Originally published on Monday, 11th February 2008

The Office-Less Office

It might be the Shoreditch House interior designer, the Electric's chef, the Babington House architects, or perhaps it's the influence of the Soho House Group ex-chairman, Robert Devereaux, but new members' business club, One Alfred Place, is very much a chip off the old block.

At just over double the annual fee of most other members' bars, however, Alfred is hardly cheap. But set it beside the price of even a meagre office space complete with fully techno-fied boardrooms and a flock of roaming PAs anywhere in central London, and £1,500 per year isn't actually that bad.

Also boasting a bar, a sleep cabin, Devereaux's remarkable art collection, and an abundance of Chesterfields and work stations alike, if you don't actually need a permanent office in the Big Smoke, then this combination of quirky, Soho House-style comfort and dream functionality might just be the work space of the future.

Plus, by adhering to late office hours and only opening during the week, the membership fee is rather cunningly deductible as a business expense.

The downside to this, however, is that since it closes at 9pm, you'll probably still need to fork out on another bar to go to afterwards.

One Alfred Place, WC1
020 7000 1999

by AC