Soho House Design Director Linda Boronkay on Dean Street style and what's on her 'to do' list.
'Dean Street Townhouse and 76 Dean Street are quite similar in their look and feel - they're both Georgian townhouses, so we tried to keep to that heritage. We always start with the history of the building and the location as the main influencers when we are creating schemes. Martin Brudnizki designed Dean Street Townhouse and Soho House Design designed 76 Dean Street.'
'With 76, we kept it quite traditional. We were looking at the design history and how people used colour at the time, and we tried to stay authentic and respectful to the building's history. We approached it in a way where the oldest parts of the building are quite traditional in terms of the colour scheme as well as the furniture and then the new extension is a lot more contemporary. And so as you move up the levels, the atmosphere changes as well - the higher you go the more contemporary it gets.'
'It's the tactile fabric, the layers [that stop it feeling like a museum]. We use a lot of interesting textures when we're creating fabric schemes - a lot of mohair and worn, antique leather. In the clubs, 40% of the furniture is vintage so we do a lot of sourcing and I think layering is very important - it should look like someone's home. So we use rugs, antique accessories, a lot of low-level lighting (floor lamps, table lamps) and artwork.'
'The approach is the same as if it was your house - if you're collecting pieces, they don't necessarily come from one certain era. You collect things that you have some sort of affection towards. We are very careful not to mix things too much, but I think some pieces here and there just freshen the look and make it feel a bit more young and contemporary.'
'My working life varies a lot. Some weeks, I'm in four different countries in four days - often I don't even know where I am! But then other days I'm in the office, moving from meeting to meeting, catching up with the team. We have more than 15 live projects at the moment. The heaviest now is BBC, White City - that's opening pretty soon - and then Amsterdam. Those are the two big ones in the next six months. White City is quite close to my personal taste - I love contemporary mid-century design - but Amsterdam is just such a special building. It's probably one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen. I think as soon as anyone sees it they'll fall in love with it straight away because it's got such amazing bones.We can't let it down. We call it the 'sleeping beauty'.'
'I have a very creative, multidisciplinary team but they are juggling a lot so I need to check in with them from time to time. I have to trust my team, I can't do everything myself - and I wouldn't because they have to make it their own creation as well. They are very talented people and the senior designers own their own projects. They are responsible for all of it - the timeline and the details - and I'm just there to support them. We start designing each House on the computer, spending hours on Pinterest and Instagram and looking at blogs. We have a sample library of fabrics and finishes and that's when the schemes come to life. We also do a lot of bespoke furniture and lighting so we look at vintage dealers' websites and take inspiration from vintage furniture and lighting.'
'We start a project with the city it's in. Every House should feel different; it should be a representation of the society and location. We look at the era the architecture comes from and if there is a specific history to the building. We just started [Soho House] Paris not long ago and the location is near Pigalle. It's very trendy and young, but the building itself is historic. There are some amazing historical details in the building, but also Jean Cocteau's family owned it. It's the perfect project because there is so much inspiration it's almost impossible to choose which route to go down. We decided to go with the Jean Cocteau storyline and take inspiration from the early 20th Century, which was a very bohemian, eclectic, artistic era for Paris. We are very blessed and spoiled with all the projects that we have.'
