Founders Dujanah and Oloof Jarrar on building a bold, emotional, and collectible universe between New York and Abu Dhabi.
Established in late 2025, House Janolo is the brainchild of sisters Dujanah and Oloof Jarrar — creatives speaking to creatives, embracing jewelry as a tool of expression with a distinctive presence of daring maximalism.
Drawing inspiration from lives lived between New York and Abu Dhabi, the house explores beauty in contradiction — energy and calm, chaos and belonging — capturing elegance in the unexpected and the natural. Shaped by travel, memory, and lived experience, each piece is designed as a quiet declaration of self-expression: precise, playful, and instinctive.
For KHAMSA, the founders open up about building their “house,” designing with feeling, and creating pieces meant to stay with you for life.
What does Janolo mean to you, and how did the name come to life?
House Janolo is a world you enter. It holds space for both the old and the new — enduring craft and the present moment, inherited processes and lived emotion. We were drawn to the idea of a house because it implies openness and trust. It’s built by family, but it’s meant to welcome others in. A place that feels safe, honest, and real.
The name Janolo comes directly from us — it’s a combination of our names, Dujanah and Oloof. That felt important. This house is personal. It’s rooted in who we are and what we share, but it’s not closed or precious. It’s meant to be lived in.
At its core, House Janolo is about full self-expression. The wild parts, the true parts, the things that might not always be polished or universally understood — but feel deeply yours. We believe jewelry should make life more enjoyable. It should give you permission to be exactly who you are, without editing.
When did the idea for House Janolo first take shape?
House Janolo was always a concept before it became a brand. We had the name for a long time and held onto it, even when we didn’t yet know what form it would take. Our backgrounds are in design, so the idea moved through different worlds — branding, interior, homeware — before it eventually found its natural home in jewelry.
Jewelry felt inevitable for us. We are obsessive jewelry wearers, and we see jewelry as something deeply emotional — precious objects tied to memory, ritual, and identity. The best pieces are the ones you never take off. They stop feeling like accessories and start feeling like part of you.
At the same time, as customers, we felt something was missing. We couldn’t find bold pieces with the scale, weight, and precious stones we personally wanted — expressive without losing refinement. So we started designing for ourselves. From there, the brand felt instinctive and honest. House Janolo was officially founded in late 2025.
What inspires you most when designing a piece — color, memory, place, or emotion?
Our design process is deeply collaborative, shaped by the fact that we’re sisters. We’re similar in many ways, but we also think very differently. Sometimes we arrive at the same idea from opposite directions — and that’s where the energy comes from.
We’re heavily influenced by art and design. Inspiration can come from anywhere: the geometric carpet in The Shining, a Rothko color field, the texture of a fish, or even the physical feeling of sitting in a chair — whether it supports you or keeps you alert. Design movements, especially mid-20th century modernism, also influence us. We focus on forms that flow seamlessly, where clasps and closures are part of the design, not an afterthought.
For our debut collection, Wild Beginnings, references to plants, insects, and natural textures kept resurfacing. We became fascinated by how wild beings rely on their natural armor for strength. That idea shaped our approach to form and material.
With House Signatures, the inspiration became more personal. It reflects how we dress and live — sometimes layered and expressive, sometimes classic. These are pieces you can live in, sleep in, swim in. Bold, but practical.
Do you have a favorite piece from the debut collections?
“For me, it’s The Apex — our three-piece modular pendant. It took a lot of research and development, but it came to life even better than we imagined. I love that it’s always evolving. You can change the order, wear one or all three. It feels powerful.”
Oloof
“Everyone ends up loving the Apex, so I agree. But I also always reach for two pieces. The House Blue Sapphire Ring — I never take it off. It’s simple, bold, and the stone has such presence.
The Citrine Orchid Pendant is the other. The enamel shifts with the light like a mood ring. I wear it layered during the day or alone at night. It works with everything.”
Dujanah
How do New York and Abu Dhabi influence your creative language?
Both cities are home to us, and while they’re very different, they’re united by diversity and openness. Abu Dhabi brings calm, stability, and quiet confidence. It feels grounded and expansive. We want House Janolo to feel like that — a safe space you can always return to. New York is constant movement. Energy, ambition, freedom. You’re always becoming. There are no rules. That balance between stillness and motion, calm and intensity, is deeply embedded in who we are — and in how we design.
If you could describe House Janolo in three words?
Bold. Distinctive. Collectable.
