Behind the design of Soho House Stockholm

Behind the design of Soho House Stockholm | Soho House

Ahead of our opening in the Swedish capital, here’s an inside look at its Scandi-inspired design and architecture

Wednesday 30 November 2022   By Anastasiia Fedorova

The opening day of Soho House Stockholm is just a few weeks away, and we’ve already had a sneak peek at what’s inside our new Nordic outpost. Our Committee members enjoyed an intimate pre-opening ‘hard hat dinner’ before the building works were completely finished. Wrapped chandeliers were hanging from a vaulted ceiling and columns were covered in cardboard, but even partly concealed, the beauty of the original building spoke for itself. 

Located in a former church on Majorsgatan in central Stockholm, the House has preserved many of its original features. We spoke to Soho House Principal Designer, Severine Lammoglia, to see what went into designing Sweden’s new creative hub. 

‘The main inspiration for the House design was, of course, the building. We couldn’t do much with the actual architecture, which was both a gift and a challenge. A gift because it’s such a great space, but at the same time it was very difficult to design something that would fit in the space. It’s so grand that you need to create something that’s going to have an impact, but also works with what’s already there,’ says Lammoglia.

Behind the design of Soho House Stockholm | Soho House
Behind the design of Soho House Stockholm | Soho House

Soho House has a reputation for choosing buildings with an interesting history: from a former Danish customs house for Soho House Copenhagen to Soho House Nashville, an old hosiery factory – not to mention Soho House Paris, which once belonged to poet Jean Cocteau’s family. 

However, this is the first time that we’ve taken over a building with such strong visual character – one with large open spaces on different levels, original painted features on the walls and a preserved wooden altar. These features all acted as inspiration when the club was being created. The stained glass beechwood windows, for example, are the base for the colour palette of the House, which is full of deep rich shades to complement Sweden’s historic architecture. 

‘The process was also challenging because of the way the space is divided – there are four different staircases that link different areas,’ continues Lammoglia. ‘There was a big conversation about the flow and where the members would enter. The reception is actually on the first floor, rather than at ground level. So, you arrive in the club, and from there you go down to Cecconi’s.’ 

Behind the design of Soho House Stockholm | Soho House
Behind the design of Soho House Stockholm | Soho House

Cecconi’s, Soho House’s own Northern Italian restaurant, follows its usual recognisable design with striped marble floors adapted to the colour scheme of the House and woollen fabric for the chairs to ‘make it look more Nordic’.  

The House interiors combine Soho Home classics with vintage pieces from across the region and touches of Scandinavian influences, such as prints by Swedish designer Cathy Nordström.

And the most notable feature of the building? ‘In the main space, there’s the existing centrepiece, which is the timber church altar, then you have the mezzanine on the other side. To bring the space together, we’ve brought in a large chandelier, which is definitely the highlight,’ adds Lammoglia.

For more information about Soho House Stockholm, click here. Follow Soho House on Instagram for video interviews from our Behind The Design series.

Behind the design of Soho House Stockholm | Soho House