Behind the design of Babington House

When Soho House’s Founder Nick Jones opened Babington House back in 1998, he intended to create a space that was different to a traditional country house. ‘The brief I was given was to design the interior not like a hotel, but more like a home – at the time, this wasn’t the norm,’ says interior designer, Susie Atkinson, who worked on it. With such grand infrastructure, designing a building like this was no easy feat: the Grade II-listed manor, which dates back to 1705, could have easily felt stuffy or overly traditional.

Instead, Atkinson explains, the House is ‘understated but glamorous, informal and yet still sophisticated’, with soft blush and moss-coloured velvet sofas, roll-top baths in the bedrooms (Babington House was one of the first hotels across the globe to do this), and walls that have been upholstered in a pale blue moire taffeta in the main bedroom. Throughout, the space is decorated with a modern take on Georgian interiors. ‘We allowed ourselves to be experimental – mixing old and new, contemporary with traditional,’ says Atkinson. As a result, the House features a mix of vintage furniture and specially designed pieces.

Despite this, it was important for the team to still consider the architecture of the building when designing the House, allowing the look and feel of the space to evolve in a more organic way. ‘I think when we’re designing a club, using the bones of the place as a jumping off point brings the best results – it prevents a space from feeling too “done” and impersonal,’ says Atkinson. In Babington House’s case, the Walled Garden and surrounding countryside was used as colour inspiration, so there are plenty of greys, greens, buttermilk creams and sage hues that nod to the rural environment.  

Juxtaposing this is a playfulness in the House’s design, which speaks to Jones’s desire for it to avoid anything overly traditional or predictable. ‘The mirrored pod in the Playroom, the House’s main bedroom suite, is a particularly special piece, I think,’ says Atkinson. ‘The room has the most beautiful view, and yet the planners (understandably, as the building is listed) would not let us remove the walls and add a bathroom. Instead, we designed a mirrored pod with furniture makers Rupert Bevan to house the shower and loo. On the outside, it has antique mirrored glass applied to it – this beautifully reflects the light in the room.’

‘Another highlight was the garden spa, which I really love,’ says Atkinson. The Cowshed spa was the first of its kind, having been born in a renovated milking shed, which is where it got its name. ‘Every spa I had ever been to had a slightly sterile or even medical feel, but as this was set within the Walled Garden, it was asking to be designed in a more natural way,’ she adds. 

‘I wanted the space to feel part of the garden – among the herbs, fruit trees and vegetables.’ With this in mind, it was built with the old garden wall, where the exposed brick and flagstone floor set the tone. Natural fabrics – linen, cotton, wool and hemp – are used for the curtains and upholstery in harmony with the surrounding area. 

The signature welcoming style of all of our Houses was achieved at Babington House through the final touches – in particular, lots of layering. ‘I think a key way is to think of a room in layers – the more you have, the more character you can inject into a space,’ says Atkinson. ‘And obviously, we always have a few Cowshed candles lit to give it the wonderful Babington House feel – even better when complemented with a fire and a log basket.’

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