Stories from the Studio

Santa Cruz gift guide featuring local artisans

Santa Cruz Gift Guide: Shop Local From 6 Artisans We Love

Give truly meaningful presents with our hand-picked Santa Cruz gift guide. These local artisans create memorable work for cherished moments with your loved ones.

Modern primary bathroom build by JOHI Spaces

Modern Primary Bathroom as a Peaceful Retreat

The design of a primary bathroom goes well beyond utility in many homes today. It is a space where personal style, retreat-like comforts, and practical requirements come together to create an effortless private experience. This harmony demands thoughtful design across...

About the Main Ingredient in our Furniture Line: Domestic Hardwoods

Many ingredients need to be just right to create high-quality wooden furniture. What makes timber high quality, and where do we get it? First let's talk about a couple of values before meeting one of our SF Bay Area main suppliers: Moore Newton.

Umber & Ochre display featuring JOHI furniture

Boosted Branding Through Custom Displays - Umber & Ochre Case Study

Standing out in a crowd can be a tough ask for any business selling at fashion trade shows and craft expo events. Aisles of merchandise begin to blend away. The tight spaces and busy backgrounds of these venues do no favors to the hard work brands put into creating their products. This was the problem San Francisco-based small business...

Elijah Clancy posing in the JOHI workshop

Meet Elijah! An Interview with Shoutout LA

We’re thrilled to share a recent interview our co-owner Elijah Clancy had with Shoutout LA! It’s a publication dedicated to sparking community conversation and putting the spotlight on mom-and-pop shops, small businesses, independent...

Bay Area businesses showcasing at summer craft events

Three Summer 2024 Events for SF Bay Area's Local Design & Craft Scene

Though the June gloom of the Central Coast has been cloaking some of our hints of summer here in Watsonville and Santa Cruz, warmer temperatures signal the return of a few exciting design and craft events: West Coast Craft and SF Design Week. Each hosted in San Francisco...

JOHI Hibal Coffee Table with books and plants on top

Home Refreshes: 3 Concepts to Consider

Our homes are always in a state of change. It can happen slowly, frequently, suddenly, and in stages - planned, or unplanned. With that in mind, what are some concepts and approaches to reflect on our current spaces? Below are some prompts and tips to consider, whether “home” is currently...

Giving Back is Built into Every JOHI Order

This year marks our second anniversary as business members of the 1% for the Planet movement! As a member, this means devoting 1% of annual sales, not just profits, to give back to environmental organizations. To date, we have chosen to donate to nonprofit partners who conserve, restore, enable community participation in, and advocate for Pacific Coast forests, mountains, and watersheds. Meet the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship, Pacific Forest Trust, and 1% for the Planet.

Renegade Craft in San Francisco, California

Hello, Spring. Hello, Renegade Craft!

It’s the season of spring design and craft shows once again! This weekend, April 6-7, we will join our fellow small-batch designers, craftspeople, and artists in San Francisco for the...

Detail shot of the JOHI whispering bench

Luxury in Benches

Benches have long supported households, outdoor spaces, and commercial environments as common area group seating. They could be used for lounging and dining, as well as sleeping. Whether benches versus chairs exist in a space today, the line between common and luxury comes with a consideration of similar factors to long ago...

5 Years in Business - An Open Studio Reflection

On March 9th, we held our first Open Studio in four years. It has been so long since we hosted one, that we forgot how fulfilling it is! Our business...

Design Story: A Modern Hardwood Bench

Enter the Whispering Bench. Its unconventional cushion layout and polished wood draw you in with color and form. At a glance, it is refreshing. On closer inspection, it is refined. This comfortable and modern two-seater is designed to feel at home whether at the foot of the bed or in a grand hotel entryway,