The birth of Soho House, as per Nick Jones, was a necessary step away from the clubs that were in tune with the social scene in London at the time
Soho House membership history
When it was first introduced to the public in 1995 by Nick Jones, Soho House was situated above Café Boheme, a French restaurant he owned at 40 Greek Street. Mr. Jones refashioned the three-story house when it had become available to him. The house was once a means to structure a private club, due to the limited space destined to the restaurant.
Coined Soho House, individuals who sought entrance to the House required a membership. The birth of Soho House, as per Mr. Jones, was a necessary step away from the clubs that were in tune with the social scene in London at the time. He, in fact, sculpted a space for creatives to be at ease amongst themselves. The location, therefore, started catering to the young people involved in film and media who found themselves in London’s Soho neighborhood.
Its expansion to Babington House in Somerset grew to New York eight years after its opening. It was then led by the opening of Soho House in Los Angeles. In 2012, Soho House Group forged its expansion at an international scale. It cropped up in cities like Istanbul, Hong Kong, Mumbai, and Berlin. It has since worked to situate a location in regions across the world. That is what led to the formation of Soho Roc House in Greece.
The island of Mykonos
Located in the Cyclades, a surfeit group of islands southeast of mainland Greece, is Mykonos. Mykonos is a neighboring island to Santorini and Delos. Abundance in food, parties as well as a site for the upper echelon are the elements characterizing the location. The Island of the Winds – that is how the locals call it – hosts Soho Roc House. The company’s first brand expansion into Greece. Soho Roc House’s location is above the rocky coastline. It boasts forty-five bedrooms, a poolside veranda, a bar, a restaurant, and a scattered number of lounge areas.
Set in a cove at the southernmost tip of Mykonos is Scorpios. Guests can bask in the sunset due to the place it is situated in. Scorpios has become synonymous with evenings and nightlife. It has also gained notoriety for its involvement in providing its guests design, food, art, and accommodation. Scorpios has been re-modeled due to the acquisition by the Soho House brand as of May in 2019. The company also acquired the San Giorgio Hotel. Members of the Soho House team updated structures on the inside and on the exterior of the properties. «Soho House Berlin members, Mario Hertel and Thomas Heyne, launched Scorpios in 2015».
The formation of Soho Roc House in Greece
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ family island provided the name for the establishment. The structure approaches the design of the area with the Japanese wabi-sabi philosophy. Owners, in fact, worked toward integrating nature and the locale into the property. The aim was to evoke a sense of longevity as well as a spirit of togetherness over time. Scorpios’ intention was to be a gathering point for a community of creatives – musicians, artists, and performers. The ethos of Soho House influenced the mindset.
Within the establishment, live DJ sets, mind and body rituals and performances take place. Terraces with sand-colored cabanas and sunbeds litter the beach of Scorpios. In a collaboration with Caravana, the establishment also offers its guests day-to-evening beachwear and accessories in leather, textiles and handcrafted goods made in the locale as well as by international creators and artisans. Putting these ideations into perspective, Soho House brought to life their Greek elucidation – Soho Roc House, a perk made available for Soho House members.
Roc House draws and implements its design influences from Scorpios and the beach life portrayed across Mykonos. It incorporates plastered floors and wall finishes, a built-in reception desk in neutral shades of color, timber fittings and shelving across the House, mimicking the whitewashed houses, synonymous on the Island. Moreover, furniture across the property is handmade or constructed with materials sourced by natural means.
A sustainable code of conduct
Soho House has since partnered with suppliers who honor their social and environmental values. This represents an effort to enact a sustainable code of conduct into the day-to-day practices across the locations. «It is as per the supplier code of conduct that working conditions in supply chains are ethical and safe for its workers. It is a necessary practice to ensure every worker is treated with dignity and respect. As for manufacturing and sales processes, Soho House sets a co-creative collaboration to ensure processes are carried out by ethical means. The said means have to favor the preservation and longevity of the environment».
Further, furniture items across the Soho Roc House property include linen fabrics, rugs, ceramic lamps as well as woven wall tapestries sourced by ethical means from the environs. Greenery and plants enshroud the area evoking an un-interrupted indoor to outdoor feel tailored for House members.
Lampoon review: accommodation at Soho Roc House
Soho Roc House’s forty-five bedrooms vary in size. As labelled by the group, they vary from Tiny to Extra-Large. Some of them portray the views of the gardens on the lot, and others showcase the Aegean Sea. Their names influence the rooms’ sizes. They start, in fact, at seventeen square meters for the Tiny bedroom, to eighty-two square meters in size for the Extra-Large ones.
The in-house team picks out the furniture for each room. To seduce a sense or repose, the team chose textiles from the local color palettes. An allure of tranquility characterizes the Houses on a global scale to maintain uniformity. Mini-bars and Roberts radios also mark each room at Soho Roc House.
Toiletries in bathrooms are sourced from Cowshed and are affixed with rainforest showers. «Cowshed products come from Babington House in Somerset. Founded in 1998, it first started in a cow shed, as its name. The brand produces skin and hair care products made from fair-trade plant extracts and essential oils procured by ethical means». Further, the stone chapel was retained with the structure of the prime building. It is to be found in the reception space.
The area flows into an outdoor courtyard with lounge seating and rattan dining chairs. They complement the wooden tables placed tactfully by the olive trees in the conserved stone walls. The attached restaurant on the House property serves Mediterranean food with produce sourced from the area.
Furthermore, the pool bar is landscaped with frondescence in vision. Stone paving, grass, and plastered floors that transverse from the outdoor area through the pool also characterize the pool bar. The pool features sunbeds and loungers, covered in textiles facing the view of the Aegean Sea. Accompanying the pool is the outdoor gym, a massage hut and a recurring series of classes centered on mind and body workshops, therapies, and rituals.
Soho House and Scorpios are looking to disseminate their presence around beach front sites across the globe. As such, they intend to provide the glamor and experience of the Soho House community as well as the aspect of creativity. The brands’ Houses and spaces cultivate these concepts to locations unfamiliar to Soho House.
Soho Roc House
Paraga Beach, Platis Gialos 846 00, Greece
Soho Roc House is located on the Greek island of Mykonos. It includes forty five bedrooms, a poolside veranda, a bar, a restaurant, and lounge areas. It is a short walk away from Scorpios on Paraga Beach.
