On The Square -De Beauvoir House restored

On The Square - De Beauvoir House restored

A rare chance to see inside this newly restored house on the corner of De Beauvoir Square, and here from the owner and architect about how they restored it before it is sold.

When Irenie Cossey first stepped through the door of number nine in 2022, the roof leaked, the walls were covered in mould and there was an acrid whiff. The former resident’s belongings were still strewn about. The previous owner became a recluse and it fell into disrepair.

In 2023, she bought it from the Benyon Estate and then collaborated with architect Studio Dera over 18 months to renovate the previously abandoned home, which features four storeys with rooms arranged on either side of a central staircase.

The project included sensitively restoring the roof and upper levels, exposing the existing wooden beams, and adding a half-sunken rear extension to create a ground-level kitchen that opens onto a patio and garden.