Jesse’s House: Inside West London’s New Family-Friendly Members’ Club

When is a members’ club more than just a members’ club? When it’s kitted out with a crèche, jungle gym and soft play area – not to mention two swimming pools and a fitness centre. Take a look inside Jesse’s House.

Inside Jesse’s House, Parsons Green’s Family Member’s Club

Members’ clubs might be founded on the concept of exclusivity, but things look a little different at Jesse’s House, a brand new family-friendly space in Parsons Green. The second outpost from the Little Houses Group, a creator of family clubs and nurseries, Jesse’s House is a Meditarranean-inspired haven designed for both children and parents alike.

Little Houses Group specialises in transforming disused office buildings into spectacular new spaces, with their first club, Jaego’s House, launching in Kensal Rise in 2022. As Jaego’s brand new counterpart, Jesse’s House is a real sanctuary: awash in pastel tones, it provides a gorgeous Meditarranean restaurant, a courtyard café, and a whole host of kids’ facilities – from an adventure playground to a kids’ cinema and den – alongside a living room and co-working space for adults. (There’s even a fitness centre complete with studios and spa treatment rooms).

Sound tempting? Parents can expect an extensive schedule of gym classes (including barre, reformer pilates and HIIT) paired with some rather fabulous spa and beauty treatments for a welcome doese of TLC. Kids, meanwhile, can take their pick of over 70 classes a week, from cooking and smoothie-making to  football, circus skills and magic. There’s also plenty of fun to be had in the indoor and outdoor pools, with swimming lessons overseen by Sophie Allin, a former swimmer for team GB.

It’s everything you need and more – all sitting within picture-perfect buildings. We caught up with Rosie Moss, the group’s Head of Design, to chat about the space.

Members’ Club Interior Design: Inside Jesse’s House

Hi Rosie! Can you give us a bit of background on the design at Jesse’s House?

We went through several design iterations for Jesse’s House and the focus point always ended up being the stunning courtyard, so we built the design concept around that. 

Jesse’s House is made up of a collection of sprawling buildings tucked away on a quiet road in Parsons Green. Every time we visited the site, even in the depths of winter, the courtyard was a bright, open space – quite a rarity for us in London! 

The vison was an ‘oasis in the desert’ for families, with inspiration taken from warmer climates but rooted in an elegant English feeling. Our moodboards always centered on sunshine and time abroad with our families – though despite this sunny optimism, we do live in the UK! So we chose furniture and fittings to sit within the English aesthetic, ensuring that the spaces stay cosy in the colder months. 

A big focus of Little Houses Group is repurposing old office buildings. Can you tell us a bit about the process? How do you go about transforming offices into something brand new?

Founder of Little Houses Group, Charlie Gardiner, is passionate about finding and repurposing disused offices to create beautiful and functional spaces for his family members clubs. These vacant spaces are wonderful opportunities waiting to be unlocked, and we work to find innovative ways to transform them. 

Once Charlie has chosen a site with the team, we work with our architects to plan the spaces. For example, by opening spaces that were previously divided into office cubicles, we were able to create a gigantic Jungle Gym and Soft Play. A tall slide was made possible by re-exposing the high ceilings, which had been lowered to make way for harsh office lighting. As we are trying to create totally unique and impactful spaces for children and adults alike, it’s remarkable how different each Little Houses Group outpost looks once finished! 

There’s a Mediterranean theme to the interiors at Jesse’s House. How did you land on this and what kind of pieces did you use to tie it all together?

The Mediterranean theme came about as we developed ideas on how to make the most of the beautiful courtyard space. We wanted Jesse’s House to feel like a sanctuary for parents; down an unassuming road in Parsons Green, the building opens up to different dining and lounge areas, two swimming pools and a playground, all nestled amongst the landscaping design, which is centered on olive trees and giant ferns.  

We selected materials that give it that Mediterranean feel – unique tiles are a big factor, and the indoor pool has a bespoke tile evoking Jardin Majorelle. With the landscaping, scent was particularly important to us, so beautiful jasmine and herbs shroud the building, providing members with a space which evokes that holiday feeling.

We also love using a mixture of textures: whether it be the rougher rendered walls or our unique wasabi stone used on our bars, these give it a Med feel and provide interest for children to explore.

How do you ensure that families can make the most of your spaces?

