The Cosmic House is undoubtedly one of the strangest houses in London. Every room in the building tells its own story, linked to the seasons, the stars or the cosmos. The architect and theorist Charles Jencks created a house that serves as a manifesto of postmodernism. The Cosmic House blends classic and modern styles, seriousness and humour, and kitsch and high art. All this is to show people that, after years of minimalist modernism, architecture can delight, entertain and inspire everyone… not just the architect himself.
Anti-modernism
Born in Baltimore, Charles Jencks graduated from Harvard University and then moved to London, where he continued his studies. He studied architecture and, in 1970, obtained a PhD in the history of architecture. As can be seen, Jencks possessed a vast knowledge of architecture and became a highly active theorist in the field. He wrote over 40 books, and a significant portion of his theoretical work coincided with the postmodernist turning point.
Jencks observed that the minimalist modernism of Le Corbusier or Mies van der Rohe served only the elitist perspective of the architects themselves. All too often, modernist designs spring from some lofty idea, whilst the actual users of the architecture are left to live in cold, uninspiring buildings. The response to this critique of modernism was to be postmodernism, which would tell stories, experiment with classical forms, and at times even entertain.
In 1978, the architect’s most significant experiment began on a villa dating from around 1840 in Kensington. The architect named his project Thematic House. Although from street level the villa appears to be a fairly ordinary yet stately property typical of this part of the city. Classic Italian Renaissance stucco elements contrast with dark London brick. However, the details betray the building’s postmodernist extravagance. Instead of classic balusters, openwork decorations are visible; the windows on the upper storeys resemble something like jellyfish; and the two large, angular pilasters bear no resemblance to the Renaissance.
The garden façade of the house reveals the true nature of Jencks’s vision. The design seems familiar. Keystoned arches, pilasters and dormers are evident, but each of these elements has been reworked into the architect’s own creative design. The exaggerated arches lack keystones, and a stepped shape appears across the entire façade. This is the ‘Jencksian’, a sort of architectural signature of the architect, intended to be an abstract representation of a human face. There are four such elements on the garden façade, each corresponding to a member of the Jencks family. The shape itself is also a variation on Renaissance Venetian windows.
Four Seasons
However, the façade is merely a preview of the architect’s postmodern fantasy. Right at the entrance, Jencks invites visitors into a mysterious vestibule with doors leading in every direction. The glazed doors with double handles are adorned with inscriptions hinting at the house’s themes. On the ceiling is a sculpture protruding from the plane, the ‘Cosmic Oval’, representing the supposed shape of the universe. The shape derives from Egyptian mythology (and beyond) and Jencks’ fascination with the exploration of space. The figures painted above the cornice are Hadrian, Imhotep, Pythagoras, Hirohito, and even Thomas Jefferson. The feasting figures depict the history of human discovery, power and thought.
The ground floor is dominated by the seasons. The winter lounge is panelled in ultramarine (dark blue). The ‘marble’ fireplace also immediately catches the eye, though in reality it is merely a painted fibreboard panel. Above the fireplace stands a bust of Hephaestus, the Greek god of blacksmithing. It is also worth noting the stone ‘flames’ standing in the fireplace. These are sculptures made from naturally eroding Chinese gongshi stone. The winter room also opens onto the other ‘seasons’.
Even more interesting is the spring room, in which the architect has placed several playful elements. As the English words for ‘spring’ (the season) and ‘spring’ (the mechanical component) sound the same, the architect created lamps featuring a coiling spring. Their paper shades are loosely attached, causing them to fall when someone walks past. The sofas in the centre of the room, framed by wooden beams, resemble small buildings, something like an uneven Colosseum. The sculptures suspended above the fireplace, meanwhile, refer to the three months of spring. This fireplace, along with the winter one, is the work of another prominent American postmodernist – Michael Graves. It is worth noting that the wooden table in the centre is intended to evoke the Greek Parthenon.
Sunroom
From the spring lounge, one can proceed to a small relaxation area with a large window. This area is situated in a conversation pit typical of the 1970s, and the arrangement of the seating is defined by a sundial positioned by the window. Interestingly, the ground floor also features an exhibition room with a malachite floor, showcasing the evolution of scientific representations of the sun. This room concludes the solar cycle on the ground floor, but the spectacular staircase continues it on the upper floors.
The heart of the house is the solar staircase, which depicts the course of the tropical year, that is, one full orbit of the Earth around the Sun. The staircase consists of 52 steps, representing all the weeks of the tropical year. Each step is divided into the individual days of the week, and the symbols of the zodiac signs from Jencks’s design are also visible on the side. Furthermore, the balustrades depict the planets’ orbits using metal spheres. At the very bottom, there is also a mosaic depicting a black hole.
Upon finally emerging from the spiral staircase, the architectural library comes into view. It was here that the bibliophile Jencks kept all his books on the history of architecture from around the world. Each bookcase is designed to reflect a specific era and location. It is a sort of town of bookcases, where each ‘tenement’ is distinguished by period ornamentation. The “town” is hidden beneath a undulating blue roof that resembles a tent. It is also worth noting the incredibly layered wall of the staircase, in which a window has been placed.
A world of its own
The Jencks’ master bedroom is also surprising in its theme. Everything is constructed from cubic blocks, which Jencks regarded as the fundamental building blocks of architecture. There are many more rooms like this. These include a mosaic bathhouse with a Baroque optical illusion, an Indian summer kitchen, and an Egyptian room. All this reflects Jencks’ passions for every era of architecture, the cosmos and the Orient.
The architect’s wife, Maggie, died of cancer in 1995. Charles Jencks, in turn, passed away in 2019, leaving behind a physical manifesto of postmodernism. The Jencks Foundation took over the house in 2021 and opened it to the public under the name Cosmic House. It is worth noting that the house was the result of the work not only of Jencks, but also of his wife (particularly the bedroom and the sculptures), architect Terry Farrell and sculptor Celia Scott.
Today, this masterpiece of postmodernism is open to visitors, and the curator is preparing themed art exhibitions. It is worth noting that until 18 December 2026, visitors can admire the exhibition“All That Changes You. Metamorphosis”by British artist Isaac Julien, who has adapted his installation specifically for Cosmic House. In this way, the exhibition presents the Jencks’ house and ideas as their own model of the universe.
Photo source: The Cosmic House
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