A global private members’ club community for creative professionals, Soho House is opening Brighton Beach House on the UK’s south coast at the end of March 2022. Jenny Southan reports
Situated on Madeira Drive, Brighton Beach House is located in a Grade II-listed terrace overlooking the beach. Designed by Soho House Design, it features a combination of vintage furniture and specially designed pieces. [Editor’s note: since the opening, we have now updated this story with photos.]
Set over two floors with views out to the sea, the club will have areas for eating and drinking, events spaces, and a pool terrace. A branch of Soho Works (Soho House’s co-working concept) will be arriving later in the year (access will be for an additional fee).
The third UK Soho House outside of London and the first coastal site, the new club will be a “home away from home for Brighton’s long-established and thriving creative community to come together to eat, drink, and collaborate”. Founder and CEO Nick Jones says: “So many of our existing members live in Brighton, so it seemed like a natural step to open a local House in the city. It is a brilliant place, full of progressive spirit that our members love.”
The House’s design takes its inspiration from the surrounding seaside ambience and local Art Deco architecture.
The reception is located on the ground floor, along with a members’ event space and the Brighton Loft, which has a modular open-plan kitchen and two meeting rooms with lounge areas. The pool terrace and Club Cecconi’s, the main members’ club space, are situated on the first floor. Meanwhile, an ambitious art collection has been curated by Kate Bryan, head of collections for Soho House. It is made up of more than 110 works by artists born, based or trained in Brighton and its surroundings.
Highlights includes a banana mosaic created by artist David Shrigley, which sits on the bottom of the pool, and fabric used throughout the House designed by recent University of Brighton graduate artist, Miranda Forrester.It also includes the Beacon collection curated by queer art specialist, Gemma Rolls-Bentley, comprising of work from an international line-up of LGBTQIA+ artists, and is a “love letter to Brighton as a historical beacon city for the queer community”.
Local House membership provides access to Brighton Beach House (£1,100), and Every House membership allows members to visit Soho Houses across the globe.