About JHID
OUR MISSION is to design functional, beautiful, well-crafted objects and spaces that will last and bring joy.
OUR PERSPECTIVE is informed by a respect for historical architecture coupled with an appreciation of the playfulness and brightness of modern design.
OUR EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE applies to all types of projects: on residential renovations we can produce the drawings necessary for construction. On larger commercial and new-construction projects we focus on the interiors and work in tandem with a full architecture team.
OUR APPROACH is dynamic and thorough. We understand that our clients’ needs and preferences are unique. This drives us to design each project from scratch, which keeps us in a constant state of creative discovery. We work holistically and consider every detail. This involves establishing an overall aesthetic direction, thinking through the circulation and layout of each space, designing interior architectural elements, specifying finishes, fixtures, furniture, accessories, and art. To ensure the design intent is seen through to the very end, we know our involvement in every phase is key. From conceptual design through construction administration to the very last furniture installation, we want to be there.
OUR NETWORK of collaborating professionals, formed over more than twenty years of practice, includes architects, builders, artists, and artisans who share our vision.
WE ARE BASED IN PORTLAND, OREGON and paris, france. We work across the United States as well as internationally. We enjoy the diversity and learning opportunities offered by working in communities other than our own.
JESSICA HELGERSON
Principal and Design Director
Jessica Helgerson grew up with one foot in Southern California and the other in France. With a French mother and an American father, summers in France, school years in Santa Barbara, she developed a love for both places, both cultures, and both have had a profound impact on her design work. She briefly worked in an architecture firm after school, but very early in her career felt that there wasn’t an office doing quite the kind of work she wanted to do, and so in 2000 she opened her eponymous design studio.
Now, more than twenty years later, the firm has grown into something that is much more than Jessica, though she remains at the heart of its design direction. Jessica is also a restless dreamer and schemer, and loves imagining new creative avenues for her studio to explore. Some of those have included Front of House - an installation gallery in the front of the JHID office, XUXO - a collaborative importing and promoting the crafts of indigenous communities in Mexico, The One Percent Project - an effort aimed at supporting non-profits working to end homelessness, and most recently the opening of a Paris branch of JHID which is finally allowing her to bring those two halves of herself together in her design work.
The things that bring her the most joy? Her husband, architect Yianni Doulis, with whom she collaborates on all things in life. Her children Max and Penelope from whom she is constantly learning. And anything small that needs taking care of; plants, pets, young friends. She also cares deeply about equality and human rights, and in a different life would probably have gone into social justice work of some kind.
And then, of course, Jessica LOVES to design things. Her favorite project is always the one she’s working on at the moment, which can include yours if you come visit her on THE EXPERT.
Photo by malcolm lee
SARAH MACDONALD
Studio Director
With a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon, Sarah began her career as an architectural designer having fallen in love with hand drafting in seventh grade. After eleven years between Hacker Architects and Suyama Peterson Deguchi, she decided to explore other professional opportunities. Landing at the Portland Japanese Garden as a large expansion project with Kengo Kuma was getting underway, she had the opportunity to experience design and construction from a client perspective while playing an invaluable role in the executive team. Her involvement in behind-the-scenes operations of a successful non-profit organization honed her skills as a leader, collaborator, problem solver, and project manager.
Sarah’s varied experience in the design field has nurtured a skillset that is well suited for the array of tasks required of the Studio Director. She oversees the micro and macro details of the office; tracking project schedules and staffing needs, monitoring office budgets, communicating on behalf of the studio, and checking in regularly with each staff member to proactively ensure everyone’s voices are being heard.
A born and raised Oregonian, Sarah is happiest working in her garden or on her family’s ranch in Southern Oregon. She never tires of road trips, outdoor adventures, and continued exploration of the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
Photo by MARIO GALLUCCI
MATHIEU BONNARD
Paris Office Manager & Designer II
Mathieu Bonnard is a French designer, and the Director of JHID PARIS. He completed a six-year design and architecture program at La Martinière, during which time he was an intern at the JHID office in Portland. He loved his time in the office with the JHID team, and the projects he worked on while there. This experience inspired him to write his thesis on the art and craft of historic renovation. It is a subject he loves, and that he finds in the work of JHID.
He spent five years following school in a global design office based in Paris, Studio 5-5 - an office widely known as being the pioneers of design-savvy upcycling. He had the opportunity to work on projects of a variety of scales, from product design, to interiors for museums, restaurants and universities. He left Studio 5,5 wanting to return to his passion; interior design and particularly historic renovations, and so he returned to Jessica’s office and together they founded JHID Paris.
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Né à Lyon en France. C’est durant ces 6 années d’études de design à l’école de La Martinière qu’il eut l’opportunité de faire un stage de quelques mois au sein de l’agence JHID. Cette expérience va l’inspirer pour l’écriture de son mémoire de fin d’étude. Il se passionne de l’architecture hors-du-temps, d’une rénovation faisant à la fois référence au passé et aux présents.
C’est un sujet qui l’habite et qu’il retrouve dans le travail de l’agence.
Durant 5 ans, il fait ses premières armes dans une agence de design globale basée à Paris. Les 5.5 designers réputés comme les pionniers de l’Upcycling en France. Il eut la chance de travailler sur différentes échelles de projets, c’est en passant du millimètre au mètre que son appétence grandit vers l’œuvre totale. Ces projets hétéroclites lui ont permis d’aborder à la fois des projets de musées, de restaurants, d’universités et de mobiliers.
Après cette expérience, il souhaite retrouver son sujet de prédilection, c’est donc tout naturellement qu’il retrouve JHID pour créer avec eux le bureau Parisien.
KELLY JONES
Finance Director
Kelly has over 20 years experience working on the administrative side of Portland’s top creative organizations. She finds joy in supporting the creative process with clear financial goals and efficient business practices. Prior to JHID, she served as a Financial Planning and Analysis Manager at the advertising firm Wieden+Kennedy.
