5
‘Design has been part of my life ever since I was a
child. I was always in my bedroom, drawing and
making things. I guess I’m analogue by nature. As
an interior designer I need to see things through.
When we moved in here 14 years ago, I wanted to
put my own stamp on it.
When I curate spaces, it’s all about connections and
layers. My house, and any home is in constant shift.
We change, children change, spaces change, we need
to adapt to that. So there’s always a project going
on, everywhere. My home is a platform to test ideas.
I might see a colour somewhere, and I’ll keep it
in mind, and try and apply that to fabrics, paints,
samples, tiles, to a new project. It’s like making a
fruit salad, blending bitter and sweet. The pop of
something unusual is what I’m after. There’s always
this constant: old and new, found and revived.
Either reupholstering something a few times
as needed over its lifespan or mixing it with new
pieces. Everything has a story. About a year ago
we managed to get an original plywood splint by
Eames, which we’d been after for years. It is in the
dining room. People ask what it is, and then we
explain the background and how it ended up in our
house. Or my mum’s Irish harp, which she played
from the age of a child. I brought it back from Ireland.
No one in the house can play it but I just love all
the memories it brings.’
Originally from Dublin, Irenie has established
her creative studio in London, where she lives with
her family. Her home features a contrasting mix
of Eames classics and contemporary design objects
and artworks.
Irenie Cossey makes
a home by collecting
memories
‘I have this obsession with collecting objects.
I think I’m trying to unconsciously frame individual
moments and freeze things in time.’
