Groucho Marx famously quipped that he didn’t want to be a member of any club that would have him, but we dare say even he would have changed his mind following the recent spruce up of the Groucho Club.
Since the private members’ bolthole opened in 1985 in London’s Soho quarter, it has grown rather haphazardly across three period townhouses. Architect Michaelis Boyd’s challenge was to work with the Groucho’s creative director Alice Anthony and director of art Nicky Carter to harmonise the disparate rooms with a unified theme that provides members and guests with an intuitive flow through the building.
Executing that brief dragged on for 24 months (the foyer still remains undone) but the results are pleasing, to say the least. Where possible, original features have been restored, including an antique stained glass window and timber panelling in the main staircase and bar areas. The first floor Soho Bar now features lacquered walls and timber floors salvaged from the BBC’s old Bush House, a vivid homage to the Groucho’s arts and media members. Walls have been relined with linen to soften acoustics, while new lights, customised furniture and reupholstered antiques add a subtle eclectic charge that Mr Marx would have approved.
INFORMATION
Website
ADDRESS
45 Dean Street
London W1D 4QB
-
Is this the world’s most comfortable sofa? Cozmo and Pearson Lloyd invite you to find outPearson Lloyd and Cozmo lay bare the design process behind ‘Hug’, their new high-backed sofa design, at the eye-opening exhibition ‘Comfort Lab’ during LDF
-
A Mexican clifftop retreat offers both drama, and a sense of placeCasa Yuri, a clifftop retreat by Zozaya Arquitectos, creates the perfect blend of drama and cosiness on Mexico's Pacific Coast
-
Tour David Lynch's house as it hits the marketDavid Lynch's LA estate is for sale at $15m, and the listing pictures offer a glimpse into the late filmmaker's aesthetic and creative universe
-
Carmela’s joins London’s pizza renaissanceA Little Italy-inspired pizzeria lands in Islington with 13-inch pies, pepperoni heat and big flavour energy
-
Has the ice cream parlour come of age?A global wave of architecture studios is treating the scoop as spectacle, turning parlours into immersive social spaces
-
Legado brings a bold Spanish legacy to ShoreditchMichelin-starred chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho’s second venture marries design-led interiors with regional Spanish flavours rarely found in London
-
The Macbeth, an icon of indie sleaze, goes from grotty to gastroAn East End legend meets Portuguese small plates in Jamie Allan’s ambitious revival of a beloved Hackney watering hole
-
A complete collection of Phaidon’s ‘Contemporary Artists Series’ is on display in LondonA 30-year project reaching 100 volumes is being celebrated with an exhibition at the 45 Park Lane hotel, including limited-edition works by Kaws and Dana Schutz
-
London’s best pizza restaurant gets a new home in MayfairSecure a slice of New York-style pizza in central London as Crisp Pizza teams up with the Devonshire pub to set up shop in the relaunched The Marlborough
-
At this east London listening bar, mezcal-fuelled cocktails hit as hard as the basslinesIn Bethnal Green, Little Fires pairs vinyl grooves with mezcal margaritas and Oaxacan sharing plates
-
Harry Nuriev’s Noisy Oyster London bistro isn’t quite finished – and that’s the pointA futuristic, work-in-progress aesthetic forms a striking backdrop for a new, sustainably focused seafood bistro in Shoreditch
