Episode #14
Let's Give It Six Months: Jenny Weiss and Helen Bygraves on Friendship, Risk, and 29 Years of Hill House Interiors
In this episode of the OLISE Podcast, Bilen sits down with Jenny Weiss and Helen Bygraves, the founding directors behind Hill House Interiors, for a warm and candid conversation marking 29 years in business together. Jenny and Helen tell the story of how a chance meeting through their ex-husbands, and an impromptu champagne-fuelled trip to Henley, turned into a working partnership built on a six-month trial neither of them expected to outlast a single season. They speak openly about who they were when they started, Jenny rebuilding her confidence after stepping back from work to raise her children, Helen learning to project an air of confidence through years in dance and as British Airways cabin crew, and how those early insecurities went on to shape the way they lead today. The conversation explores how Hill House grew from a single showroom into a 46-person studio with its own Lifestyle Collection, an in-house florist, and a showroom that has stayed in Weybridge by design rather than default. Jenny and Helen open up about the realities of running a creative business with no formal business training, the year they had to borrow significant money to keep going, and the lesson they say they would never trade away. They also reflect on opening their Dubai office after waiting years for a friend on the ground to tell them it was finally the right time, and what it means to have built a team where people stay for ten, fifteen, even sixteen years, including women who have left to have children and returned to thriving careers. This episode is a celebration of friendship, commercial instinct, and a business built one decision, and one six-month trial, at a time. In this episode: How a chance meeting through their ex-husbands led to 29 years in business Starting Hill House on a six-month trial, and never looking back From dance and cabin crew to interior design, Helen's unconventional route in Jenny's journey from property renovation to building a design studio Why the name Hill House has nothing to do with either of their surnames Building the Hill House Lifestyle Collection, and keeping it deliberately accessible Why their showroom has stayed in Weybridge, not London, for almost three decades Inside the Chelsea Design Centre pop-up that ran for a year Opening a Dubai office, and waiting years for the right moment Leadership, team loyalty, and supporting women through motherhood and beyond Advice for designers thinking about expanding into new markets Why neither of them went to business school, and what they learned instead Headline Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Moroso, the iconic Italian furniture house founded in 1952. Renowned for sculptural form, bold colour and artisanal craftsmanship, Moroso has spent over seventy years collaborating with the world's most influential designers, including Patricia Urquiola and Ron Arad, to create furniture that lives at the intersection of design, contemporary art and fashion. https://moroso.it Perfect for: Interior designers, business owners, creative entrepreneurs, design students, and anyone interested in long-term business partnerships, brand building, or expanding into international markets. Listen & Watch: Full video available on YouTube. Audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms Guest Links: Hill House Interiors https://hillhouseinteriors.com/ Hill House Lifestyle https://hillhouselifestyle.com/ Follow OLISE Magazine: Website: https://olisemagazine.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olisemagazine/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/olise-magazine/
