Home House: one from the heart
London private members’ club Home House has redesigned its Drawing Rooms, turning a long thoroughfare into a convivial space.
*This feature was originally published in the October 2025 issue of The Spirits Business magazine.
At Home House, a private members’ club in London’s Marylebone, there are six bars in total – but one area has always been considered the beating heart of the house.
The Drawing Rooms, long a social thoroughfare, have just emerged from a refurbishment, complete with a new bar and cocktail programme designed to re‐establish the space as a place for connection and celebration.
According to head of bars Xhulio Pecani: “The Drawing Rooms are the heart of the house.” Refurbishing the rooms was, therefore, no small undertaking. The intention with the redesign was to nod to the grand cafés of the 1920s, creating an atmosphere that feels both glamorous and inviting.
However, the Drawing Rooms are part of a rare surviving example of architect Robert Adam’s 18th‐century residential design, and rank among London’s most important Georgian interiors. To ensure the rooms felt preserved but alive, Home House turned to Russell Sage Studio, specialists in heritage‐led design.
New textures
The studio amplified Adam’s ornate plasterwork ceilings and classical proportions while introducing new textures, fabrics, and lighting. Chandeliers were restored, while subtle lighting shifts help to transition the space between day and night.
While most Adam rooms are admired from behind ropes in museums, here members can live, drink, and socialise in them, as the architect intended. General manager Sonia Gayle describes the Drawing Rooms as “a convivial space – not just for dining or just for drinks, but for conversation, respite, and enjoyment. The origins of Home House were a palace for celebration – that’s what we want this space to be.”
That ethos carries into the cocktail menu, which Pecani and his team have structured as a journey through cocktail history. It unfolds in three chapters: Home House Heroes, vintage classics, and contemporary favourites. “We wanted members to experience cocktails across different eras – from pre‐Prohibition through to modern times,” says Pecani. “It’s a journey, with each drink telling part of the story.”
Among the returning favourites is the Spicy Fire, a riff on the Spicy Margarita that has become a signature for the venue. Home House’s take features Volcan de mi Tierra Blanco, Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, mandarin liqueur, grapefruit, lime, and chilli. “It’s spicy but very refreshing as well. Members have loved it in the past few years,” explains Pecani.
The vintage section features drinks such as the Continental Sour, a riff on a Whisky Sour. Like a New York Sour, The Drawing Room’s iteration features red wine, with a Home House twist of Port too.
Meanwhile, Contemporary Home Classic Cocktails include twists on post‐war staples like the Paper Plane and the Irish Coffee, each given a Home House accent. Importantly, everything is made fresh and to order. “We don’t pre‐batch here,” Pecani explains. “Consistency is key, but we achieve it the old‐school way. Guests see their cocktails built in front of them – it’s about the craft as much as the flavour.”
Theatrical flourishes extend beyond the drinks. Service is designed to be warm and engaging, from Champagne poured at the table to a planned cake trolley that will add a sense of spectacle. “We really want to bring the space to life,” Gayle says. “It’s about more than the drink in the glass – it’s the storytelling, the glassware, the service. Everything is designed to create an experience.”
That sense of theatre and sociability is deliberate. Many visitors in the post‐Covid world view hospitality spaces as additional offices, meaning venues have become filled with silent laptop users. While Home House is happy to accommodate its members’ requests for quiet spaces, the Drawing Rooms are intended to be a hub of energy and conviviality.
As well as the new design and menu, the team is relaunching its afternoon tea, complete with its own cocktail – a refreshing blend of gin, tea, citrus, and florals – alongside Champagne serves designed for sharing. “Our cocktails have always been a point of pride,” says Pecani, noting the club’s reputation for impeccable classics such as Espresso Martinis and Negronis. But the goal isn’t simply to impress with technique. “It’s to create an environment where members come together, celebrate, and enjoy themselves.”