In her career, Kelly has had the fortune of working for organizations where serving clients has been intertwined with solving social justice issues and giving back to the community – something she continues to champion at JHID. In her time off, Kelly can be found alongside her husband buzzing around town in tireless support of their two very athletic daughters.
Photo by MARIO GALLUCCI
Em ShepHard
Lead Designer
Hailing from Michigan, Em finds that her design aesthetic is strongly influenced by insights she gained while living in and traveling through a widespread list of countries. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in World Religions from Colorado College and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture and Design from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She is also NCIDQ certified.
Before joining JHID in 2011, Em spent about three years as a designer at Kelly Wearstler Inc. in Los Angeles. We find that the proficiencies she has cultivated over her decade of experience have honed into a sharp set of organizational and project management skills. She puts them to use in the office while tackling some of our larger, complex-scope projects and adeptly overseeing the training of our new hires.
Photo by Malcolm Lee
Mira eng-goetz
Lead Designer
Mira has always been attracted to fine art and sculpture, a relationship that she often integrates into her designs both literally and conceptually. These interests led her to studying sculpture at Mills College in Oakland, California and later receiving her Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
When she came to JHID in 2011 from North Carolina, Mira had lived in several countries and apprenticed with artisans whose work was often closely linked to the region – from a Ukrainian egg painter to a North Carolinian ceramicist. She often looks for ways to support makers in her projects, finding value and beauty in the personal connections between humanity and the hand-made.
Photo by malcolm lee
Andra Padilla
Senior Designer
Raised in Texas, Andra graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from the University of Texas School of Architecture. While in school, she interned in Austin and San Francisco and spent a semester abroad traveling through Europe and studying at the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Paris-Belleville. She credits her time in Europe with greatly shaping her perspective on architecture and design.
Post-graduation, Andra made her way to Portland to join the team at JHID. She came to us with a foundation of construction knowledge from assisting on woodworking projects with her dad and attending an architectural design-build studio while in school. Her calm energy and talent for keeping things organized keep us anchored – especially during busier times.
Photo by Malcolm Lee
kahli daul
Senior Designer
Born in England, Kahli also lived in Florida, Texas, and Virginia before moving to Portland. She received her Bachelor of Interior Architecture from the University of Oregon, but really locked in to how design can affect people’s lives while spending a semester abroad in Copenhagen.
Prior to joining JHID, Kahli took many fine arts classes because she found them to be a fascinating approach to communication. Her sensitivity to color and creativity led her to start noticing how different spaces made her feel, sparking her interest in interior design. Amplified by the people and cultures she has encountered while traveling, her empathetic nature has encouraged her to think about how interiors can shape our life experiences.
Photo by malcolm lee
CHARLOTTE BRAVO
Designer II
Charlotte’s intuitive love for design emerged as a child. With multiple family moves around the country, she innately created a safe space for herself within the walls of her room. Sometimes the afternoon light angled in just so, and without hesitation she’d rearrange the furniture to soak in the dappling light.
Understanding how thoughtful design can completely change the energy of a space, Charlotte enrolled at The George Washington University to study Interior Architecture & Design. Since then, she has worked on offices, cafes, libraries, senior living facilities, and an extensive array of residences from Philadelphia to Lake Tahoe. As a maker, she has partnered with boutiques and shops where her home goods have been sold in small batches all across the world. She continues to create art by hand and to fervently seek out magical places in the sun from her home in Baltimore, Maryland.
Photo by MARIO GALLUCCI
JULIA JACOB
Designer II
Julia’s love for art started at a young age in her childhood home in Long Island, New York. Her formal entry into design began at the age of 16 when she attended an architecture program at the California College of the Arts. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from Drexel University in Philadelphia, where she developed an appreciation for historic buildings.
Over the past decade, Julia has been based in New York City, where she has built a robust network of artisans, craftspeople, and fellow designers. Prior to JHID, she gained valuable experience with the team at Workstead, a design firm based in Brooklyn and Hudson. She has worked on a variety of projects, ranging from high-end single-family residences to larger-scale residential developments, with an emphasis on weaving history with modern touches for a design that stands the test of time.
Her current influences come from Central America, the region where she was born and has lived. She is eager to bring the vibrant beauty and intricate craftsmanship of this region to her future projects.
Photo by MARIO GALLUCCI
JULIEN ROSSIGNOL
Designer I
Julien grew up in a small town in the French countryside, where his love for art, furniture, and interior design, as well as his curiosity for the world, were first inspired by his grandparents. He also traveled extensively across Europe with his parents during his childhood, which left him with a strong desire to explore more of the beauty in the world.
After graduating high school, Julien spent a year in Maryland as an exchange student, during which his host family encouraged him to develop his art and photography skills. Upon returning to France, he studied architecture in Bordeaux for a year, then returned to the United States and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts with a minor in Fashion Design in St Louis. A budding love story with his now-husband led him to stay, and together they traveled to Oregon in 2014 seeking a new adventure. Julien’s continuous passion for interior design led him to return to school at Portland Community College, where he received an Associate of Applied Science in Interior Design.
Photo by RICHARD chambers
LAUREN VITTI
Procurement Lead
Lauren grew up in San Diego, California and went to college at the University of San Francisco, where she graduated with a degree in Business Finance. After college she moved to Portland where she started her career in banking and established her life in the Pacific Northwest. After over ten years working in the banking industry, Lauren’s passion shifted to the home where she oversaw extensive renovations and design projects while caring for her three young children.
Lauren has always been interested in interior architecture and design as a hobby. She enjoys the marriage of her skills in business with these passions in her role at JHID.
Photo by MARIO GALLUCCI