Livingetc gets the lowdown on contemporary-classic style.
Can you describe Soho House’s style?
We want all our houses to feel different, no two are the same. The Soho House style isn’t so much a look as a feel – it’s instantly welcoming where comfort is everything.
Where does the inspiration come from?
For Soho House Berlin, the scalloped headboards came from reading 20th-century American interior designer Dorothy Draper’s style tomes. For Oxfordshire’s Soho Farmhouse, we took images of Rocky Mountain cabins in Colorado as a starting point – all the wood, reclaimed from old grain barns, was sourced in Romania. In other cities, the geographic location is a starting point – in Istanbul, we restored the original frescoes, Carrara marble flooring and rosewood doors to echo Ottoman-era opulence, then worked with local artisans for furnishings and tiles.
How much does vintage play a role in this aesthetic?
We layer about 30-40 per cent of vintage over new, so it’s all about finding that lamp, rug and bric-a-brac that brings a room together. If everything else is relatively new, just one key vintage piece, such as an old leather armchair, can really bring a space down a notch, making it feel warm and inviting, far away from being too plush or showy.
Where do you find unusual and unique pieces?
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