I find great joy in the quiet of early morning and creating a soul-filled home for my family, and I'm passionate about exploring ways in which we can slow down to see more.
Meet Jen
Jen Zahigian Ganzhorn, Founder
Hi, I'm Jen Ganzhorn. As I write this, the Ojai Valley mountains I see through our window are alive in sunrise and my son is cuddled up next to me quietly asleep. My husband Josh and I are designing the renovation and regenerative garden space for our current home, which I've affectionately named The Wildflower House. Life is sweet. I'm a roadside Photographer with a love for home -- that's me. Two things that bring me to life -- roadtrips and renovations.
I'm a Photographer in heart and practice and I didn't really understand the value in that until a few years ago when some very amazing women helped me to understand how my various visions and passions are part of a greater whole. After co-founding Able And Baker in 2009, I discovered a love for Cabinetry Design -- I love transforming what could otherwise be just a stack of boxes into an elevated presence of beauty and use. I've experienced the good fortune of designing cabinetry for a countless number of incredible homes and incredible clients, alongside my husband. However, ever since I realized how my Photographer's eye and heart informs my cabinetry designs, I've become passionate about sharing my vision -- the visions I hadn't yet had opportunity to bring to life through client work.
I'm excited to see how ArtHouse And Company evolves and unfolds. Thank you for being here.
Fun Facts: Jen is a Fine Art Photographer with a love for roadside relics and Mid-Century design and type. Her photographs have been exhibited in galleries including SFMOMA Artist's Gallery and Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara. Jen was honored to be a West Elm Featured Artist, and her photographs can currently be found at Wallspace LA, 1st Dibs, as well as the ArtHouse and Company studio with select prints available in our online shop.
Jen graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in English Literature and has a passion for reading and exploring ways of being. Having been first introduced to the wonders of Ayurveda in 2004, Jen is currently pursuing a Certification in Ayurvedic Health and advocating for Kind Commerce in hopes that people will remember to treat each other with kindness, on and off the court.
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With roots in the San Francisco Bay Area and the agricultural heart of California's Central Valley, we now call the Ojai Valley and a design studio-by-the-sea our home.
IT ALL BEGAN AT THE OAKLAND WATERFRONT...
In 2004 my husband Josh and I built our first home, a loft in Oakland’s Jack London Square. We are fortunate to have been able to purchase an empty “shell” in a 1920's furniture factory and design + build out our residential interior. Some of our favorite details were the concrete columns and wall-to-wall windows. When you looked up at the concrete ceiling, you could see wood grain from the forms used to shape the concrete, in permanent impression. We absolutely loved this detail. So subtle, so beautiful, so inherent to the essence and heritage of our home, and a part of any surrounding beauty we would create. This subtle wood grain in our concrete space felt like a secret — visible to any eye, but only to be seen by those compelled to really explore the space and follow a flow from one detail to the next. Some people said we were moving into a concrete box, however they failed to notice the gentle wood grain that held us and offered itself to the spirit of our home.
We poured our heart into that space and loved living there. Our design for the space was unlike any you would find on the Oakland loft market at that time. We created what spoke to us as an expression of our vision. Eventually, when we sold the loft, the new owner told us “I’m not an artist, but you’ve made me feel like one.” She shared that by just walking in the home we’d created, she felt elevated and inspired. We achieved this with the use of modest materials, well-designed, beautiful cabinetry, uninhibited intention, and a whole lot of love for that home.
Our homes tell a story. They are a place of connection and a source for connection. ArtHouse and Company home renovations are here to set the scene for the stories, and to form a space for shared connection between all those who enter.
