For over six decades, Ronnie Scott’s has served as the beating heart of Soho’s nightlife, a temple of jazz where the air is thick with history and the ghosts of musical legends.
Today, that legacy has entered a bold new chapter with the redesign of Upstairs at Ronnie’s. We sat down with David Archer to discuss how they balanced the mathematical rigour of sightlines with the soul of a jazz club, and what it takes to design a room that reflects the history of the building whilst feeling accessible to a younger generation of jazz fans.
Archer is a founding partner of Archer Humphryes Architects, a firm renowned for its seamless integration of architecture and interior design across the hospitality, residential, and cultural sectors. Before co-founding his practice in 2002, he cultivated an impressive international pedigree, serving as Head of Design for AB Hotels in New York and collaborating on landmark projects like the Chateau Marmont and the Peninsula Hotel’s Felix bar.
The formation of Archer Humphryes was sparked by David’s 1997 collaboration with Julie Humphryes on the Sanderson Hotel in London. Since then, the studio has become a global leader in the adaptive reuse of historic buildings and the creation of high-profile lifestyle destinations, including the Chiltern Firehouse and The Standard London. Archer’s design philosophy is rooted in a commitment to rigorous craftsmanship, advanced technology, and modern sustainability.
Reimagined by Archer Humphryes, the 140-seat venue above Ronnie Scott’s has been transformed from a storied jam-session haunt into a sophisticated, technically masterful auditorium. By blending mid-century cabaret glamour with cutting-edge acoustic engineering, the new space manages a rare feat: it feels entirely fresh yet instantly timeless. From the striking Zimbabwean hand-screen-printed fabrics on the domed ceiling to the golden-velvet banquettes that catch the amber glow of tassel lamps, every detail has been calibrated to elevate the relationship between performer and patron.
Let’s get into it.
After giving life to a number of projects, including Chiltern Firehouse and The Standard London, what’s your go-to source for igniting inspiration?
When commencing projects, the office seeks to spend as much time as possible visiting the site, city and surroundings, ideally taking in a combination of museums, relevant cultural institutions and trying to gain both an understanding of the history of the area and social dynamic that is driving the re-emergence of the particular street and building. We often refer to books, research and input from clients that all provide insight and help to inform a direction for new projects, sometimes locally and sometimes further afield.
Tell us more about you as a designer, what's a project that's been on your bucket list?
Over the last two decades, the office has focused on the re-use of existing historic structures and developed a particular approach and architectural language to bringing these back to the forefront of city life. The hotel brief is a pre-occupation with the practice’s work but we have had few opportunities to explore how the public and domestic aspects of hotel living can be applied in other areas of the world, specifically in regard to more varied climates and geographical conditions that are continually developed within the hospitality sector and would offer the office greater scope to explore architectural thinking.
You have a storied history of working on iconic London landmarks. How does the Soho location influence the material palette, like the marble, velvet, and darker woods, compared to your other projects in the city?
The development of the interior of Upstairs at Ronnie’s, holds two particular ideas that compliment one another. The first is, in some ways, a technical response, and involves imagining the room and volume as a musical instrument in itself. In this way, the shape of the room, the detail of the ceiling and walls and the application of materials all affect the nature of the guests’ appreciation of the musical content which is unique to Ronnie’s, and is central to the project. The second idea is an extension of the furniture layout into a complete architectural environment; in so that the seating arrangement, view lines, anthropological studies of proximity and comfort are manipulated to generate the specific pleasures and idiosyncrasies of spending the night in Upstairs at Ronnie’s. The room can either be seen as an extension of the design of the seating and furniture, or a reduction of the overall architectural experience of one of sitting and listening.
The use of Kudhinda hand-screen-printed fabric from Zimbabwe on the domed ceiling is a striking choice. What led you to this specific craft, and how does it speak to the global history of jazz?
The question probably has an accurate and almost academic answer, but the nature of the design's development is both responsive and subjective. The relationship between the African art movement and the birth of jazz is well documented. The graphic patterns belonging to the Central African continent have been absorbed into and re-represented within the 20th Century African art movement, which is symbiotic with the birth of jazz rhythms and the emergent jazz community of North America. The introduction of African prints and dark hardwoods, alongside the celebration of the archive of footage of the jazz masters who have played in Ronnie’s since the 1950s, sits alongside the use of African tiles and a carefully researched AV system that projects the rhythms and movement of the music into the soul, as well as reflecting them visually in the room’s surfaces.
