The Quorum: Are you invited?

Veer Arjun Singh visits Quorum, an upscale club in an equally upscale setting in Gurugram, and comes away impressed.

Two Horizon Centre on the Golf Course Road in Gurugram is carefully designed to mix work and pleasure.

The complex accommodates edgy workplaces such as Facebook and Samsung and has elaborate open spaces for resto-bars such as Townhall and Whiskey Samba.

The buzzing of key cards starts early and the party goes on till late.

The Q, short for Quorum, an exclusive club that shares the same coveted address, is still a reclusive member of this commotion.

It's not that it doesn't mix work and pleasure. On the contrary, it's built around the same idea. But its pleasures are limited to a select few.

 

Occupying 22,000 sq ft on the first floor, one could easily mistake its massive door for a wall.

I invited myself in and it quickly rescued me from the clamour of a busy Monday afternoon.

Before I could notice that the receptionist hadn't gotten up to check on the intruder, my attention was caught by the art on the walls.

It's called the Alley Project. The lobby-slash-waiting area is converted into an art gallery, managed by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art.

It keeps changing, I am told, to accommodate new artists.

 

The corridor is divided by minimalist wooden seating, in line with an arrangement of white lights on the ceiling, neatly assembled in a queue.

The first section on its left is the business quarter. It starts with a little space called the Q Shop that has artisanal jewellery on display.

The store at the edge of the diagonally chequered floor leads to a neatly carpeted area for conference rooms and open desks.

 

The business quarter seamlessly transitions into a vibrant member's lounge; its mellow lighting and sumptuous furniture that plays with bright colours and subtle patterns somehow ooze both luxury and cosiness.

Pankhuri Goel, design principal at Studio Lotus, which is behind the design, says they were given a clear mandate to "create a seamlessly transformative space".

On a regular day, the furniture is spread across the floor, each piece facing another to facilitate intimate conversations.

But when something eventful is to take place, it's re-organised to face a two-step platform that takes centrestage.

 

A club by definition is a place of belonging and Vivek Narain, who co-founded it with his wife, Sonya Jehan, says they established the space to accommodate a community.

The stage invites guest speakers, writers, politicians and filmmakers for debates. "It's the content that drives this place," says Narain.

It's nice that a speakeasy bar is also around the corner.

Providore, the bar, shares space with the lounge. It can be open and inviting one moment and, the next, shut its wooden panels to exclude everyone but a few.

The Negroni aged in oak barrels is the house favourite. Narain says that garden-fresh ingredients are the secret behind their delectable cocktails.

Food is served at Coalesce next door. It's quite spectacular how the dimly lit bar transitions into a restaurant blessed with natural light from tall windows.

It also has an adjoining private dining space and serves modern European cuisine with a menu that changes every three months.

It may feel like we have covered a lot of distance here but The Q has a twin wing connected though an alley that houses Cafe Reed for those coffee chats; Studio Y where select films are screened with Dolby surround sound; Oak and Cru, an event space with a seating capacity of 150; and a technogym run by Sumaya. Add a bed, and one could live here.

"There's a resurgence of private clubs around the world," says Narain, as we chat about the idea behind Quorum. It's also about a global network of private clubs that is an inviting idea for the well-travelled.

Members of Quorum have unhindered access to 36 clubs in cities across 24 countries -- New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Dubai, Melbourne, you name it.

If you aren't willing to wait a few decades to get into the Gymkhana Club, membership at The Q starts at Rs 250,000 with an annual retainer.

People of all ages are welcome, but Narain stresses that he wants a community of like-minded people to build organically. You might just have to wait for an invitation.