New members’ club Beihouse revives Beirut’s architectural heritage

As the hospitality landscape increasingly demands a social agenda of pre-planning, pre-booking, and sometimes even pre-ordering, the appeal of a members’ club – with its certainty and guaranteed access allowing good old-fashioned spontaneity – has never been stronger. The latest crop of such clubs isn’t limited to a specific location; recent standouts include the art deco-infused The Wilde in Milan (recipient of a Wallpaper* Design Award 2025) and the ultra-luxe Core Club in New York. Now, a more unexpected location taps into the trend: Beirut’s Gemmayzeh.

Once an affluent cultural hub, the neighbourhood was among the hardest hit by Beirut’s 2020 port explosion. It’s here that Beihouse, a new members’ club, has taken root. The initiative began as an effort to save three 19th-century Lebanese houses and their shared courtyard from demolition. Lebanese architecture studio Dagher Hanna & Partners, in collaboration with London-based designer Linda Boronkay (former design director of Soho House), set out to restore the property and revive some of the conviviality and activity that once defined the area.

Tour Beihouse in Beirut, Lebanon

‘We aspired to create a place that would once again become the beating heart of communal gatherings,’ says Boronkay, ‘a sanctuary of solace in a city that deserves to hope and celebrate.’ The gates of Beiphone open onto a picturesque courtyard shaded by a centuries-old olive tree, which leads to The Garden Bar, where a green marble countertop, inlaid with straw marquetry, anchors a bar serving cocktails and spirits in front of a Lalique-carved mirror. Designed to be adaptable, the area transforms from a cosy winter setting to an open-air venue during Beirut’s warmer months.

On the far side of the courtyard is a fine-dining restaurant with a private gathering space above. At the helm is Tarek Alameddine, previously a sous chef at Copenhagen’s Noma, whose menu includes regionally inspired dishes like za’atar chouquettes and beef tartare served in nasturtium leaves. With 5m-high ceilings, the interiors are carved into four distinct rooms, a nod to the traditional layout of a Lebanese home. ‘We sought to preserve and expose as much of the original sandstone structure as possible, with plastered surfaces embellished with bespoke plaster bas-reliefs, cornices, and trompe l’oeil effects rendered in a rich palette,’ adds Boronkay.

Upstairs, the atmosphere shifts. What functions as a quiet living room by day becomes a moody bar and lounge by night, complete with olive-green textured walls, a deep blue alcove, an intimate library corner, and a cigar room outfitted with a brass fireplace engraved with cigar-leaf motifs. Nearly every element in the club was created in partnership with Lebanese artisans or sourced from regional vintage markets. Atop the building, a ceramic studio and rooftop garden crown the space, with plans for future guest suites already underway.

Beihouse is located at Pasteur, Beirut, Lebanon.