Every home has a story, and we've set out to discover what truly makes a house a home. Our journey starts in the tranquil home of the lovely Jojo Barr, founder of House Nine Design. Welcomed in for a chat over a cup of coffee, we had the chance to talk to her about what hygge means to her, her biophilic design philosophies, and how she makes a space feel warm, welcoming, natural and timeless.

 

What does Hygge mean to you?

To me, hygge is really a feeling. It's that feeling you get of "ahh", relaxing in your sanctuary, home should be your sanctuary.

 

 

Can you describe a moment in your own home that captures this feeling?

For me it's probably grabbing a hot drink and curling up on a sofa with the fire going and lighting a candle at the end of a long day, probably having a glass of wine too. It's that feeling you get of relaxing and being in your little sanctuary. The idea is that I never have overhead lighting in my living room in the evenings, only candle light and our picture light or a reading light, that really makes it feel calming and hygge.

 

How do you translate that feeling into your projects?

It’s your senses. So it’s not just what you see, it’s what you feel. It’s what you smell.  It’s not just about how a room looks, it’s the feeling you get when you walk into it. So everything we create has to have a feeling.

People always say that when they see a House Nine project, it feels really lived in and it feels really comfortable. And it can be a new build, and we still manage to have that same common thread of making it feel like it’s lived in. I love bringing old things antiques into all of our interiors, and that’s what suddenly makes somewhere new feel old, lived in and homely.

 

 

Many of your projects are inspired by biophilic design, what is that, and how does it influence your work?

I didn’t set out intentionally to be a particularly biophilic practice. Actually, it happened quite organically. I am quite drawn to the colours in nature already, and it’s essentially taking inspiration from nature. Be that in colour, or materials, or textures. So it’s taking natural materials and bringing them inside. But it’s also the colours in particular that you can see outside the window or even bringing plants and flowers into the home. Those things are for me biophilic. 

That's why one of the first products we ever designed was our basket trays. You could do an experiment where you don't have anything, no basket, no natural material in a room, and it will feel empty and a bit soulless and characterless.

And for me, without those natural textures like basket weave or natural raw fibres and linens and terracotta, I just feel like it feels a bit flat. 

 

 

This shows in your own home, and it feels really hygge here

Yeah, this one room really reflects everything we do for House Nine Design. This is my living room, this is my home, but when I look around everything I see is natural. From the Persian wool rug, to the wool throws, to the shearling stool, to the wicker baskets and trays and teracotta, it's all natural. And it doesn't get more biophilic than that. 

Everything is a mixture of old and new and it has so much texture and depth and soul.

 

How do you balance individuality with the House Nine aesthetic?

I feel like every one of our projects has a common thread that runs through it. But although you can see that they are House Nine projects, each one is unique and very client centric. And I guess the way we achieve that is through a really good, solid brief. But I feel like a lot of clients come to us because of what we do, and they want a "house nine house", so we're able to take our signature style and tailor it to their own style as well.

 

Something we have in common is sharing the same intentions when it comes to sustainability and sourcing, how does this impact what you do?

I honestly believe that if you are not thinking about and looking after the planet, you shouldn't have a business. When we're sourcing, I don't just go to C and buy the products online, I need to know where A is, where it's come from. So as far as possible, even in styling a clients home we try not to buy off the shelves, but really be intentional about what we are purchasing and the item's journey to get here. I think that's really important, and it's becoming more and more important.

Our wicker baskets took 18 months to develop. They're not just a rip off from a cheap factory. We designed them, we went to numerous places around Indonesia to find the right people to make them, and it was a fit. Everyone we work with has to be a good fit. If you met with any of our suppliers, it's a bit like us, you feel like you can be mates.

 

Watch Hygge at Home Episode 1: