IN GOOD COMPANY: Through the House
A coffee shop that feels like home
Recently crowned Best New Coffee Shop 2026, Through the House has quickly become one of the most talked-about additions to Glasgow’s lively coffee scene.
We spoke to founders Rachel and Lewis as part of In Good Company, our series showcasing the independent venues that host reading copies of The Lonely Hearts Club.
“It feels like stepping into a friend’s living room”
Through the House is the creation of Rachel and Lewis, originally from Aberdeenshire and now firmly rooted in Glasgow. Before opening the café, their paths moved through very different worlds. Rachel worked in contemporary dance, first as a performer and later as a producer and technical lead. Lewis spent years in academia, studying chemistry before completing a PhD and continuing postdoctoral research into iron complexes.
The café grew from a shared appreciation for great coffee and the kinds of places that offer something beyond what is served in the cup or on the plate.
“Through the House has been a massive creative outlet for us,” they explain. “We wanted to design a space that feels like stepping into a friend’s living room, where there’s always a buzzy atmosphere, something going on and plenty of thoughtful details.” When they first opened, the idea was simple.
“COFFEE / MUSIC / GOOD TIMES.”
The way people now use the space suggests it has settled into exactly that.
Rachel and Lewis, founders of Through the House.
A place where things happen
Through the House shifts constantly depending on the day.
There have been yoga and pilates mornings, vinyl DJ sets, coffee tastings, a huge after-party for the Glasgow Coffee Festival, and more recently a food pop-up with The Bisquey Boys, serving lobster rolls and soft-shell crab burgers alongside beers and wines.
Each event adds another layer to a place that already feels active by default.
“We want to keep improving and have ambitions to do more events and eventually become a day-to-night space,” they explain.
It is for all intents and purposes a café that does not stand still, not because it is trying to, but because it keeps finding new ways to bring people into the same room.
“That looks fucking brilliant”
Some moments define a place better than any description can. For Rachel and Lewis, one came when a customer was served their order.
“Upon setting down a latte in front of a customer,” they recall, “she said: ‘That looks fucking brilliant.’”
It has since become something of a benchmark. Among the house rituals is the piccolo split: one espresso served black, the second combined with milk in a small glass.
“Here you can taste the espresso both black and with milk,” they explain. “It’s for the connoisseurs, or the indecisive.”
Alongside it sits a regularly rotating batch brew, giving regulars a reason to try something new each time they visit.
Where to find The Lonely Hearts Club
Copies of The Lonely Hearts Club can usually be found on the large sharing table at the centre of Through the House. For those looking for a different pace, they suggest the seats by the record players, where armchairs offer a view of the room as it moves around them together with a little privacy for circling your favourite ad. Sounds like the perfect spot if you ask us.
Through The House, 15 High St, Glasgow G1 1LX, United Kingdom
Website: Through The House
Instagram: Through The House
The Lonely Hearts Club is the world’s first newspaper dedicated to personal ads, culture and mischief.
Reading copies are housed in a curated selection of independent spaces across the UK and beyond. If you come across a copy, you’ll know you’re exactly where you should be: In Good Company.