Transit Studio was asked to create new members and events spaces across the three buildings that the iconic London club occupies. The challenge was to create a place that suited a wide variety of events, from weddings, to dinners, to smaller meetings and presentations, as well as adding creating a new area for members. We stitched together the buildings, making new connections between them in a series of contemporary architectural interventions and interior elements that have unlocked a complex retrofit puzzle. We collaborated on the project with the club’s former creative director, Alice Anthony.

The Gennaro Room has been expanded by removing corridor space and the back wall of one of the buildings. A feature bar has been added to the room, with a dramatic pair of backlit marble arches that appear infinite behind the bar. The bar front is made from mirror finish stainless steel water jet cut into smooth curves. Mirrored ceiling and walls feature across the space to further expand the sense of space, and reflect light to create a lighter feel in contrast to some of the darker areas of the club. Across the Gennaro room, widths of mirrored ceiling reflect the windows into an infinite view, which is then picked up in the Carter Room with central mirror disc, and two mirrored niches within the Mackintosh Room.

A new link has been created to the Mackintosh Room, creating a large open plan space, that can also be subdivided with acoustic partitions. The fabric of the building has also been upgraded with an acoustic ceiling to protect the bedrooms above, and an acoustic floor to separate the spaces from the Soho Bar below. The light wooden floors reflect the daylight around the space giving a loft like feel, with maximized ceiling heights and mirrored ceilings across the space.


We removed three hotel rooms to restore one of the spaces to it’s former glory, creating the new Carter Room that celebrates 30 years of the club’s Art Director Nicky Carter. The room is bursting with the Groucho’s diverse collection of art, including a piece by Rob and Nicky Carter themselves. For meeting use, the Carter Room and Mackintosh Room now feature large screens for presentation, covered by a sliding panel which features key pieces of art from the collection.


“We were asked to develop a series of new spaces that better serve the club and host events in one location. This was no simple task and it has involved a carefully organised strategy to remove existing rooms across three buildings and a number of level changes. We’re so pleased with the elegant, contemporary rooms we have created that will better serve the Groucho and yet still retain its character.” Zoe Masterton-Smith


“We’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to assess the club with a fresh perspective, which has allowed us to consider ways to best optimise the spaces within our building. Transit Studio has helped us to unlock the potential of how we can use the second floor with greater flexibility to host all types of events, whilst offering a new space for members that is as vibrant as the club but with a more contemporary feel.” Jeff Connon, Groucho Club Managing Director

At the back of the building, new bathrooms have been created that feature a retained terrazzo floor and a vibrant graphic tile pattern, with views out over the surrounding Soho rooftops and playful balloon lamps.