From Cul-de-Sac to Design Studio: The Wellhouse Story

Long before there was a Wellhouse & Co., there were two neighbors living across the street from each other in Northern Virginia.

Kim and Jarrett were raising families, running a neighborhood summer camp, and leading a Bible study together. Before they were business partners, they were friends.

The trust that shapes the way we work today didn’t start with a company. It started on a cul-de-sac more than a decade ago. Both had careers before interior design. Kim worked in accounting, while Jarrett worked in fashion at Ralph Lauren. Eventually, both stepped away from those careers to raise children full-time, eight between the two of them.

And somewhere in those years at home, design found them anyway. They renovated their own houses. Then helped friends and family. One volunteer project quietly led to the next until, eventually, it became clear this was no longer just a hobby.

In 2018, that path became Wellhouse & Co.

The Mission Was Clear From the Beginning

Wellhouse was founded around one central idea:

Design That Restores.

The idea traces back to Nehemiah 2:17: "Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we will no longer be in disgrace."

Nehemiah wasn’t simply repairing stone. He was restoring dignity, order, and hope to a community. That same idea became the foundation of how we wanted to approach design. To us, good design is about so much more than making a home look beautiful.

It can restore calm where life feels chaotic. It can bring function to a space that has never quite worked. It can create more opportunities for connection. And it can give the people living there a home that helps them flourish.

That mission still sits underneath every project we take on.

We Didn’t Start Where You Might Expect

Most design firms slowly work their way up to larger projects.

Our story looked a little different. One of our first clients was a local builder who took a chance on us and trusted us with incredible speculative home projects from the very beginning. It was an amazing opportunity and one we are still incredibly grateful for. It also meant we had to learn a lot very quickly.

Neither of us had run a design business before. After years spent raising our families, we suddenly found ourselves learning CAD software, project management systems, sourcing, procurement, installations, and all of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running a design studio.

And we were learning it while delivering projects at a level that gave our clients a reason to keep coming back. Over time, those early projects led to custom home design and renovation work.

Then, in 2022, we added full-service interior furnishings. We wanted to be able to walk alongside our clients through the entire story of their homes, from the early plans and selections all the way through installation day.

What Started as Two People Is Now a Team

As Wellhouse grew, so did our team.

What began with two people has now grown into a team of six. And one thing we chose to do differently was build flexibility into the way our studio operates. Most of our team works part-time. That wasn’t a compromise. It was intentional.

We wanted to build a studio where women returning to the workforce, raising families, or balancing different seasons of life could still pursue meaningful, creative careers without feeling like they had to choose between the two.

That philosophy has shaped who we’ve hired, how we work together, and the culture we’ve built along the way.

Every Project Starts With Real Conversation

No two Wellhouse projects look exactly the same. But they all begin in the same place. Conversation.

Before we start talking about finishes, furniture, or paint colors, we want to understand how you actually live.

What does your family value?

Where does everyone naturally gather?

What frustrates you every day?

What have you collected that you love?

And most importantly, how do you want your home to feel?

From there, the process shifts depending on what each client needs. A custom home or full renovation moves through design development, detailed selections, and decisions about every layout, material, and finish.

A furnishings project moves more quickly into the layers that make a home feel complete.

A consulting project may simply provide the guidance you need to move forward with confidence.

But whatever the scope, we’re always working toward the same thing. A home that feels thoughtful, functional, beautiful, and completely personal to the people living there.

Installation Day Is Where It All Comes Together

There’s something special about installation day.

It’s the moment when the drawings, samples, selections, conversations, and months of planning finally become something you can walk into.

The furniture is placed.

The art goes up.

The lighting is on.

The accessories find their spots.

And suddenly, the space you’ve been imagining is real.

That’s the moment when a house stops feeling like a project and starts feeling like home.

We Believe Design Is Better With Community

As Wellhouse grew, we realized just how much community had shaped our own journey.

In 2023, we created Gather + Inspire, a community for local designers throughout the Washington, DC area.

The idea was simple. Create a space where designers could connect, exchange ideas, share what they’ve learned, ask questions, and support one another.

So much of what we learned while building Wellhouse came through experience, including plenty of lessons learned the hard way. Gather + Inspire gave us a way to share some of that knowledge while learning from other talented designers too.

This past year, we expanded the community online, and we’re excited to keep finding new ways to bring designers together.

Because if there’s one thing our story has taught us, it’s that very little worthwhile is built alone.

We’re Still Dreaming About What’s Next

Seven years in, there are still plenty of things we’d love to do.

We’d love to design a beautiful co-working office space.

We’d love to take on more coastal and vacation home projects.

And we want to keep finding ways, both big and small, to use design to give back to our community and beyond.

And then there’s our completely out-there dream.

We love all things Joanna Gaines, so why not dream about creating our own little version of Magnolia right here in the DC area?

A place built around community, creativity, design, and fun.

There’s no blueprint for that one yet.

But every good story should leave a little room for what’s next.

The Story Is Still Being Written

None of this happens without the people who took a chance on two designers just starting out. The clients who welcomed us into their homes before we had a large portfolio behind us. The builder and realtor who trusted us with incredible opportunities from the very beginning. The trade partners, vendors, craftspeople, and community members who have supported us along the way. And every client who has returned, referred a friend, or trusted us with another chapter of their home.

Years later, we’re still doing the same work we started with.

Learning as we go.

Building something we’re proud of.

Creating beautiful spaces.

And trying to leave every home, and every relationship, a little better than we found it.

Thank you for being part of the Wellhouse story so far. We can’t wait to see where the next chapter takes us.

Ready to Begin Your Own Wellhouse Story?

Whether you’re building a custom home, planning a renovation, furnishing the spaces you already love, or simply wondering where to begin, we’d love to help you create a home designed around the way you live.

Reach out to us at welcome@wellhouseandco.com to start the conversation.