Soho House arrives in Rome with timeless style

The time has come, as part of the brand’s aggressive growth plans, Soho House has arrived in Italy, with the opening of Soho House Rome. Located in the San Lorezo district of the city, the new house is now the epicentre of a new hospitality scene in Rome that is fast, helping making it one of the hottest hotel development spots in Europe.

The entire 10-storey building was designed by the Soho House Design in-house team, including the travertine-clad façade on the ground floor and plastered for the upper floors. There are balconies on each floor, with ribbed details and crenellated ceilings. Crittall exterior windows at each level give the building an industrial look, taking inspiration from the Fondazione Pastifico Cerere building near San Lorenzo, connecting Soho House to the local area that hosts it. Italian craftsmanship was used throughout the House, including locally made chandeliers and glassware.

Inspired by an Italian market, the reception area hosts a long counter with a marble shelf that wraps around the corner that passes from the reception to the bar in Store X. The floor is in striped grit, and the travertine of the facade covers the internal wall creating a light and airy lounge space. The space is furnished with a mix of Italian-made furniture and vintage elements.

The ninth floor is the central space of the club, with a bar, the House Kitchen and the Drawing Room. Guests can access a long lounge bar overlooking the outdoor park, with a terrazzo floor and metal bars give the space an industrial look.

House Kitchen is a space where you can order food and drinks all day, with an open kitchen equipped with sofas, chairs and tables everywhere and Crittall doors that open onto the balcony. The spaces are completed by ceramic lamps made in Italy and elements in Italian leather, exposed ceilings, terrazzo floors covered with mustard yellow bespoke carpets and industrial metal shelves that protrude above locally sourced marble counters.

The Drawing Room, which runs along the other side of the building, is a lounge with green walls, light herringbone flooring, and a briar-fronted bar. The space also features a travertine fireplace and vintage furniture, including armchairs and marble tables.

The first floor of the building is dedicated to an exhibition space that can be used by members for events and is also available for private hire, which can be used as a single large room or divided into two rooms, each with its bar.

Image credit: Soho House/Giulia Venanzi

The rooftop bar, restaurant and swimming pool is located on the 10th floor, and offers a 360-degree view of the Eternal City. The red-tiled pool is surrounded by patterned sun loungers, crenellated umbrellas, and a stone floor in the traditional Italian Palladian motif.

The bar and restaurant occupy the other three sides of the top floor, with sofas running along one side. A large mural is painted all over the walls with motifs of vines, trees and planters to give the space a garden feel. Inside is a terracotta bar with a glazed tile facade, furniture covered in burgundy and Italian green. The environment is completed by festooned lighting and a pizza oven. Glass railings flank the edge of the top floor, providing uninterrupted views. A canopy roof equipped with heating elements covers the dining space.

On floors seven and eight, the Soho Health Club, a new fitness, health and wellness area of the Soho House, brings together the world’s best experts in health and beauty with class-based workouts, equipment and state-of-the-art skin and beauty treatments, including infrared saunas and cryogenic chambers. The treatment rooms and the sauna feature wooden floors and corrugated walnut cladding. On the seventh floor, the gym has two-tone walls, a base inspired by Roman geometric patterns, exposed ceilings and a balcony that allows members and their guests to train outdoors.

Also on this floor is the 42-seat projection room with velvet armchairs and footrest pouffes. The space will allow the screening of the best news in the world of cinema and new releases of independent and arthouse cinema.

The house shelters 49 rooms and 20 apartments. The rooms have Italian grit floors, plastered walls, the headboards of the beds are made of wood in the shape of a wave and feature Hypnos mattresses. The hand-painted ceramic bedside lamps with a carved top and craquelé enamel finish are a unique collaboration with Soho Home and the Italian designer Bitossi who produced lights in the 1970s and recreated them specifically for the Maison. The bathrooms feature a geometric pattern in green marble with a tadelek finish. Doors, cabinets and furniture all have ribbed detail.

The one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and studios are located on the third and fourth floors and are available for short and long term stays. The apartments have wooden floors with plastered walls and bathrooms with Italian ceramic tiles. The kitchen and living area are furnished with furniture from Italian vintage markets and bespoke pieces that reflect details of classic Italian furniture.

There is also a fifth-floor suite with vintage wood floor, upholstered headboard in red velvet, briar bed made by local Italian artisans and a freestanding bathtub located by the window overlooking Rome. There is also a lounge with a large dining table, a bar area and a DJ console.

Image credit: Soho House/Giulia Venanzi

The art collection has a curatorial focus on the theme of Saints and Sinners. Local and international artists have been invited to create a work that addresses this concept. The idea has been interpreted in many creative ways: from football ultra-fans to Mary Magdalene, from Popes to Emperor Nero, art investigates the concepts of good and evil and the spaces in between. The works hosted by Soho House Roma include pieces by critical Italian artists such as Gianni Politi, Nico Vascellari, Silvia Gambrone, Claudio Verna, Elisa Montessori, Monica Bonvicini and Thomas Braida.

Rome continues to be a major hotspot for hotel development, with brands such as W Hotels Mama Shelter, The Student Hotel and Rosewood Hotels and Resorts all recently sharing news about recently opened or anticipated hotels in the Eternal City.

Main image credit: Soho House/Giulia Venanzi