A slightly unassuming house in Holland Park conceals a remarkable interior — a house packed full of early Post-Modernist designs — and is now, very occasionally open to the public.
Externally it looks like a normal sort of house for the area, but the architect Charles Jencks and family gutted most of the interior and built something that is really quite stunning. Not necessarily nice, as that’s down to individual tastes, but it is most certainly stunning.
You’ll feel stunned when you visit, either from admiration or the sensation of having been hit around the head with something heavy such is the overwhelming level of decoration of the house.
They run tours at times during the year, limited due to it being in a residential area so as to not annoy the neighbours.
The tours take place on Wed, Thur or Fri in the afternoons only – and tickets for tours starting from Wednesday 19th April 2023 will go on sale at midday this coming Monday (20th March) from here.
Tickets cost just £5 and as there is a limit on how many people can visit each day, they tend to sell out fairly quickly, so put a note in your diary so you don’t miss out.
A visit starts with an introductory film, a good explanatory book is handed out, and you’re pretty much left to wander around at your leisure. The House is just a few minutes from Holland Park tube station on the Central line.
I really like this design. Has personality, which the currenty minimalist decoration trend does not.
All I can think is, how long does it take to do all the dusting in those lattices, crevices, layered recesses, bookshelves etc…before you have to do it all again. :>