Soho House & Co, the private London member's club, and Sydell Group, a London architecture and design firm, recently renovated 'The Ned' hotel in the space of Edward Luyten's former Midland Bank building in England's capital. The lush and lavish hotel features richly decorated rooms, a posh club, multiple dining venues, and, most interestingly, a bar in one of the bank's former vaults.
Recently, bars have been getting behind the idea of getting behind things. Speakeasy-style venues have grown in popularity over the past few years, with swanky bars being hidden behind barbershops, through crawlspaces in pawn shops, and, in the case of The Ned's bar, in a bank vault. The Ned's bar indeed has a massive steel vault door standing open, and the interior of the bar is walled with stippled steel.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Lavish Bank Vault Bars
- Opportunity to create unique and exclusive bar experiences by repurposing unconventional spaces like bank vaults.
- Speakeasy-style Venues
- Growing trend of hidden bars and secret entrances, providing an element of novelty and exclusivity for patrons.
- Renovating Historic Buildings
- Increasing interest in preserving and repurposing historic spaces for luxury hospitality experiences.
Where This Applies
- Hospitality
- Opportunity for hotels and private clubs to create unique bar experiences within unconventional spaces.
- Interior Design
- Demand for expertise in designing and transforming historical spaces into luxurious and unique venues.
- Architecture
- Opportunity to collaborate with hospitality industry in renovating historic buildings and repurposing them for new uses.
