The 24 rooms at Soho House are subdivided into the following four categories (in ascending size order): Playpen, Playroom, Playhouse and Playground. The brickwork and beams of the original building have been left exposed in the rooms as a homage to its history and to add an extra dimension to the design. The queen bed is dressed in Egyptian cotton linen while red lamp shades together with the walnut floor and red brick give a warm feeling to the room. Against one wall is a bright red desk and next to this is a corner sofa upholstered in a banana leaf print fabric. There is of course a flatscreen television in the room as well as a DVD player. But the highlight of the room is the sideboard (found in all rooms) which contains the well-stocked minibar and snacks as well as a whole host of extras that include sunglasses, disposable camera, bracelet, perfume, adapter, travel candles, information and guides, the dustbin, press, safe and one 'play' draw with cords, lubricant and a copy of the Karma Sutra. The Boffi-fitted bathroom is smartly tiled brick-like in brown-grey and features a walk in shower and a range of funky Cowshed toiletries in full size bottles. In all, a very fun room indeed. The Playroom is another 100ft² larger at 425ft² and more playful yet with a velvet turquoise bed frame, Paul Smith-esque rug, a low wooden coffee table with a couple of arm chairs and best of all a squared moulded soaking tub in the bedroom itself. Behind a frosted glass panel next to the wash basin in the room is the walk in shower with same full range of Cowshed products. The Playhouse, which is double the square footage of the Playpen, is a large open plan studio-like room with a living space, but with an electrically operated curtain which can be used to separate them. The seating here includes a rusty orange corner couch and a superb design leather armchair with matching foot rest, beneath all of which is a brown rug with white motif. The king bed is made by La Maison, the Shoreditch-based interiors company, as is the wardrobe standing in the corner of the room, while the desk beneath the window has a designer's lamp which also features on the bedside tables. Extra touches in this room include the alarm clock, chandelier, fan, hand-painted wallpaper and excellent lamp which swoops over from behind the sofa and ends up hovering over the coffee table. The Playhouse too has a bathtub in the room itself, this time though it is egg-shaped and has a huge round mirror just above it. The bathroom boasts a steam shower with bench and pipe-like shower, slippers, two monachrobe.com bathrobes and a makeup mirror which folds out in an accordion-like fashion. The hotel's biggest room, at 950ft², is the Playground and has all the above features plus a dressing table, a round marble table and chairs and a sofa bed for guests. The four poster bed is draped in peach fabric and a flatscreen television hangs from the ceiling in front of it. The bathroom has a double moulded vanity and steam shower.
Amy Adejokun
Section editor
