About jo

I have studied with the founders of Design and Art Movements  - first with a founding member the Mingei or Folk Craft Movement in Japan and subsequently with the founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement in California. I've set up shop hand printing for the home furnishing industry and soon began getting commissions to conceive of bespoken design projects with the best designers and architects New York has to offer, soon expanding into a global clientele.

I don't believe you need rock star status or to be the founder of a design movement to appreciate and live with great design. I’ve created ADoDE as a tool for you to create the home of your dreams and to become your best resource. So please, click on. 

about eileen

When it comes to Eileen Le Guillou's affinity for design, it is hard to differentiate between nature and nurture. Growing up alongside the Groundplans company, she learned to speak the language of business development, client specifications, and sourcing details. From a young age she has been interested in color, image, symmetry and fashion. 

Throughout high school and university Eileen balanced her math, computer science and engineering studies with after school and summer classes in painting, fashion and industrial design at Central Saint Martins and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Committed to applying her technical training to public service, Eileen worked as a project and product manager for IBM public sector consulting services for 4 years leading large scale technology implementations. 

Merging her management experience and love for design and function, Eileen officially joined the Groundplans company and Groundswell by Jo brand full time in early 2018 to focus on the growth and development of its new offerings. 

about abode

When I look at rooms that interior designers - our paid experts – have created, a wave of disappointment often washes over me. In contrast, when I walk into the home that friends, family and acquaintances have created over time, I find these places MAGICAL. Just when I would expect the money laden, rent-your-designer homes to have the leg up why is it then just the opposite?

Why are these do-it-yourself interiors filled with an interest and engagement that exceeds the professionals? Is it a reflection of the interior lives of these particular people or can anyone shape magic within their four walls?

I believe the latter: the power is universal. In my quest to understand this, I began to dig deeply into my own past; pouring over notes, diaries, conversations with my mentors, as well as photographs (mine and others) and my archive of magazine tear sheets from the past decades. I delved into and picked out the best  of the best. I scouted today’s marketplaces to make sense of the availability of resources for home furnishings and accessories and selected the best photos and most do-able approach to share with you.

about blog

Sights, Sounds, Smells of the City and beyond. Follow our blog for more frequent out & about updates and a peek into shows, events and restaurants in New York City and abroad.