While the pandemic had the potential to derail momentum for members clubs, the exclusive social hubs are seeing a resurgence, reflecting an enthusiasm for a curated environment dedicated to working, socializing, food and drink, and even wellness. Indeed, new clubs across the globe—from newbies and veterans alike—are offering exclusivity, good design, and comfort, along with unique networking and programming opportunities.
Among the new offerings, the ultra-luxury Central Park Tower Club boasts three floors designed by Rottet Studio within its namesake super-tall Billionaires’ Row structure. Other New York membership hubs courting clientele across various industries include Scott Sartiano’s experience-driven Zero Bond; the NFT-based Maxwell Tribeca and Flyfish Club; the 47-room Casa Cipriani, located in Lower Manhattan with views of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty; and Colette, a coworking space and members club in development by Edmond Safar and restaurateur Juan Santa Cruz that will be marketed to the 1 percent (its initial buy-in fee is $125,000) when it debuts next March. Major Food Group will also expand its successful ZZ’s Club in Miami to Hudson Yards, set to open at the end of the year with its own members-only outpost of Carbone.
That’s only the beginning. There’s also the AvroKO-designed Reading Club crowning the InterContinental San Diego, and the forthcoming Core Club, set to transform three floors of San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid building in 2023. Across the pond, House of KOKO opened last spring in the former 19th-century KOKO theater in London’s Camden neighborhood, featuring a sumptuous design by local firm Pirajean Lees in collaboration with KOKO’s creative director and founder Olly Bengough.
Here, we spotlight five more members clubs joining this quickly evolving segment.
The Ned NoMad, New York
Upholstered in an embossed leather with a grid-like design, the reception desk at the Ned NoMad reflects Manhattan’s street system
Soho House’s parent company, the Membership Collective Group, has grown its Manhattan members club presence with the Ned NoMad located within the historic Johnston Building (formerly the home of the NoMad Hotel). “We’ve always said that the Ned needs to have a lot of character—a lot of soul,” says the Ned’s managing director Gareth Banner, who joined the brand’s London outpost six years ago. Despite its smaller footprint, the New York space, crafted by Soho House Design in collaboration with Stonehill Taylor, is imbued with drama and intimacy, resplendent in jewel tones, Murano glass, dark marble, and mahogany.
Brooklyn-based artist B Chehayeb painted the colorful walls that surround the Snug seating area at the Ned NoMad
The property offers an exclusive experience with a members-only rooftop and terrace; the second-floor Magic Room, echoing a 1930s-era cabaret; the Library workspace; and Ned’s Club, a first-floor hangout with an atrium, bar, and a stage for live music. Restaurants Little Ned and Cecconi’s, plus the 167 guestrooms, are all available to non-members. “We want to be able to make everybody feel like they belong,” says Banner. “People are truly comfortable here.” Continuing the brand’s momentum, another Ned location is slated to open in Qatar in late November.
Tesserae, Atlanta
Crowning the Thompson Buckhead in Atlanta, Tesserae offers panoramic city views
Southern Hospitality gets a fresh interpretation at Tesserae in Atlanta, where Studio 11 Design maximized the indoor-outdoor space on the 10th floor of the Thompson Buckhead, which the Dallas-based firm also designed. Tesserae’s interiors mix natural materials like stone with wood paneling and local artwork curated by Lou Verne, Studio 11’s in-house art and styling venture. “The color palette was inspired by the notion of an ethereal atrium greenhouse in the sky,” Studio 11 cofounder and principal Kellie Sirna says of the saturated tones that appear throughout. It was important, Sirna adds, that Tesserae celebrate Atlanta as a financial and commercial hub with a sophisticated design that nods to its discerning clientele “who want to be part of something special and exclusive.”
Heimat, Los Angeles
Luxurious locker rooms at Heimat in Los Angeles boast handcrafted wood paneling
German fitness giant RSG Group (owner of the iconic Gold’s Gym brand, among more than 20 others) selected Los Angeles as the location for Heimat, its first wellness- and fitness-focused members club. (Additional locations in Dallas, San Francisco, and Berlin are planned to rollout over the next several years.) Gruen Associates served as the architect of record for the adaptive reuse project encompassing the 1930s-era, 75,000-square-foot concrete former industrial building on La Brea Avenue. Berlin design studio Inco crafted the interiors of the fitness and wellness floors, including the workout facilities, spa, and locker rooms, while London and New York-based Martin Brudnizki Design Studio handled coworking and private meeting spaces at the fifth-floor clubhouse.
The rooftop Mother Tongue restaurant at Heimat is decked out in shades of sherbert orange, coral pink, and turquoise
Brudnizki was also behind the pool deck and Mother Tongue restaurant from chef Michael Mina (the only space accessible to non-members) on the fourth floor, infusing both with whimsy and a sense of allure befitting of its Hollywood location. “The principle here was that every individual space should feature an impactful moment,” says Sebastian Schoepe, president and CEO of RSG Group North America. “Something that draws in your eye and gives you an intentional feeling—whether it’s an art piece, a design finish, or a lighting installation.”
NeueHouse Venice Beach, California
A laidback, California-inspired aesthetic marked by organic textures and beachy hues creates an elevated sense of place at NeueHouse Venice Beach
The pandemic was a crucial time for Josh Wyatt’s leadership, during which he oversaw the merger of NeueHouse with Fotografiska, the group of innovative photography museums founded in Sweden, which are both now under the new CultureWorks umbrella. “COVID gave us more time to get things right, so we went over the top for some special moments,” says the company’s cofounder and CEO. In fact, Wyatt recognized a specific confluence of factors when he found the real estate to develop NeueHouse Venice Beach, opening this fall.
Located on Market Street, the building, formerly owned by Oscar-winning producer Tony Bill, sits on one of Venice’s most significant blocks, which boasts ties to seminal art world figures like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Larry Gagosian. Wyatt’s frequent partner, Toronto-based DesignAgency, designed the 20,000 square feet of meeting, working, meditation, and cultural programming environments, plus Reunion, a full-service rooftop restaurant. “Interpreting NeueHouse’s sophisticated, cosmopolitan style for a relaxed beach setting in one of my favorite LA neighborhoods was an exciting challenge,” says DesignAgency founding partner Anwar Mekhayech. “There was no shortage of inspiration, from the local creative community and artisans to the idea of an endless summer and a street steeped in the chronicles of legends.”
The Aster, Hollywood
A plush pink sofa makes up a seating area in an Aster guestroom
The Aster is the latest venture from Kevin O’Shea and David Bowd, cofounders of Salt Hotels, known for its chic boutique properties on the East Coast. Occupying a six-story building on the intersection of the iconic Vine Street and Hollywood Boulevard, the hybrid members club and 35-room hotel is inspired by its California location. Take Bowd’s favorite spot, Lemon Grove. Open to the public, the rooftop restaurant takes cues from the lemon groves that once dotted the landscape, harkening to Hollywood’s past as an agrarian escape. “The space is incredible with views of the hills, downtown, and the lights of Hollywood,” he says.
Each space embodies Hollywood glamour: blown glass chandeliers and velvet fabrics outfit Aster Park (comprising the outdoor pool deck and its indoor lounge); the Club Room’s centerpiece is a mural from artist Jason Gaillard that reinterprets golden hour on the Pacific Ocean; and the Cabaret room is inspired by the classic theaters in New York. “The new way we are working and people’s hunger for more interactions after the past few years is fueling this influx of members clubs,” says O’Shea. “It’s not just about having a bar or lounge to have meetings, people are looking for more—wellness, entertainment, education—all of this can be done in the same space.”
This article originally appeared in HD’s September 2022 issue.