In a room designed for 140 people and a Yamaha S3X grand piano, the acoustics can't be an afterthought. How did you integrate sound-absorbing materials into the glamour elements, like the velvet and mirrors, without compromising the aesthetic?
The development of the aesthetic is a response in itself, to the acoustic treatment of the room. The 45 degree ceiling baffles break up the noise and prevent reverberation; the fabric panels within the wall deaden the sound, and the staged, raked seating, also plays a part in creating the specific ambience that allows both clarity and intimacy between the audience, performer and instrument. Ideally, one would feel wherever one was sitting in the auditorium, that if they reached out, they would touch the performer individually.
You’ve introduced a purpose-built auditorium with tiered seating. How did you balance the mathematical necessity of sightlines with the need for a jazz club to feel spontaneous and intimate?
The challenges of a flexible environment are visited in every project. Upstairs at Ronnie’s responds to this in 3 ways: the bar can be screened off from the auditorium to allow private parties or late night gatherings, which can happen simultaneously to music being played in the auditorium. In other scenarios, the loose furniture that sits close to the stage within the circle can be removed, the carpet rolled back to expose the timber floor, and the venue be transformed for dancing, celebrations and a standing audience if desired. The team at Ronnie’s is unique in its ability to accommodate acts of enormous diversity, and a clientele demanding everything from hearing world-class performances to Christmas parties for up to 250. It is perhaps this flexible approach to the management of the room that helps Ronnie’s thrive and brings such energy and life to Soho, at a time when hospitality and entertainment is facing ever increasing challenges in the capital.
From the tassel lamps to the curved banquettes, much of this feels highly bespoke. Could you highlight a small, perhaps easily missed, detail that you are particularly proud of?
While the space, music and social aspect of the project are immediately apparent to the visitor, I find great pleasure in enjoying the environment through half-closed eyes when soft light and reflection are heightened and the physical lines and boundaries are reduced. Taran’s photograph of the bar illustrates this beautifully, where it becomes difficult to know where the space begins and ends, and what is marble and what is refracted light.
Ronnie Scott’s is a temple of jazz with over 60 years of history. This renovation is described as "sustaining the next chapter." Beyond the physical materials, how does your design help a 60-year-old club attract a new, younger generation of jazz fans?
Interestingly, developing Upstairs at Ronnie’s as a separate venue from Ronnie Scott’s which seats 250 people across the Ground Floor, has allowed for an immeasurably greater variety of content and artists to be brought into the overall roster. Looking at the calendar for Upstairs at Ronnie’s, the performers this month will cover gospel, jazz, Cuban, classical, neo-soul and R&B. Many of these specifically belong to a younger generation so Upstairs can cater for both a more varied and younger audience than perhaps some of the longstanding jazz enthusiasts who return to the ground floor with such pleasure and dedication.
When the lights go down and the first note is played on that Yamaha grand piano, what is the one thing you want a guest to feel about the space?
I think that when the lights have gone down and the performance commences, the guest should be transported out of the space and into the moment. The ability for the space to work successfully in terms of comfort, acoustics, hospitality, and mood all contribute to this sense of transportation. One is only aware of one’s surroundings in this kind of venue when something is intrusive and otherwise one can relax into the performance and hopefully feel oneself let go from all of our other thoughts and anxieties.
Upstairs at Ronnie’s has a plethora of events coming up, and by weaving together technical precision and global craft, Archer Humphryes has ensured that this Soho landmark remains as relevant to a new generation of listeners as it was to the jazz purists of 1959. Whether you are there for the crisp acoustics of the Yamaha grand or the transportive glow of the marble bar, the venue stands ready to host the next sixty years of musical history.
To experience this new era for yourself, Upstairs at Ronnie’s continues to host an eclectic roster of talent. This season, the stage will feature a diverse range of performances, including showcases of neo-soul, gospel and contemporary R&B, as well as late-night jam sessions, keeping the spirit of Soho alive into the early hours.
Image credit: Archer Humphreys
