London’s Soho has got itself another members club. With a difference. Located on 58 Poland Street, Apartment 58 is a high-tech home away from home concept for creatives, brought to us by the man who established The Notting Hill Arts Club and boutique bar, Cherry Jam, Members can use it as their personal pied-à-terre, let themselves in with their own key, host sample sales or launches in it and even use it as a place to pick up their mail. Founder Alan Grant has ambitious plans for the club's future. Here, we catch up with him to find out more.
What inspired the Apartment 58 concept?
When you start developing a concept you often begin by imaging an environment you'd like to work and play in. For us, that is a space you feel at home in, but is also fun and inspiring.
Why do you think there is a need for a 'creative hub' like this?
For most creatives, work is their life, not something separate. They don't want a stuffy environment to work in and they also like to socialise and bounce ideas off each other after office hours. I think people are able to be more creative and collaborative when they feel comfortable and at ease.
What do you think are the best features of Apartment 58?
The space is open plan but divided into areas. There is a meeting area and dining room with a big boardroom table but I don't see why people couldn't also have productive meetings sitting on a sofa.
How are you planning on acquiring your clientele?
By private invitation only. Friends can invite their friends to join the Apartment network.
Why did you choose Mia Wallenius for the interior design and what brief did you give for the space?
The idea was for it to look personal, like an imaginary character's London Soho apartment. Mia Wallenius was part of the creative team of the temporary Finnish restaurant and design exhibition ‘Hel Yes!’ and we really loved her vision. She doesn't just design a beautiful space, but wants to create an experience. The interior needed to be comfortable and functional but also unique and inspiring. Mia sourced us a selection of vintage furniture, made-to-measure pieces and contemporary furniture as well as lots of great special edition prints by her design brand Klaus Haapaniemi.
Are you planning to extend the concept internationally?
Three Apartments will open in London in 2012, located in the creative hubs of Soho, Notting Hill and Shoreditch. Further Apartments are scheduled to open in Paris, Milan, Berlin, New York and Mumbai by 2015, creating a global network. Mia, our creative director, and will oversee all Apartments.
Designer Mia Wallenius has filled the apartment with vintage furniture and prints from her design brand Klaus Haapaniemi
ADDRESS
58 Poland Street, W1F 7NR
44.20 7734 6611
www.apartment58.com
-
Premium patisserie Naya is Mayfair’s latest sweet spotHeritage meets opulence at Naya bakery in Mayfair, London. With interiors by India Hicks and Anna Goulandris, the patisserie looks good enough to eat
-
Discover midcentury treasures in Marylebone with Álvaro by AppointmentLondon is full of sequestered design havens, and Wallpaper* knows them all. Allow us to point you in the direction of Álvaro González’s shop window on Nottingham Place, home to a bonanza of beautiful 20th-century antiques
-
Beach chic: the all-new Citroën Ami gets an acid-tinged, open-air Buggy variantCitroën have brought a dose of polychromatic playfulness to their new generation Ami microcar, the cult all-ages electric quadricycle that channels the spirit of the 2CV for the modern age
-
Discover midcentury treasures in Marylebone with Álvaro by Appointment
London is full of sequestered design havens, and Wallpaper* knows them all. Allow us to point you in the direction of Álvaro González’s shop window on Nottingham Place, home to a bonanza of beautiful 20th-century antiques
-
Step inside one of the Peninsula Residences: comfort meets luxury in LondonWarmth permeates this exclusive address – one of 24 residences attached to The Peninsula London hotel, and the latest stop for Wallpaper’s interior design series, The Inside Story
-
Exploring this whimsical North London home feels like going down the rabbit holeWallpaper* series, The Inside Story, spotlights intriguing, exciting or innovative interiors. OntheSq is the result of a renovation of a beautiful period property, which has been dressed in a mélange of designs loosely inspired by 'Alice in Wonderland'
-
Introducing Wallpaper’s new video series, The Stuff That SurroundsIn The Stuff That Surrounds, Wallpaper* explores a life through objects. First up, we go inside the eclectic London flat of creative director and designer Veronica Ditting
-
Tamart’s ‘Clore’ floor lamp revives a modernist lighting classicTamart debuts the 'Clore' floor lamp, a handblown glass design originally created in 1963 for Sir Charles Clore's London penthouse
-
‘It feels almost alive’: This rare Judy Kensley McKie ‘Leopard Couch’ could be yoursDesigner Judy Kensley McKie’s 1983 ‘Leopard Couch’ will be auctioned at Phillips; one of her first fully realised sculptural furniture designs, it’s a zoomorphic delight
-
First look: Step inside a Tatjana von Stein-designed show apartment at 60 CurzonThe Mayfair development has launched its second show apartment, imagined by interior designer du jour Tatjana von Stein. Wallpaper* gets a first look at the Art Deco-inspired space
-
Find interior design inspiration at Eba’s new Marylebone showroomEba, a specialist in kitchen and living room design, brings its elevated interiors to London’s Marylebone
