Exploring this whimsical North London home feels like going down the rabbit hole

When a home is designed by an industry-leading studio and filled with a profusion of objects from artisans, makers and craftspeople, it begins to transcend functionality. OntheSq, a ‘design house’ refurbished by Irenie Cossey and her studio, Irenie Studio, feels like a hybrid between a residence and a showroom, at once cosy and aesthetically elevated.

This Neo Jacobean home in North London’s De Beauvoir has been turned into what Cossey calls a ‘living wonderland’. She was inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, with the home playing with scale by integrating both oversized and miniature elements; introducing unexpected spaces and reveals; and imparting subtle references from a keyhole cut out of a door to arches in chimney breasts recalling the large and small doors of Lewis Carroll’s fantasy.

OntheSq is full of surprises, quirks and details which can only be the result of a patchwork of contributions. Cossey invited a roster of designers, makers and artists to populate the house, so that each room feels like a gallery and every furniture piece an exhibit.

Throughout this, the historical essence of the home, which is Grade II-listed, is not lost. ‘At every point in the restoration it left clues as to how the space could be revealed and enhanced,’ says Cossey. ‘The distinctive features of the Neo Jacobean design and the building’s listed status have given me so many opportunities as a designer.’

There is a constant conversation between old and new going on: for example, Tomoyo Tsurumi’s textiles, which act as wall hangings, dividers and curtains at various points, use old curtains torn into ribbons and woven together with Kvadrat fabrics in an oversized lattice. Rio Kobayashi’s showpiece dining table, meanwhile, is made of doors that were found on the site, and glass vessels by J. Hill’s Standard inspired by glassware discovered during the excavation are scattered throughout.

One of the most distinctive features of the house are the spectacular original windows which, says Cossey, ‘invited [her] to showcase the space in different ways’, allowing different areas to be connected not only by colour but also by light and shadows. She designed ‘through the looking glass’, she says, bringing the home’s theme full circle.

In keeping with its fantastical origins, the house is an explosion of carefully-curated colour. All paints used are from Fenwick & Tilbrook, from a dark-but-vivid green called Marram Grass to the delicate Vintage Peony. The custom shade Rosa Red is inspired by the rose garden in De Beauvoir Square, while a fairytale green called Curioser and Curioser was also mixed specially for the house.

As well as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, this shade also nods to Irishness, as does the house as a whole. Cossey is Irish, as are many of the designers and makers that she employed. Craftsman Michael Murphy (Muck) has created the Upside Down Chair in collaboration with designer Kasia Kempa, a chair shaped from a fallen oak which is hung upside down (in the tradition of Irish kitchens) alongside a fine grass hand broom by Flavia Brändle, based on her YBriger brush project. Artwork curated by Dee Morgan-Smyth showcases the work of Irish artists including John Kingerlee, Fergal Styles, Ronan Dillon and photographer Doreen Kilfeather. ‘The particular magic and energy of the space has been felt by the designers who have visited and I’m delighted to see how their designs will tell another side of OntheSq’s story,’ says Cossey.

OntheSq will remain open for open days and events for six months before going on the market, befitting its status as a residence-turned-gallery. It is more than a home – it’s a spectacle.

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