Every space is designed with families in mind – the Little Houses Group concept was built by parents for families, so when we plan an area (unless it’s adult only space such as the co-working areas or gym), the first question we ask is, how will the kids use it and how do we make it adaptable for lots of activities? There are hundreds of studio classes on offer, so the spaces are all multifunctional for this – as the kids grow up, the offering adapts and grows with them. 

Can you tell us a bit about the outdoor areas?

The idea for guests’ arrival to Jesse’s House is to feel as though you have been transported to your favourite holiday destination, so there’s an immediate feeling of  ‘we’ve arrived – let’s unwind’. We wanted to create  a place where you want to be with the children all year round. 

As you look down from one of the covered terraces to the courtyard with your coffee in hand, you can watch the kids playing on the playframe or running off steam on the multi-use game pitch. The dining terrace is also covered with a retractable roof and sides, enabling outdoor dining whatever the weather! The outdoor pool is also complete with a retractable roof and comfy lounge seats for parents to relax and watch their kids play.

What materials did you work with and why? 

We are fairly limited in the number of materials we use, but we have chosen a mix of classic and unique stones, tiles and wood.  The main focus of the materials are textured and rendered walls, limestone, marble, wasabi granite and oak, which all feature in the majority of spaces. Our reception has a beautiful hand painted De Gournay wallpaper. 

Were there any sustainability considerations in the project? 

The most sustainable builds are the buildings that are repurposed, which is what we have done with Jesse’s House: we’ve taken the building and regenerated it. We’ve also brought it up to higher energy efficiency standards, enabling it to be run more economically – we did this by improving insulation, adding PV panels and plenty more. 

What was the inspiration behind the artwork in Jesse’s House?

We selected the art to run alongside the themes in the spaces, with a focus on travel that combined a playful feel with elements of luxury. You’ll find impactful, clever and entertaining pieces that adults and children can relate to; some of the notable artists include Lucy Laught and Ptolemy Mann. 

We also worked with a young British artist, Collage By Chessie, on a bespoke commission for the restaurant at Jesse’s House – the themes encompass travel and something playful for the kids to be inspired and entertained by. There is also a nod to Lucy (Charlie, our Founder’s wife – the restaurant is named after her.)  To source the other pieces of art, we worked with Among the Pines gallery, who brought together truly unique pieces from around the world. 

Were there any challenges on the project? How did you work around these? 

Of course! Every project of this size presents challenges, especially when you’re redeveloping a building like ours and turning its previous use on its head. The buildings are a collection of old warehouses, so we’ve had to soften them from having a very industrial and cold feeling into a space in which you want to relax with your family. That being said, we also wanted to respect the history of the spaces, so w decided to leave prominent features, such as high metal work.

What’s it like seeing the new spaces come to life? What do you hope that families will take away from them?

It’s so exciting to see everything come together. We’ve been designing Jesse House’s for two years, and it truly has a magic about it that’s unlike any other building. We hope families find the space to be their own kind of oasis in the desert, becoming a real home from home – with a bit of sunshine sprinkled on top. 

Alongside fantastic amenities, Jesse’s House also encompasses a gorgeous living room and study area. Do you have any tips for readers looking to recreate this kind of space at home? 

Think about the place you enjoy spending your time the most! Charlie and I have very fond memories of holiday destinations that we’ve gone back to again and again with our families, and this was one of our main sources of inspiration. 

Choose colours and materials that evoke that holiday feeling for you, but select materials that work with a practical English aesthetic, so your room doesn’t become stritly seasonal. We love British design, too, so we’ve had lots of fun interweaving classic materials with fun holiday themes. Use lots of textures to keep it tactile and interesting for kids. And choosing art that makes you smile is our number one tip! 

How To Join Jesse’s House

Members can choose from a range of packages including a general access option (starting from £125 per adult and £42 per child per month) with pay as you go add-ons, or the all-inclusive package (starting from £165 per adult and £65 per child per month) with unlimited crèche and kids’ club hours, and any studio  kids’ or fitness adult classes. Lead-in prices include weekday access.

Memberships include access to all club  facilities, plus free kids, fitness, and spin classes, childcare in the Crèche & Kids’ Club, and more. 

Visit jesseshouse.co.uk for more information.

FIND IT: 8-10 Heathmans Road, Parsons Green, London, SW6 4TJ.