Soho House style: the design behind Soho Farmhouse
From capital cities to island escapes, our Lick x Soho House paint collection was inspired by some of Soho House’s most iconic locations across the world. Today, we’re taking a trip to the English countryside, to the rejuvenating Soho Farmhouse. Under two hours from London, this 100-acre property is an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. A calming country retreat, it’s modern farmhouse decor (with an extra splash of colour) at its finest. Read on to find out more about the design behind the House and learn how to get that cosy Soho Farmhouse look at home.
The history and architecture
Located on a former working farm, the estate dates back to 1774. The original farmhouse, a Grade II listed building, has been painstakingly renovated with many of its period features restored., In keeping with its age and grandeur, it’s decorated in a very traditional decor style. Whilst the rest of the architecture is more modern farmhouse, the building’s Georgian architecture was used as the starting point and is referenced throughout. Almost all of the buildings and cabins are built from instantly recognisable yellow Cotswolds limestone or reclaimed timber.
In fact, the entire estate references both its location and agricultural roots, largely through its animals. Indian runner ducks and Bantam hens roam free. You can even pay a visit to the House’s family of goats and some very porky pigs, or find a stable full of horses. There’s even a huge vegetable garden and several beehives dotted amongst wildflowers meadows.
Connecting to the outdoors
Because that’s what Soho Farmhouse is all about: reconnecting to the outdoors. From an architectural perspective, almost all of the rooms have been built with terraces and outside seating, whilst the cabins open onto private balconies with al fresco baths, overlooking babbling brooks and rolling fields. Even the pool has an indoor-outdoor element to it. There are also plenty of heated and covered outdoor areas, so you can enjoy dinner and drinks in the open air (without getting soaked because this is England, after all). With nature on your doorstep, outdoorsy activities are very much encouraged. You can have a go at anything from clay-pigeon shooting and horse riding to cycling and boating.
A natural colour scheme
Inside, the interiors reflect the surrounding landscape. Drawing the outdoors in with natural greens, warm browns, earthy beiges and sky blues, the House’s blend of organic textures with locally made pieces adds to its rustic charm. At its core, Soho Farmhouse’s colour palette embraces biophilic design, using nature-based neutrals to connect you to the outdoors when you’re around them.
In particular, you’ll notice beiges like Beige 02 Soho Farmhouse and various shades of green present throughout the house and indeed, the surrounding landscape. In fact, from the woodwork and upholstery to the scenery, you will find every shade of green at Soho Farmhouse. In Pen Yen you’ve got lively, fresh greens with lots of hanging plants creating a biophilic feel. The Piglets feature rich forest greens and the Garden rooms a soft, pale green. The abundance of natural shades in the interior colour scheme is key to what gives Soho Farmhouse its instantly calming feel.
Shop Beige 02 Soho Farmhouse
A sense of play is created through the use of desaturated accent colours to create a gently layered colour scheme. Think dusty greyish pinks paired with slate, deep graphite blues and rich, earthy reds. It’s rarely bright, primary colours—always soft, tertiary hues that can be found in the natural world. In a bedroom, for example, whilst you might find natural tones and materials on the walls, flooring, and furnishings, there will always be a splash of pink, mustard or blue in the upholstery, or in the lighting for a little pop of colour to avoid the space becoming too monotone. The overall effect is a colour scheme and a rural escape that calms and recharges.
Design inspiration
Whilst there are plenty of references to the surrounding countryside, Soho House Designer, Graham Moore, explains that they “didn’t ever want the decor to feel quintessentially English”. Instead, he says, he would describe Soho Farmhouse’s decor as “surprising”. It’s simply not what you expect and was an antidote to stuffy country hotels. For example, the Cabins were inspired by upstate New York cabin culture, in some of the rooms there is a subtle inspiration from Morocco, the Hay Barn has a loose 1970s feel, and the Cabins use American materials like reclaimed wooden floors from Wyoming and Navajo-inspired prints. From India to America, these rustic elements incorporate other cultures and styles whilst giving the interiors that cosy, lived-in family feel. Moore explains;
At every step along the way, we treated it as if we were recreating a family home full of personal touches and character.
Graham Moore, Soho House Designer
According to Moore, nothing should ever look new—it should always look vintage or reclaimed. And Soho Farmhouse takes that to new heights with a huge focus on natural, reclaimed materials when it comes to flooring, walls and furniture. Hardy fabrics like hessian and seagrass are used for rugs, whilst organic linens and vintage leather sofas are favoured for seating. “It’s about layering texture on texture, but always in a rustic way,” Moore advises. “You need to incorporate different layers for an eclectic, well-rounded space”.
A community feel
And, as with all Soho Houses, community is at the heart of the design, but nowhere is this felt more prominently than at Soho Farmhouse. The gravel-covered dining area, surrounding the Main Barn in particular, has the feeling of a lively market square. Upon entering, you hear that pleasing crunch underfoot, synonymous with the countryside and long, winding driveways. In the colder months, guests congregate around open fireplaces and an enormous fire pit, giving it an almost permanently festive atmosphere. Paved pathways take you from the Main Barn to the boating lake, through the kitchen garden, onto the crazy golf course. All as retro milk floats and guests on Pashley bikes whizz by. It feels akin to a village within a village.
Find out how you can create your own rural escape and recreate that cosy Soho Farmhouse look at home. Or, if you’re more of a town mouse than a country mouse, find out more about the history behind the design of Soho House 76 Dean Street.