A Bauhaus-era Communist Party command center is reborn as a retreat for the well-heeled (how's that for irony?).
One of the newest of several Soho members' clubs around the world, Soho House Berlin is set over eight floors of a restored Bauhaus building in the Mitte district of Berlin (the building was originally a department store; later, it was used by the Communist Party until after German reunification). The structure was returned to the descendants of the original owners, and in 2010 it became an outpost of the luxurious Soho group. The clubby-meets-industrial interiors by Susie Atkinson feature unexpected juxtapositions: velvet chesterfield sofas with exposed concrete pillars—there's even a Damien Hirst shark mural in the reception area.
N.B. For info on booking a room, go to Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
Above: Velvet chesterfield sofas are right at home in the club floor sitting room. The entire floor is built around a central bar.
Above: Industrial details abound in the dining room, including exposed concrete framing and beams, warehouse pendants, and open steel shelving.
Above: The lounge area of the cookhouse, whose farm-to-fork philosophy aims to attract and promote great chefs.
Above: The Politburo room, formerly a Communist party meeting space, flaunts a bold but successful palette of lime, forest, and teal greens.
Above: Hallways offer tiled niches for impromptu private conversations.
Above: The sitting room gallery is an excellent reminder of the strength of a dark-on-dark color palette; here, dark green and black.
Above: Soho's forty bedrooms are offered in six sizes. Here, a small attic room equipped in luxurious dormitory style, with a painted wood bed, exposed beams, and a small sitting area.
Above: The entrance to a small bathroom reveals even more industrial touches: an unfinished brick wall, aging radiators, and subway tile. But luxury--including pressed towels and world-class dining--is not far away. See more of the Soho bathroom as we deconstruct the key elements in Steal this Look: Soho House Berlin Bath.
Above: Extra-large rooms feature velvet and more velvet in a raspberry and teal palette. The 1,300 square-foot rooms feature full dining rooms and freestanding bathtubs.
Above: The hotel's reception area features ping-pong tables and a shark mural by Damien Hirst.
Above: The building located at Torstraße 1 in Berlin originally opened in 1928 as a department store.