Dare to be Different

Oozing with originality and with the courage of her convictions is an apt description of Joely Woodward, Founder and Creative Director of Hogwood House Kitchens and Interiors. For a company that has a strapline of ‘Dare to be different’ you would be expecting someone who is full of confidence in her ability to deliver design, and she doesn’t disappoint. After studying design at university, followed by a degree in construction and a career in site management, Joely has the credentials to back up her refreshing approach to making brave and bold design statements.

It was as a result of working long hours in a stressful job and musing during long commutes that the thought came to her that there was a gap in the market for a different type of company, one that could give its clients custom-designed kitchens with individual style and an all-important wow factor, tailored to their needs. Sounds like a tall order, but instead of being deterred, Joely was inspired and so Hogwood House was conceived and established in 2018.

Joely, along with Head of Development Joe Hogarty and their Hogwood House team, have created a niche business providing interior design and project management with bespoke furniture, all hand-built in their factory workshop. Their speciality is custom-built kitchens at trade prices for residential and commercial clients.

Joely explained, “We’ve found from very early on that once we had started supplying our complete design and build packages to our clients in the first year, demand has grown year on year. Prospective customers got in touch with us because they loved what they’d seen us do for other clients, so it’s a business that has grown via word of mouth. Obviously no-one will recommend a business if they aren’t happy with the job that’s been done for them, so our unique approach to delivering the highest quality products and the ultimate levels of customer care is paying off. Branding is another thing that has made a difference; it proves the importance of labelling all our products, when people see the label they know who to contact, so being proud of our brand is really positive, because it’s led to more enquiries and more clients.”

They say fortune favours the brave, and this is a young company that is definitely that; they moved into a new studio-showroom last year. Whilst a lot of businesses were at a standstill or struggling with the next steps to make, HH are now welcoming a steady stream of clients to the studio at Court Lodge Farm just outside Canterbury for consultations. An appointment is necessary for these, as Joely stresses it’s very important to ensure the team can give their full attention to all aspects of a client’s design. The studio functions as a modest showroom with select kitchens and wardrobes to view. These are more to showcase their work as they are a bespoke company, so all items are made to order.

The HH team excels in combining old and new styles, with beautifully sleek, hand-built units and using tiles to add character, masterfully mixing textures, patterns and contrasting gloss and matt finishes, with just the right fixtures, fittings, handles and accessories. Integral to setting the perfect scene within your home is making the most of different types of lighting to create ambience and also to give perfect illumination for work areas and to highlight and focus attention on features and displays. It’s Joely and the team’s job to ensure your vision is brought to life.

The website gives a very good idea of the style of HH: it’s refreshing and it underlines their ‘anything goes’ approach to design. It’s all about you and what you desire. They offer a colour matching, paint to order service, so you can have any colour you want. If you want a pink, or sunshine yellow, or forest green kitchen that’s what you’ll get. The only limit is your imagination.

For further information or to make an appointment visit hogwoodhouse.co.uk.