Steal the style of Gemma McCloskey's London home. It offers a relatable way to enrich and add texture to a contemporary space.
Address: Larden Hall apartments, London W3
Asking price: About €715,000 (£625,000)
Agent: The Modern House
You may not know Gemma McCloskey by name, but you know her work – that is, if you’re a fan of fashion brand Rixo or have ever browsed its stores and marvelled at the colour-saturated look and feel of the spaces.
With four shops in London, one in New York, and concessions at Liberty London and Selfridges Manchester, along with outlets at Kildare villages and newly-opened at Bicester, the fashion label has a strong visual identity.
Founded by best friend best friends Henrietta Rix and Co. Derry native Orlagh McCloskey Rixo takes Henrietta’s surname and adds the O from Orlagh’s first name to create the portmanteau.
Orlagh is Gemma’s twin, and the eldest by about 30 minutes.
The pair grew up outside Dungiven, Co. Tyrone, about 20 minutes from Derry city. Their dad was a developer.
The girls remain firm friends.
She and Orlagh had a joint wedding in 20023, the year the fashion label turned 10. Gemma married electrician Remko Snel, whom she met on a site. Orlagh said 'I do' to Brook Lomas.
Gemma studied architecture at Queen’s University, and through her company Cúpla Studio, has designed all the Rixo stores, the fashion palaces that bring the brand to life.
We energise spaces is Gemma’s company’s tagline. And she does.
Rixo’s vintage-inspired aesthetic is rooted in strong colour, pattern play and a sense of girliness that feels modern.
The interiors are as covetable as the clothing.
Gemma spent several years working in Australia, and upon her return, she worked with high-end clients at Studio Indigo, including five-star hotels such as the Mandarin Oriental on Hannover Square.
The architecture is part of the layering of a project, she explains.
“Even when a Rixo store is all white, before the colour is added, it still looks great.”
But there is a rainbow of colour in every Rixo store. In the flagship show in Marylebone, there is a Palladian floor.
It’s a type of terrazzo that offers a stylish, contemporary look and often resembles a puzzle of giant pieces, with each surface totally distinctive.
She sourced all the coloured marble pieces directly from Italy.
Floors are such an important part of architecture, she says. "I wanted the floor to be quality, to have a timeless feel."
The architecture and the interior architecture are like the foundation garments onto which she layers the mix of colour, texture and vintage.
Even the trinkets on the tables in a store have been sourced by Gemma.
She buys a lot from auction houses.
The glass table in the new Bicester Store, for example, and the cash desk in the Kildare Village premises were found on The Sale Room.
“My home is not as eclectic as Rixo,” she says.
They bought the new build two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment, and she has tailored the space to give it polish and personality, but not too much.
Set on the first floor of a low-rise block of just nine units with a wrap-around balcony, it is light-filled.
“It was never going to be my forever home, but I did commission custom lighting for it,” she explains.
This inspired the launch of her own range, Caramello, which you can buy from here.
You can see glimpses of her style in Acton, currently listed for sale through The Modern House, which is seeking about €715, 000 for the first-floor unit.
There is de Gournay silk wallpaper in the entrance hall and in the principal bedroom.
In the kitchen, there are Bert & May tiles on the splashback.
To date, I’ve had to be really sensible, she says.
“I really want to find a house and do something that represents Cúpla Studio. It will be a showcase for me.”
In her living room, there’s a Minotti sofa scattered with cushions from a variety of sources, including French label Lindell & Co, which sells a small quantity of hand-embroidered, hand-woven or hand-spun cushions, rugs and upholstery fabrics.
To read more about Gemma McCloskey, visit Cúpla Studio
