The Cosmic House (formerly known as the Thematic House) is a house at 19 Lansdowne Walk in

Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that lies within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and largely surrounds its namesake park, Holland Park. Colloquially referred to as 'Millionaire's Row', ...

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

, London. It has been listed Grade I on the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...

since May 2018. It was designed by

Charles Jencks Charles Alexander Jencks (June 21, 1939 – October 13, 2019) was an American cultural theorist, landscape designer, architectural historian, and co-founder of the Maggie's Cancer Care Centres. He published over thirty books and became famous i ...

in collaboration with other

postmodern architects Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting the worl ...

including Terry Farrell and

Michael Graves Michael Graves (July 9, 1934 – March 12, 2015) was an American architect, designer, and educator, and principal of Michael Graves and Associates and Michael Graves Design Group. He was a member of The New York Five and the Memphis Group and ...

, as his own home.Listed postmodern buildings - in pictures.
''The Guardian'', 10 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018. The sculptors Celia Scott and

Eduardo Paolozzi Sir Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi (, ; 7 March 1924 – 22 April 2005) was a Scottish artist, known for his sculpture and graphic works. He is widely considered to be one of the pioneers of pop art. Early years Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi was born on 7 M ...

also participated in its development. The existing 1840s end-of-terrace villa was initially purchased by Jencks and his wife Maggie Keswick in May 1978, and the transformation of the main structure was completed in 1983. The stucco-fronted building houses such interior features as

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

ed bookshelves, a

sundial A sundial is a horology, horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the position of the Sun, apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the ...

window seat, and an upside-down classical

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

serving as a

jacuzzi Jacuzzi is an American private company that manufactures and markets hot tubs, pools, and other bath products. It is best known for the Jacuzzi hydrotherapy products. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California. It is the largest hot tu ...

. The main Solar Stair is complemented by a semi-circular 'Moonwell', which channels natural light over a darker area. The house encapsulates Jencks's theories, and there are plans for it to be converted into an archive museum, named the 'Cosmic House', which could be open to the public by appointment. It opened to the public from 24 September 2021, as "The Cosmic House".

References

External links

*
Photographs of Thematic House
at museandmaker.com
Short documentary film by Edwin Heathcote
at HENI Talks Grade I listed buildings in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Postmodern architecture in the United Kingdom Grade I listed houses in London Houses in Holland Park {{UK-listed-building-stub