Posted on August 18, 2023
As admirers of their gorgeous interiors work across homes and dwellings in The Cotswolds, we reached out to the talented duo behind JH Designs, Helen Holmes and Jane Lanyon to get to know them a bit better. Discover how they combined their shared experiences and passion for interior design to start a company they both love and are proud of.
“We just love taking on a whole-house project, really getting a feel for the place, teasing out what our client wants, and then sourcing all the furniture, fabrics and accessories that will coalesce into a beautiful and unique home.”
Helen Holmes and Jane Lanyon, who share a passion for interior design and together have built a hugely successful business transforming homes all over The Cotswolds and beyond. They set up JH Designs in 2007, having travelled different paths to both end up living in the Cotswolds and working in the interior design business. They joined forces, blending their skills and specialities, and have never looked back.
They admire the area’s rich architectural and natural features, and find it endlessly stimulating to work with the challenges of traditional Cotswold homes with their low ceilings and sometimes awkward spaces where lighting can be tricky and off-the-shelf furniture and fittings don’t always work – sometimes complicated by listed status, which forbids certain alterations.
They often use bespoke joinery from local cabinet makers and are also keen to use regional artisans and suppliers whose techniques, materials and colour palettes suit Cotswold houses, are more eco-friendly and contribute to the local economy.
One special talent Jane and Helen have developed is working with people who have bought a Cotswold property but live in far-flung corners of the world. They have created interiors for clients in Singapore, San Francisco, the Cayman Islands and the Middle East, as well as – closer to home – London.
“A wonderful project we worked on was a beautiful Cotswold house in the stunning village of Stanton for clients living in San Francisco,” says Helen. “Everything was done via Zoom and photos – all from their vineyard in Sonoma.” Long-distance design calls for excellent communications and endless exchanges of photographs and ideas, samples and suggestions. “But ultimately, the client has asked for your help and needs to trust you to get it right. As the designer, you have to spend time building that trust,” explains Jane.
The pair have also travelled to work, for example on a house nestled among vineyards in St-Emilion, south-west France. They dug up treasures in the local antique markets and had adventures in out-of-the-way places where they pounced on wonderful pieces of furniture, pictures and accessories to add texture and patina to the beautiful French country property.
Both Jane and Helen enjoy using fabrics from a vast and varied selection of designers, and felt especially privileged when asked to collaborate with Kathryn Ireland, using her fabulous brightly-coloured designs to make soft furnishings for a Cotswold farm project she was working on.
After more than fifteen years working together, the founders of JH Designs agree that, when meeting prospective clients for the first time, it is vital to work out their client’s vision before offering guidance. “Often new clients haven’t used an interior designer before, so it’s important to work out what they actually want us to do, from simply making helpful suggestions on better use of space or finding a solution to a storage problem, to a radical rework of their style and surroundings – some clients relish the chance to break away from ‘the usual.’” They advise clients to collect photos of rooms, furniture, themes, patterns and colours to help the designers see what they want to achieve. Setting a realistic budget is also imperative.
JH Designs offer a comprehensive service meaning they can provide design and project leadership from start to finish. They will also produce detailed elevations, samples for finishes and fabrics, electrical layouts and budget estimates; and can organise scope-of-work documents to put to tender for joinery, kitchen and bathroom design.
“We love all aspects of our work,” they both say, “but the biggest thrill is revealing a finished project to a client – especially one who has only followed the process long-distance. When they are knocked out by the results, that’s the best reward!