Home House is London’s most exclusive private members’ club, fusing 18th-century grandeur and heritage with 21st-century style.

Today, Home House hosts a community of eccentric characters and individuals spread across three exquisite Georgian townhouses, offering an exceptional range of facilities including restaurants, bars, a boutique gym and health spa, elegant bedrooms, opulent private dining rooms, a beautiful courtyard garden and an unrivalled members’ events calendar. Home House is an inspiring space where people can connect, relax and be their best selves. We aim to build communities and inspire individuality.

The House is a truly glamorous backdrop for any type of celebration – from cocktails or dinner with friends in one of the bars or dining rooms, to an elegant wedding in the adjacent Portman Square garden or a live music set; it is London’s best-kept secret, right in the heart of town. As for members, the best bit is that there are no stuffy rules; in fact, there aren’t any rules at all. Well, just one: “Nudity is discouraged”. Naughtiness, on the other hand, is de rigueur.

The History

In 1773, Elizabeth, Countess of Home, commissioned George III’s architect James Wyatt to build a sophisticated ‘Pavilion’ designed purely for enjoyment and entertainment, at No. 20 Portman Square.

The notorious Countess, aptly known as ‘The Queen of Hell’, was in her late 60s, twice widowed, childless and rich. She had been born in Jamaica, married the son of the Governor of Jamaica and inherited a large fortune when he died. She came to England and married William, 8th Earl of Home, in 1742. He deserted her shortly thereafter.

In 1775, Wyatt was sacked from the Home House project and his competitor, Robert Adam, one of the most celebrated architects of his day, was appointed to complete the House. It is the special triumph of Adam that he was able to convert a shell of a house into one of the most sumptuous neoclassical interiors in London.

Home House is acknowledged as Robert Adam’s finest surviving London townhouse. The interior is conceived as a series of grand reception rooms, beginning with a typically austere hall, leading to one of the most breathtaking “tour de forces” in European architecture: Adam’s Imperial staircase, which rises through the entire height of the house to a glass dome, revealing the sky above. On the ground floor are the eating rooms – decorated with paintings of banquets and the harvest by Zucchi, the husband of artist Angelica Kauffman – which lead onto the gardens.

The House was left to the Countess’s nephew on her death and was then used as a residence by, amongst others, the French Ambassador, the Dukes of Atholl, Newcastle, and Earl Grey (of the tea fame). From 1932, for almost sixty years, Home House was leased to the Courtauld Institute of Art, the director of which, between 1947 and 1974, was the art historian, Master of the Queen’s Pictures and infamous spy, Anthony Blunt. It was in his rooms, on the top floor of the House, that Philby, Burgess and Maclean mingled with academics, politicians and members of the Establishment, whilst a secret listening device was allegedly concealed by MI5 in the connecting wall between No. 20 and No. 21 Portman Square.

From 1989 – 1996, Home House was vacant and featured on the World Monuments Watch List of 100 most endangered sites. Rescued by Berkeley Adam Ltd in 1996, Home House was meticulously restored to its former glory and acquired in 2004 by a small group of private investors, Quintillion UK Limited. The Club now embraces three James Wyatt-designed buildings at Nos. 19, 20 and 21. The vision is a fusion of the old and the new, merging the grandeur and glamour of the existing buildings at No. 19 and No. 20, with the modernity and excitement of No. 21. The result is an exciting and exclusive club, rooted in the 18th century and alive and vibrant in the 21st century.

Lady Islington Suite

Every Home has a story – and if the walls of our rooms could talk, they’d have a lot to say.

The Lady Islington Suite, for instance, would speak with a sensitive but powerful whisper. Lord and Lady Islington lived in the House between 1919 and 1926. Lady Islington was one of a handful of pioneering female interior decorators in the inter-war years, and she redecorated much of Home House, removing the heavy accretions of the 19th Century with great flair. Her namesake bedroom is a beautiful pale green and white colour palette, but the bathroom is the pièce de résistance and shows that this Lady was not to be messed with. Fitted in 1922, its floor-to-ceiling red marble comes from the same source as St. Paul’s Cathedral. When light floods through the canopy above and hits the marble, you can almost imagine Lady Islington herself walking through, draped in a delicate gown and dripping with diamonds.

Lord and Lady Islington left the House in 1926, and over the next 70 years, it was inhabited by various other residents. But in World War II, there was one particularly unwelcome guest: a bomb which fell through the ceiling of the Lady Islington Suite bathroom but, thankfully, didn’t explode. Home House is one of the very few buildings on Portman Square which survived the Blitz, and the large crack in the marble floor of Lady Islington’s bathroom is a poignant reminder of this terrible period.

The Bison Bar

The smart, cosy Bison Bar is ideal for pre- and post-dinner drinks or late-night caps. Often playing host to unplanned revelry, the Bison Bar oozes elegance and sophistication with classic designs and well-curated artwork; it’s where the sophistication of yesteryear meets contemporary comfort and luxury.

