Design hotspot: Soho House to reopen Kettner's Townhouse with French boudoir-style bedrooms and secret bar
Soho stalwart Kettner’s Townhouse has reopened under a new guise and there is maximalist home inspiration at every turn.
Under the Soho House helm, this is a fabulously decadent break away from the members’ club model.
The historic Georgian building, which was said to be the courting ground for Oscar Wilde, now houses 33 decadent bedrooms, a restaurant and a secret champagne bar.
The original 18th-century spiral staircase leads up to the bedrooms, each individually designed and inspired by the 1920s, in a French boudoir style. They have Georgian timber floorboards and fireplaces, with heritage windows and vintage pieces. Chandeliers hang from the ceilings, with antique sinks and vanities in the rooms.
Green velvet scalloped headboards and deep button armchairs sit alongside hand-painted wallpaper and William Morris prints. Bathrooms have rainforest showers, some with freestanding bathtubs, and tiling which resembles French lace.
Downstairs, the restaurant is inspired by art deco design bistros with rosewood and mahogany furniture and tone on tone colours. The champagne bar has the original mosaic tiled floor, with French glass lights, a walnut bar with a marble top, sofas, armchairs, and vintage photos on the walls.
An extravagant art collection is inspired by the buildings’ rumoured reputation for liaisons and affairs, with site-specific installations by Danny Augustine and Sara J Beazley.
Urban myth has it that King Edward VII courted his mistress, actress Lillie Langtry, via a tunnel from the restaurant to The Palace Theatre where she performed. There is still an ambience that suggests these walls will be privy to London’s hottest gossip.
From Amber Le Bon to ‘Princess of Soho’ India Rose James, it comes as no surprise that the party set is flocking to their new playground.
Book at www.kettnerstownhouse.com.
