Interior Designer Harriet Liley Talks Designing Soho House’s Soho Works In Los Angeles

This article features an interview with Harriet Liley, the lead designer for Soho Works and Soho House, focusing on her work in designing the Soho Works location in Los Angeles. Soho Works, an extension of the Soho House brand, provides a coworking and collaborative space designed to combine the brand's signature aesthetic with functionality for productivity. Liley, who has been with the brand since 2018, has been instrumental in multiple Soho House and Soho Works projects across North America. The West Hollywood Soho Works, opened in 2020 at the 9000 Sunset building, spans 18,000 square feet and features open workspaces, private offices, conference rooms, and a bar area with daily breakfast and coffee service. The space is characterized by floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the Sunset Strip and Hollywood Hills, catering to individuals in creative industries. Membership offers month-to-month access to all Soho Works locations, facilitating convenience for business travelers. Liley explains the distinctions and similarities between designing for Soho House and Soho Works. While Soho Works incorporates specific requirements like communal kitchens and private offices not found in traditional Soho Houses, the overall design process and aesthetic principles remain consistent. Key considerations for Soho Works include different lighting levels, print rooms, and ergonomically focused seating, alongside lounge areas for more casual work. The Los Angeles location aimed to integrate a Californian aesthetic while maintaining consistency with other global Soho Works spaces, using colors, patterns, finishes, and artwork to create a fresh, approachable, comfortable, and connected environment that complements the nearby West Hollywood Soho House. A notable design choice in the Los Angeles location was retaining exposed industrial ceilings. Liley explains that this decision was based on aesthetic appeal, the desire to create a sense of heightened space, and to align with the industrial look of earlier London Soho Works locations. The ceilings were painted white to maintain a light and fresh feel, providing a contrast to the richer fabric textures and upholstery below, and serving as a backdrop for carefully selected lighting. Regarding furniture, the design incorporated pieces from Soho Home, alongside items from other vendors and locally sourced vintage furniture. Liley highlights the use of custom-designed pieces, developed in-house and then manufactured by US-based companies, to ensure stylistic consistency across international locations. This approach allows members to feel comfortable and at home regardless of the Soho Works location they visit. Productivity was a central focus in the design, achieved through attention to ergonomics, comfort, and lighting, creating a mix of quiet workspaces and open social areas to balance focused work with opportunities for networking and productive breaks. Unique features of the Los Angeles space include its views of Sunset Boulevard and a curved central staircase, contributing to a residential feel. Color played a significant role, with Liley drawing inspiration from the surrounding Californian landscape, employing lighter pastel tones offset by rich timber stains to connect with Sunset Boulevard's mid-century history and reflect the area's distinctive sunsets. The design ensures the Soho House brand identity is maintained by emphasizing comfort and a domestic feel, with lighting being a crucial element in creating warm, relaxed work areas that evoke the residential ambiance of Soho House properties. #InteriorDesign #SohoWorks #SohoHouse #CoworkingSpace #LosAngeles #HarrietLiley #CommercialDesign #AestheticDesign #ProductivityFocusedDesign #InteriorDesign #SohoWorks #SohoHouse #CoworkingSpace #LosAngeles #HarrietLiley #CommercialDesign #AestheticDesign #ProductivityFocusedDesign

34 months ago

Read Full Article