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It couldn’t be further from Soho House. Part lending library, part bar, the members-only salon that Iris Brooks and Brooke Geahan, both 26, began running out of the century-old National Arts Club late last year feels more like a grand old home you somehow have the keys to than a velvet-roped inner sanctum. With its giant crystal chandelier, thick velvet drapes, and dark-wood bookshelves, the duplex apartment space looks like the living room of the rich, educated grandparents you always wished you had. But the old folks are downstairs in the Arts Club, dining on duck, while upstairs, downtown’s young creatives—including author Jonathan Ames and gallery owner Gavin Brown—smoke, play music, pour their own booze, and attend readings (Bono recently hosted).

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Best of New York Awards

• Best Private Club (2005)