The Sloane Club has been a part of the fabric of Chelsea life for over a century. Now, after a £20 million refurbishment and redesign led by Russell Sage, the member's club is all decked out and ready to enter a new era.
The relaunch marks a significant moment for one of London’s most storied private members clubs. It was founded in 1922 by Princess Helena, daughter of Queen Victoria, as the Service Women's club, a welcoming space for women in the Armed Forces after the First World War. In the Sixties, it was known as Helena's Club for Ladies before finally becoming the Sloane Club in 1976, when its admittance of men necessitated a change of name. Reintroducing the club to its longstanding members and attracting new ones has meant finding innovative ways to honour the its long and prestigious history while paving the way for the future.
For the extensive refurbishment, Russell Sage Studio, known for its work at The Goring and The Fife Arms, held nothing back. ‘There are many incredible and interesting aspects of the Sloane Club's inception, history and founding principles that we wanted to imbue in our work - both in terms of design, but also in how each space functions,’ says Russell.
Laid out over seven floors of a traditional redbrick townhouse, the restaurants, private dining rooms and suites have all been given their own distinct identities with intentional nods to the club's origins. There are three restaurants and three private dining rooms, a brand new wellness suite filled with Bamford toiletries, and library stocked with good reads thanks to an ongoing partnership with publishers Thames & Hudson. On the Monday night we visited, this space was buzzing, a testament to the conviviality the club wishes to foster.
The Sloane Club's design is filled with such clever and meaningful Easter eggs, from the visual thread of the oval set off by the iconic blue cameo above the building's main entrance to the parachute silk tented ceiling of the glamorous 1920s inspired Demob bar, which nods in name and design to the club's military history. ‘We wanted to positively celebrate the story of the club in the most inspiring and inclusive way, so, members will find those aspects layered in various details,' says Russell.
Russell, who has also worked on other members clubs in London such as The Conduit and The Lansdowne, took cue from the club's original ethos of being ‘of service to one another… by means of mutual helpfulness’, which helped shape the layout. The wallpaper in the all-day dining room, 'Helena's', was handprinted by longstanding club member Alysson McDermott. The elegant and tasteful sgraffito mural in ‘Venus’, the fine-dining room, is by local artist Rose McGuinness and was inspired by the statue of the Roman goddess in Sloane Square. Just outside the restaurant, which offers British and European classics, hangs an early sketch of the statue, generously loaned by a member.
Upstairs, the 66 bedrooms and suites feel more like individual houses, echoeing those on the nearby Chelsea mews. At one point, most members lived outside London, using the Club as a base, while today, the majority live in the capital, and with such generous rooms the Club will serve as a retreat for both locals and out-of-towners alike.
The Sloane Club, 52 Lower Sloane St, SW1W 8BP
