The Story

The story

My own book reads:

27 May 2025 — Janneke decides to make a Book of Special Days.

A small note, on an ordinary Tuesday — and the beginning of everything.
Whether you’re starting a new chapter or simply looking for a more beautiful way to hold on to life’s small moments, this book is yours to make your own. A continuation of a tradition — or the beginning of one.

Nice to meet you !

I’m Janneke, the founder of House of Janneke.

I never set out to be a creative. My career began in economics, airports, and transport networks — a world of numbers, systems, and operations. But in my late twenties, I experienced what I like to call a creative awakening, I realised the creative part of me had gone missing.

House of Janneke began as a way to reclaim that creativity: a space to design, make, and bring beauty into everyday life. Over time, that creative impulse has come into focus, growing into a studio dedicated to designing beautiful, meaningful pieces that celebrate memories.

Our first creation, Book of Special Days, is just the beginning.
I have so many more ideas I can't wait to show you!

Book of Special Days is a family affair

My granny started it. My mum continued it. And now, each of us, my brothers and I, has one of our own.

Our book was a Paul Gauguin edition made by the V&A in the 1990s, and it has become our most treasured gift. We searched obscure bookshops and corners of the internet for tattered second-hand copies to give to close friends for weddings, births, new chapters, inviting them to start their own collection of memories.

They’ve now become nearly impossible to find. This project is born from that search.

A pattern with a past

When I was searching for inspiration for our first collection, I realised it had been with me all along hanging above my desk.

The painting is an original pattern by my great-great-uncle, Ronald Simpson, a fabric and interior designer based in near Kendal. Some of his work, created in the early 20th century, is now part of the Victoria and Albert Museum collection.

I love that the design comes from that part of the world - close to the Lake District, my favourite place - and that it carries a sense of home. We’ve refreshed the colours, but the pattern remains the same: a way of honouring his craft and my heritage, stitching the past into something new.