Private members’ clubs are evolving beyond the traditional long-lunch model, with a slew of exclusive new establishments opening across the east coast. These modern clubs represent a shift towards luxury, with a focus on networking culture, privacy, and cutting-edge amenities.
The Sandstones Business Club, located in the heritage Department of Lands building in Sydney, is one such example. The club, founded by Soren Trampedach, offers high-end office fitouts, organic community, wellness, and work spaces. With a reported $500 million restoration project, the Sandstone Precinct is a prime example of the luxury and exclusivity that these new clubs embody.
Luxury and Exclusivity
Trampedach’s vision for The Sandstones is to create a modern version of the old members’ clubs, but with a twist. He explains that it is a modern version of what used to be the old members’ clubs, but also the opposite of that. The club has about 160 members and will continue to take applications until management feels capacity has been reached.
Membership is not as simple as signing a lease, with applications and vetting part of the process. Trampedach is looking for curious, humble people who are interested in organic community, wellness, and work spaces. The club offers a range of amenities, including hot desks, dedicated offices, a piano lounge, and a private cinema.
Trampedach denies that Florence Guild, the company behind The Sandstones, is a real estate business, despite counting revenue per square meter. He says that the determining factor is whether people stay and whether the club is full. They stay not because of the beautiful spaces they have built, but because of how they feel about it.
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Community and Networking
The team behind Tajon Luxury Offices, John Caldwell and Natashia Steed, have also created a private members’ club in the heritage Barrack House building. The club offers flexible licenses instead of subleases, which is finding traction among companies downsizing or rapidly growing. Caldwell says that the model is in need, especially with the uncertainty of the business world.
Tajon is offering a premium product, with individually furnished and decorated spaces that are thematically tied together. They have put over $12 million into the renovation and refurbishment of the building, with a hands-on project management approach. Caldwell says that the space is “really your home away from home,” with a central bar and lounge area accessible to members.
For Trampedach, amenity is a key part of the contemporary office, with restaurants and hospitality sprinkled into the Florence Guild mix. The company has also launched the Eir Liv wellness business, which positions itself as a longevity offering using cryotherapy, doctors, and AI personal trainers. A hyperbaric chamber is due to begin operations at The Sandstones on November 6.
The long-term success of a private work club relies on the human touch, rather than a gimmick. Trampedach says that retaining people and making them want to stay is key, especially with the rise of new private members’ clubs. He believes that it is not about the interiors, which is what landlords do not appreciate. The Sandstones has around 100 members attending on any given day, with two suites taken by businesses with headcounts of around 25 each.
Mirvac has signed over its 10 floors of amenity at 55 Pitt Street to be run by the company.