Mosaic House

Mosaic House in Chiswick is quite possibly the most unusual and likely the most colourful in London.

It’s just a few minutes walk from Chiswick Park on the District line, making it easy to access despite being a little far from Central London.

Even with it being a little out of the way, this eye-catching piece of architecture is certainly worth a visit because it’s so different.

Apart from the roof and a section on the back, not an inch has been missed in covering the building with tiny tiles, and it’s not until you get up close that you realise the level of detail and thought in the design.

It’s quite something, as is the number of tiles used, which stands at an estimated one million.

According to the official website, photography is encouraged, although it does seem a little imposing to photograph the house because it’s a home, not a museum.

So, should you visit, please respect the boundaries.

It must be a common occurrence, though, as a passerby pointed out that the back is also worth seeing, which it is.

What Can You See on the House?

When you look beyond the striking colours and patterns, there are some recognisable elements, such as the English Heritage blue plaque that isn’t really a blue plaque, a London Black cab and an adaptation of the famous The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai.

It’s an adaptation because the wave is swallowing some London Landmarks, which you can see at the bottom of the wave.

Spread across the front and back of the house, you will see:

• Luis Ramirez’s original prison ID card (he was a Death Row inmate and a pen pal to Carrie)
• A giant scarab beetle
• Alice in Wonderland Cheshire cats
• Mandrakes
• An all-seeing eye
• A one-eyed Mickey Mouse
• A cycle of the moon
• Simpsons cartoon fish
• A giant woman with eight arms

There are other things to look for, so for an in-depth look at the details above, where you can find them and the stories behind them, take a look at Inspiring City’s 30 Secrets of Mosaic House.

Who’s Behind the Mosaic House?

Mosaic House is the home of Carrie Reichardt, an artist who descends from a line of aristocratic eccentrics, beginning with her grandfather, Count Joseph Reichardt, the “Camel Hair King of America,” who fled the Russian Revolution.

She has built a multidisciplinary career in film, performance, sculpture, and large-scale public mosaics, and is best known as a ceramicist and mosaicist who challenges conventions through “seditious ceramics.”

Seditious ceramics are pottery or ceramic art that incorporates subversive or anti-establishment messages, which can be seen all over Mosaic House and the vehicles outside.

Her signature practice involves refiring vintage crockery with new decals of skulls, cheeky slogans, and political statements.

These political statements are abundant on the house, as you can see when you get close.

And if you are interested, you can see and buy some of this crockery on her website.

Carries’s debut solo show, “Mad in England,” set the tone for her ongoing exploration of rebellion through ceramics, leading to the ultimate canvas, her own home, where she can do what she wants with.

A committed activist, she uses art as a protest, campaigning for Death Row inmates and the Angola 3, who were three African American men held in solitary confinement for decades at Louisiana State Penitentiary.

One of whom, Albert Woodfox, spent a staggering 43 years and 10 months in solitary confinement.

He was eventually released and paid a visit to the house.

Where is Mosaic House?

In Chiswick, West London, just a stone’s throw from Chiswick Park tube station.

📍 4-6 Fairlawn Grove, London W4 5EL

🌍 carriereichardt.com

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