Nick Jones: Founder of Soho House

Over the past two decades, Nick Jones has developed Soho House into a global empire of members clubs, restaurants, spas and product lines. Jones, who notes he struggled with school due to dyslexia, left education at seventeen to join the Trust House Forte scheme, a training programme in hospitality. He spent eight years with the group, progressing to marketing manager at Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane. In the 1980s, he created Over the Top, a small group of restaurants, followed by the launch of the Soho House Group in 1995, when Jones took over a labyrinthine property in London’s Soho district, turning it into the eponymous private members club, now an institution for a choice creative community world over.

Today, his portfolio includes seventeen Houses around the world, with outposts in cities including New York, Berlin and Istanbul, as well as Babington House in Somerset, and Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire. The appeal of Jones’ offering certainly has to do with his disregard for current fashions whilst consistently providing the highest quality of amenities, ultimately creating something timeless. Well-known for his approachable manner and unpretentious tastes, Jones states, “I think that, above all, it’s got to be comfortable,” when explaining his philosophy. Under his leadership, the group, who strive to create an atmosphere immune to trends, have gained a venerable following over the years, satisfying a demographic that was previously largely uncatered to.

In addition to the residences, Soho Works, a co-working space launched by the group in London and LA, offers an international network of workspaces designed and equipped to support a membership of individuals and businesses in the creative industries.

Beyond Jones’ affable exterior he has a remarkable focus on detail. The clubs, which offer informality and comfort, are meticulously engineered with exacting membership guidelines, based largely on individuals’ fields of work. These exclusive enclaves, that decidedly shun the mainstream, are carefully curated in every aspect; accounts detail more than 50,000 members, with a 30,000 waiting list. The strategy is to start with a committee of like-minded people and end with a network. Jones points out that he had no creative propensities when he set out twenty years ago but Soho, where he had a screening room, was at the heart of the film industry, and those were the people he wanted to join his club. With the continuing rise of this global community, Jones has created a space for people to congregate, sustaining an eminent and stylish presence in cities across the world.

Working with innovative interior designers and architects, like Martin Brudnizki, Michaelis Boyd and Ilse Crawford, Jones has established a celebrated aesthetic for his brand. Based on the comforts of home, each House reflects aspects of its geographical environment, referencing its city’s culture. The sites are often repurposed buildings, with interesting histories, which have been fastidiously renovated, retaining the integrity of the original structure. The Houses’ rooftop pools have become somewhat of a trademark, made easily recognisable by their boldly striped sun loungers. Jones’ latest ventures include Soho House openings in Amsterdam, Barcelona and Tokyo.