Star of the big screen

Fay Sweet5 April 2012
The Weekender

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The first patrons of the Electric Cinema in Portobello Road would be shocked by today's new look picture palace which has just reopened.

Back in 1910, not only were they packed sardine like into the pretty, vaulted auditorium - some reports put the capacity as high as 600 - but they also watched films with the lights on to avoid any hint of impropriety, so unthinkable was it to have men and women close together in the dark.

The idea that there are now just 110 comfy leather armchairs and footstools - plus tables with built- in wine coolers, a fully-operational bar and waiting staff to deliver a tray of fresh sushi to your seat, state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems and a performing screen that bursts through the curtains and automatically expands to wide-screen size - would certainly bemuse those early film fans.

That there are beds in the back row would have had those Edwardian eyes on stalks. "But they are daybeds, and there's only three of them," reassures architect Sasha Gebler of Gebler Tooth, responsible for putting the spark back into the former sad old wreck which stands as Britain's oldest purpose - built cinema.

The newly refurbished movie house is now at the heart of an intriguing mixed mini-development, which also includes bar and brasserie, private club with restaurant, dining room, screening rooms and meeting rooms.

Called Electric House, it is part of the expanding Soho House empire owned by entrepreneur Nick Jones. "It is a stunning place with a great history and is regarded by Londoners with lots of affection - all that combined to make it irresistible," says Jones, who admits he never went to the old Electric.

"That was the problem, not enough people did. The cinema had a bad few years, underinvestment and some tricky spaces meant it was unable to fulfil its potential. But now that's all changed," he says.

In fact, the tide turned when the cinema was bought a couple of years ago by Peter Simon, owner of the fashion chain Monsoon. He'd grown to love the place from his early days running a market stall outside. Still the owner, he dug deep into his pockets and has lavished a fortune on restoring the cinema designed by Gilbert Seymour Valentin. The full refurbishment and development of the site is put at close on £5 million.

Restoration work by Gebler Tooth has been meticulous. The damaged pale terracotta façade is now fully repaired, mosaic flooring gleams again, the distinctive gilded ticket booth in the foyer even features a restored ticket machine, and in the auditorium the original decorative gold swags and pale cream colour scheme have been reinstated.

This cinema is everything you could dream of: all the comforts of home with all the fun of going out to the movies.

Meanwhile , Gebler Tooth has teamed up with another practice, Michaelis Boyd Associates, and interior design guru Ilse Crawford ( former editor of Elle Decoration) for the fitting out of the complex.

Adjoining the cinema is a nice solid, turn-of-the-century style bar and brasserie featuring massive zinc counter, theatre-style kitchen and stunning dining area completely encircled by a highbacked red leather banquette.

Above this is the club quarters decked out in trademark Soho House "home-from-home" style. The design team took its inspiration from the modern loft apartment: there's an open-plan kitchen and dining area, a softer living area, and upstairs are lounge-style meeting rooms. Must-have furnishings include the swirly, multicoloured Paul Smith-designed rugs, massive cream and black chequered sofas, the most delicious white leather dining chairs by Arne Jacobsen, Harry Bertoia and Michael Young bar stools and some fine light fittings.

In fact, the lighting designs are worth attention, drawn as they are from an array of sources including the London Lighting Company, B& B Italia and designers Bruce Munro and Kate Wilkins. They are a celebration of the magic of electricity and a subtle reference to the very existence of this cinematic masterpiece.

Cinema box office: 020 7229 8688. For membership details of Electric House (you need a proposer and a West London address), call 020 7908 9696.

Gebler Tooth: 020 8600 2800; Michaelis Boyd Associates: 020 7221 1237.

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