Soho Home’s First Retail Store Feels Just Like a Clubhouse, and Other News

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Soho Home’s First Retail Outpost Feels Exactly Like a Clubhouse  

Ever since opening its first clubhouse on Greek Street in 1995, Soho House’s signature homey interiors have been a hit among buzzy patrons seeking to replicate the look in their own spaces. Despite this, the members club didn’t launch its own furniture line—an array of brand-designed objects intermixed with handmade pieces— until 2019. The pandemic followed, and homebound workers were swiftly redecorating, seeking to replicate the clubhouse’s sense of elevated comfort in their living rooms. The brand listened, and is now launching Soho Home’s first bricks-and-mortar space, nestled on the ground floor of a warehouse in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.

The loft-like space feels indistinguishable from one of Soho House’s coveted clubs. It’s outfitted in lounge chairs upholstered with custom Pierre Frey fabrics, velvet green sofas, linen-shaded lamps, and a produce stand by Alimentari Flaneur. Members can also showcase their own creations. “This is set to become a destination not just for our new collections, but a revolving gallery space inspired by Soho House where people will be able to see exclusive products and designs by our members,” says retail managing director Aalish Yorke-Long. Soho House Design, meanwhile, offers customers personalized styling advice and consultations, so anyone can feel like a member in their own home.

The historic Wollman Rink reopens in Central Park with a focus on communal accessibility.

Following a shift in ownership from the Trump Organization to a coalition of New York companies from the likes of Equinox, the YMCA, and The Boys’ Club of New York, the beloved ice skating venue has a newfound focus on diversity. The rink’s operators have announced they will reinvest ticket sales, priced between $5 and $23, back into the community and the city in the hopes of crafting a more inclusive environment. To kick things off, the rink will welcome Harlem-based Melba’s Restaurant’s chef Melba Wilson to dish out holiday comforts. 

The Brooklyn Museum receives an unprecedented $50 million grant from New York City.

Despite the economic toll of the pandemic, mayor Bill de Blasio announced a donation of $50 million to the Brooklyn Museum through the Department of Cultural Affairs. The endowment comes on the heels of the museum’s director Anne Pasternak’s funding request this past June and will be allocated toward revamping the museum’s 40,000-square-foot exhibition spaces, introducing additional educational zones, and equipping the 120-year old building with energy-saving systems. “Our exhibitions and public programs have been embracing ideas for 21st-century museums, but our building is absolutely mired in the 19th century,” Pasternak says. “So it’s time to catch up.”

An Australian artist and programmer launches a massive pirate bay for NFT downloads.

Geoffrey Huntley is aiming to bring NFTs to the masses with The NFT Bay—a torrent site that lets users download 15 terabytes of JPEGs. Inspired by queer musician and activist Pauline Pantsdown, Huntley considers his venture as an art project that forges a new avenue for NFT growth, one predicated on social media frenzy where an asset can increase in value rather than a blockchain slot which, according to Huntley, loses value over time. “I hope through The NFT Bay people learn to understand what people are buying when purchasing NFT art right now is nothing more than directions on how to access or download an image,” he says.

Congruent Space opens a psychedelic pop-up storefront in the Miami Design District.

For the past five years, Congruent Space has been galvanizing Chicago’s creative sphere through art, fashion, and multimedia activations that create a community hub for youth and design talent to come together and thrive. The space, co-founded by multidisciplinary artist Preme, has now opened a temporary storefront in the Miami Design District with that same mission—and a hypnotic entry that’s sure to thrill. In addition to the shop’s standard roster of rising designers, Congruent Space Miami will feature new A/W collections by Walter Van Deirendonck, Heliot Emil, and Carne Bollente. 

After a spate of senior departures, Frieze names Christine Messineo director of U.S. fairs.

Christine Messineo has been named the director of U.S. fairs at Frieze. She replaces Loring Randolph and Bettina Korek, former directors of the New York and Los Angeles fairs, respectively, who departed to hold director positions at galleries. Messineo was previously a partner at the New York–based Bortolami Gallery and a director at Hannah Hoffman in Los Angeles. “As a former exhibitor, I understand the commercial, educational, and creative dynamics that make Frieze a unique place for discovery,” she says. “I’m excited to embark on this venture in both cities, places I love and have called home.” Her first fair will be Frieze Los Angeles 2022, which kicks off February 17. Frieze New York, which takes place at the Shed at Hudson Yards, will follow in May. 

West African architects are revisiting mud-brick structures as an alternative to concrete.

Rooted in the practice of using mud as a primary building material, wealthier portions of West Africa have been opting to use a sturdier material, concrete. As concerns around climate change have become top of mind, however, architects are reconsidering their use of concrete—an unsustainable material that accounts for five percent of global carbon emissions—and revisiting mud-brick structures due to their adaptive thermal properties, inexpensive access, and durability. 

Today’s attractive distractions:

For WePresent, photographer Quil Lemons documents his hometown in vivid detail. 

New findings from MIT reveal how butterfly wing scales grow during metamorphosis.

Here’s what happens if McDonald’s would eliminate all the plastic in its Happy Meals.

Some owners are pampering their lucky pooches with pricey members-only dog parks.