At Common House, a social club in Charlottesville, Virginia, by Wolf Ackerman Design, the café boasts rattan pendant fixtures and an acrylic mural by Ryan Trott. Photography by Andrea Hubbell.
The members-only social club, a sensation that has permeated London, New York, and Los Angeles, is taking root in smaller cities. Three graduates of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville—already accustomed to the school’s fraternities, sororities, and secret societies—have founded Common House nearby. It occupies a 1913 building that was coincidentally also a club, called the Mentor Lodge, and has now been transformed into a modern-day version by Wolf Ackerman Design. The 7,000 square feet are divided into lounge, dining, and coworking spaces and outfitted with chairs by Mario Bellini, chandeliers by Gino Sarfatti, tables topped with heart pine reclaimed from the original building, tilework inspired by Oscar Niemeyer, and murals by regional artists. Next up? Common House Richmond, about an hour away.
The coworking space’s Mario Bellini chairs and Nils Westergard mural in spray paint and acrylic. Photography by Andrea Hubbell.
Wool suiting fabric on the lounge’s custom sofa. Photography by Andrea Hubbell.
Staircase. Photography by Andrea Hubbell.
Dining hall. Photography by Andrea Hubbell.
Library. Photography by Andrea Hubbell.
Rooftop terrace. Photography by Andrea Hubbell.
Social hall. Photography by Andrea Hubbell.
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