Interview: Perth-Based Interior Architect Jen Lowe Of Ohlo Studio.

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Unlike many of our interview subjects, I’ve never personally met Jen Lowe, but I’ve met one of her projects, and that’s practically the same thing, right? I distinctly recall visiting one of her interiors while in Perth a couple of years ago (ummm yeah – I’m talking June 2016, so this is another interview that’s taken a very long time to come to fruition, but I’m sure you’ll all agree it’s been well worth the wait!). Anyway, the project in question was Chicho Gelato in Northbridge which, despite being tiny, is a pretty special little place and I instantly found myself on the hunt for its creator, which didn’t prove too easy, I must admit. Serendipitously, we were in the process of chatting to Nick Harding of Ha Architecture around the same time (who’s a bit of a top bloke – you should totally revisit our chat here), who happened to have completed a project in collaboration with Jen. Jackpot!

So… Back to Jen. This clever lady is an Interior Architect, Artist and Fearless Founder of Ohlo Studio, and I’m pretty confident that if you’re not familiar with her work already, you definitely won’t be forgetting about it any time soon. Cause this woman is a serious talent.

The foundation of Jen’s business was built on a passion for creating unique interiors and timeless objects that together form cohesive and authentic spaces. Whether designing high calibre residential, hospitality, retail and commercial projects, Ohlo Studio’s fundamental approach is to create a unique identity for each project influenced by a keen appreciation of place, craft and connectivity. Each project is delivered with instinctive attention to detail and function for a truly memorable outcome.

Please make some noise for the brilliant Ms Lowe! X

Lilo Apartment in Cottesloe, WA. Photography by Patrick Schuttler.

+ Hello Jen, welcome to Yellowtrace! Could you please give us a quick introduction? When did you first decide you wanted to become an interior designer? And when did you decide it was time to start your business?

My life trajectory was headed toward design in a roundabout way from a young age. My eventual commitment to the industry, around 12 years ago, was the culmination of a bunch of related passions and studies coming together. I saw the opportunity to combine my background in an art, floristry and styling with a passion for the built environment. As an industry, interior architecture can be incredibly broad. It encompasses everything from the fascinating micro details of object design through to planning entire precincts. This keeps me engaged.
I have always had a business of some kind or other; from flogging my wares during uni years (to facilitate the next project), to collaborating or contracting with architecture studios. But Ohlo Studio began officially 3 years ago. Ohlo Studio was the result of a series of decisions that placed me in the midst of a new business; I had returned to my home city and thus wanted to create something for this old place that was new to me again.

Lilo Apartment in Cottesloe, WA. Photography by Patrick Schuttler.

+ What is your main priority when starting projects? Is there something that is fundamental to your practice – your philosophy and your process?

An agreed behavior of our office is to ‘remain curious in the way we design’. To us, this means immersing ourselves in interesting environments, engaging with communities and continually questioning the why. We get excited about projects with great clients, and our gut plays a big part in the early stages as we ask ourselves ‘are we the right designer for this client?’
The personality of our clients is very important us – we want to understand them and share an aligned vision about what they want to feel or say in their homes or businesses or to share with their community. If the story isn’t there or the clients don’t know how to tell it, we see it as crucial that we help them flesh that out and see what they are trying to do and then work that into the design.

Vera Street in Cottesloe, WA. Photography by Patrick Schuttler.

+ How is your studio structured? How many of you work in the studio, what types of skills do you have in-house, is there anything you are outsourcing, and how many projects do you handle at any one time?

Ohlo Studio is an interdisciplinary studio that blends interior, product and more recently, identity design. We are seeing that increasingly it is the merging of identity and interior design that creates successful, resolved retail and hospitality projects and we find that engaging talented identity designers to work with us in-house leads to better projects.
Hospitality and retail are our busiest areas but we are increasingly commissioned in residential work, which we really love. Homes are soulful and personal and are more-often-than-not for the long-term: all great things.
On average we have around 5 projects running at one time. Our team fluctuates from 2 to 5 depending on what we have on and we contract out some of our drafting and business administration. In the future we envisage partnering with an architect to offer combined services in-house. We find working as a team across various areas of expertise under one roof very valuable and would hope to keep growing in this way.

Vera Street in Cottesloe, WA. Photography by Patrick Schuttler.

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