The Restaurant

The Restaurant in Home House caters for members and their guests’ every need. With a revitalised design and beautiful art, The Restaurant is dressed to impress; be it for a power breakfast, or a lazy but healthy start to the day, lunch with friends or a vital client keen to savour the delights of our brasserie-style menu with its great British classics and innovative twists – all crafted by our Executive Chef. Our skilled sommeliers ensure that there is a wine to match every plate and every palate, demystifying the often pretentious world of the grape while catering for connoisseurs and adventurous imbibers alike.

The Drawing Rooms

The Drawing Rooms offer members and their guests the perfect space to work, rest and play. Climb the Grand Staircase to this collection of interconnecting rooms overlooking Portman Square and the garden, where members and guests can also admire works of art in their sumptuous Neoclassical interiors. Antique crystal chandeliers hang from handcrafted ceilings, casting light over the rich oriental rugs and pastel walls.

The Bedrooms

The 23 bedrooms and suites at Home House are luxuriously spacious and retain their 18th-century style of capaciousness, opulently finished with comfortable furniture and rich fabrics. Each room enjoys an interesting history: the deep red marble in Lady Islington’s bathroom on the second floor comes from the same stone as that used in the star inlay in the floor in the centre of the dome in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.

A bath made for His Highness Say Aji Rao III, Maharajah Gaekwad of Baroda (1863-1939) is now in the Duke of Atholl’s suite on the third floor. As you would expect, each room is equipped to the highest standard in comfort and technology.

The House Bar

Inspired by the heritage of House 21 as a former “legation,” The House Bar’s design draws on the freedom, liberation and self-indulgence that comes with uninhibited travel. The space champions British craftsmanship while disrupting the existing classicism with fabrics, artwork and dressings inspired by historic embassies around the world. The bar has been crafted using antique cabinetry and adorned with art deco lighting and seating to create a timeless and welcoming space.
The House Bar is a shrine to Hedonism, nodding to the heritage architecture of the space, juxtaposing rebellious design ideas inspired by the hedonistic behaviour that broke the harmony of Georgian Society. This is a space that encourages members and guests to relax, let go and be themselves.

The House Lounge

The luxurious House Lounge pays homage to the playgrounds of the past through sumptuous furnishings and rich tones for today’s colourful, flamboyant members. Whilst being a space for a morning meeting or afternoon aperitif, the illustrations of raucous and debauched parties of Georgian high society adorning the walls give a hint to the lounge’s transformative nature. Taking members from daytime to playtime, an evening step change will see the reveal of the dance floor and the DJ.
A menu reinvention sees the introduction of an elegant late-night vibe dining throughout House 21. Members are able to enjoy light bites, sweet and savoury dishes and sip refined cocktails, in an attractive yet vibrant and fun British epicurean-inspired setting.

The Vestibule Bar

The flamboyant Vestibule bar is inspired by a variety of creatives from literary, musical and hedonistic sets through time, from the Luttrells to the Bloomsbury Set. This intimate space is ‘the party within the party’, an inner sanctum where members and their friends can gather and hold court late into the night.

The Octagon Room (private dining room)

Adorned with pleated fabric wall panels, The Octagon Room evokes a sense of regal opulence inspired by existing rooms within Home House. The design will return the room to its original glory, creating the ideal space for both members and non-members to host extravagant dinner parties.

The Gloucester Lounge

Toying with notions of vice and virtue, The Gloucester Lounge will see eccentric characters and flamboyant misfits feel perfectly at home, evoking feelings of unabashed freedom.

The Gym

The Gym at Home House is one of London’s premier boutique health and fitness destinations. With an exclusive set of member-only clients, it is unlike other private gyms and provides a true haven for those seeking to attain all-around health and well-being.

Set within the most unique of surroundings, the gym is integrated into the Grade I-listed Robert Adam building, which creates a workout environment like no other. The Gym features state-of-the-art equipment, including the latest cardiovascular, strength, Pilates and conditioning equipment, including a brand-new Peloton bike.

The Boardroom

Here’s a room that means business – fully equipped with the latest in meeting technology, including a huge plasma screen and integrated sound system. The cool, neutral modern décor sets the tone for meetings and presentations for up to 20 people in either a boardroom set-up or in rows as required. A room with a view, the Boardroom affords a beautiful tree-top view over leafy Portman Square to fortunate attendees.

The Vaults

Daring, decadent and newly refurbished, the Vaults is a glamorous late-night bar and lounge located in the basement of House 21. With a private entrance and available to hire until 3 am, the exclusive space features two adjoining karaoke rooms with state-of-the-art sound systems – perfect for long-awaited reunions with friends and hedonistic parties for up to 50 guests.

W: Membership pricing
W: Home House
E: Reservations
E: Membership
A: Home House, 20 Portman Square, London, W1H 6LW
T: 020 7670 2000