House of St. Barnabas
Greek Street, London

To my delight, amid 2013 recession in Dublin, I was asked to work on this private members’ club in Soho, London. For almost a year, I travelled to a London untouched by recession each week, bringing this project to fruition. The charity HOSB, which aims to get homeless people back into the workforce, owns the building, and in partnership with Benugo, a dynamic food and beverage company with operations all over the UK, the basement, ground and first floor were transformed into a Private Members’ club who’s primary function is to serve the needs of the charity though its profits returning to it, and by affording its clients job opportunities and mentoring from the members. Meeting, working, dining, drinking and events were all to be catered for in the opulent surrounding of a beautiful Georgian townhouse. The rooms are grand and detail-filled, so the elements which were placed in the rooms had to respect the scale and generosity and yet make a home from home for the Club members and their guests. The membership is very wide and varied and with differing needs and expectations, so the different spaces has to cater for these. The result is a collection of different rooms with differing moods but with a common thread of a classic yet modern feel.

Details

Client: Benugo
House of St. Barnabas
Status: Completed 2015
Photography: Richard Heald

Collaborators

Joinery: Benchmark
Loose Furniture: John O’Connell
Custom mirrors: Rupert Bevan
Occasional pieces: The French House