cutting-edge design – that’s not what Soho House is about. Jones’s mantra is that “the ultimate luxury is comfort” so, as you might expect, the range has a cosy English heritage feel, albeit it one with a contemporary twist. Large ticket items include the classic sleigh beds made from rustic reclaimed wood (a recurring design motif of Soho Farmhouse) and elegant Victorian-inspired four-poster beds, as spied at the Chicago property.
The most appealing designs by far are predictably the sofas and armchairs produced by George Smith who the group have been working with for years. There’s also a vintage section with battered leather club chairs, assorted midcentury modern finds, cute salvaged milking stools and Moroccan and Persian rugs. Tableware is also well catered for.
It was the British designer Ilse Crawford who established the blueprint for the Soho House Group (after Jones had created the original club), with the Somerset bolthole Babington with its roll-top baths and chunky timber touches and then Soho House New York. This aesthetic evolved when Tom Dixon collaborated on Shoreditch House, and more recently, Martin Brudnizki who brought his decadent flourishes to the Chicago and Miami properties.
Now, long-time design director Charles has taken up the baton overseeing the house interiors, the home collection and their residential design business which is growing (they recently completed George and Amal Clooney’s Berkshire pile). Pretty impressive given that Charles started out working as a waitress for the group during the late 1990s.
Charles, a fine arts graduate, is innately creative. She got involved gradually in design by producing temporary events – such as the annual Oscars party – learning project management while finessing her talents shadowing Crawford and Brudnizki. “Ilse’s spaces are very emotionally driven, she made me think about how you feel in a space. Whereas Martin really looks at the details and lighting in particular, that’s his forte. As a customer you don’t notice these things, but they all contribute to how you feel,” she says.
Although Jones only has a minority share – the private equity firm owned by US billionaire Ron Burkle owns the majority stake – he remains the charismatic frontman of the brand. “He’s the customer,” Charles enthuses. “Nick has an incredible eye and you don’t have to explain everything to him, he just gets it. A project might start with a scrap of fabric or a particular chair and he just lets you run with it.”
One major advantage for the group’s foray into retail is that every item has already been given the thumbs-up by Soho House members. How they react to any new pieces will dictate whether they make it into the collection, and influences will develop as the club does. So, for example, do expect some Mediterranean ceramics when the Barcelona property opens soon. Jones could well be on to something here and now, whether we invest in a £1,800 chair or a £50 teapot, we can all join the club. See the full Soho House range at sohohome.com