As a child, when I pictured my perfect house, this was it exactly. It felt so familiar, with the wisteria growing over the pretty porch and covering the red brick façade, that I felt at home the minute I walked in,’ says Jojo Humes, recalling the first viewing of her future home.
‘In 2019 we were living in Woodbridge, where I grew up,’ she says. ‘But as my eldest children had flown the nest and there had been a change in my marital status, it was the perfect time to embrace new surroundings. As one door closed, another, leading to something special, seemed to open.
Situated in the pretty village of Debenham, in the heart of Suffolk, Jojo’s house started life as the village reading rooms in the 1800s, becoming a social club called The Institute in the 1960s and, finally, a residential property in the 1970s. By the time Jojo, founder of Sojojo Interior Design Studio, viewed it, the four-bedroom property had been stripped of its original character. ‘At some point in the 1980s rooms had been divided in strange ways,’ says Jojo. ‘So the house needed a complete renovation, but it had a decent footprint and bags of potential!’
In early March 2020, as the country prepared to go into lockdown, Jojo moved in, along with her 16-year-old son, Teddy, and their Welsh terrier, Hector. She knew that, with time on her hands, she could get a lot done and started by knocking out the cupboards in the master bedroom. Next, she opened up the dark central stairwell, creating a grand landing by borrowing space from two bedrooms and revealing an original window.
As soon as tradespeople were allowed back into properties, new walls were built, and a beautiful bespoke handrail and banister were fitted: ‘The newel finials are expertly turned to match my beehive door handles,’ she says. ‘The devil is always in the detail!
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It was important to Jojo not to rush decisions. She waited over two years for the deVOL kitchen she wanted and wasn’t prepared to compromise on the quality just for a quick fix. She was keen for the changes in the house to feel authentic, to fit with the fabric of the property and for the house to feel like it had always been that way.
A similar ethos was applied to the furniture and accessories. Jojo has lived in over 10 different homes, starting with new builds, but, she says, as soon as she bought her first Victorian house 15 years ago she discovered a love of antiques and vintage items. ‘I love the searching,’ she says.
‘My partner and I often visit different antiques shops and auctions in Suffolk and Norfolk and I love to spend my evenings on auction sites looking for treasures and items to add to my various collections: vintage globes, Indian glass paintings, antique oil landscape paintings, or whatever takes my fancy. I love the history of each item, the originality.’
As a designer, Jojo works with clients on a range of different projects and is used to adapting to each brief, but her work always focuses on colour, texture and pattern. ‘This project was no different,’ she says. ‘I wanted to give each room its own strong identity but not steer too far from traditional Victorian colours.’ Jojo has done just that.
Each room is rich and vibrant, from the bright mustard yellow in the hallway and the sumptuous blues in the master bedroom to the soft pink walls in the kitchen, that so elegantly contrast with the striking black cabinetry.
Jojo’s skilfully curated mix of antique furniture, vintage fabrics, considered artwork and bold patterned wallpaper creates interest and comfort in equal measure, and is a clear reflection of her style and creativity. ‘What has emerged surpasses anything I could have imagined,’ she says.
‘I love the energy in the house and feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to inject new life into this beautiful building and make it my own. I still have to pinch myself that it’s mine!’
View Jojo’s portfolio at sojojo.co.uk
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