Irenie Studio
Before the launch
Breathing life back in to found spaces On the Square is the natural progression of Irenie Studio. Irenie has over twenty years of experience in architecture and design, colour and styling and curating. Her work spans across private residential houses, innovative product design, illustration, and installations. She understands the power of beautiful design to tell unique stories and build emotive experiences with spaces. On the Square is part development company, part marketing platform, that allows artists, makers, and designers to showcase their work within distinctive spaces. Segueing into developments meant investing in characterful properties; breathing new life into forgotten spaces, while simultaneously capitalising on their quirky interiors to bring artist exhibitions, brand partnerships, pop-ups and even a Christmas Market, providing a backdrop to showcase objet, art and designer pieces that is out of the ordinary. Her love of vitrines taken to the next level.
After the launch
On the Square is the evolution of Irenie Cossey’s twenty-year journey through architecture,
styling, colour, and curation. Set in a neglected, Grade II–listed Neo-Jacobean house on De
Beauvoir Square, the project blends sensitive restoration with storytelling. What was once a
decaying shell has been transformed into a vibrant stage- part home, part installation- where
design and narrative intersect. Drawing on her signature style, Irenie has reimagined the
building not just as a residence, but as a curated experience that honours its 1840s bones
while breathing new life into every corner.
Far from a solitary renovation, On the Square became a collaborative exhibition of
international makers. Reclaimed doors were turned into dining tables, faded silks into
sculptural curtains, and Irish craftsmanship into poetic, functional design. The interior is rich
with detail: arched peepholes, bespoke furniture, colour palettes referencing gardens and
literary characters, and surfaces that play with reflection and scale. Influenced by Alice in
Wonderland, the project dances between curiosity and control framing views, playing with
proportion, and crafting moments of surprise and intimacy. The original floors and roof were
restored, a glass-topped kitchen extension added, and the garden redesigned to blur indoors
and out.
This isn’t just a house- it’s a temporal vitrine for art, craft, and collaboration. Over a series of
open events, the home acts as both a gallery and a platform, showcasing unique works from
designers, artists, and makers across the UK and Ireland. Every object is site-specific, every
colour intentional, every room telling its own story. In fusing development, restoration, and
creative curation, On the Square redefines what a domestic space can be: a home that’s
lived in emotionally as much as physically, layered with meaning, memory, and imagination.
