BEHIND THE BRAND: SARAH HENDERSON OF HUDSON AND OAK

BEHIND THE BRAND: SARAH HENDERSON

You’ve been a close friend of harly jae for many years, but please introduce yourself to everyone else!

Yes!! I love harly jae!!! My name is Sarah, I am the founder of Hudson and Oak. We are a home goods company, based outside of Vancouver. We make items from handmade candles, ceramics, glassware, planters and at our shop we bring in items from all over the world for our market section, which is a collection of our favourite goods from other brands - our favourite matcha, french cutlery, non-alcoholic aperitifs, market bags and olive oils!

We’d love to know more about your brand, Hudson and Oak. Where does the name come from and why did you originally launch it?

Hudson and Oak started from my first apartment, the apartments were called Hudson Lofts, that's where the Hudson part of the name comes from! I recently moved back home to BC from Alberta after working there for a few years. I moved into a loft style condo with the prettiest 18 ft tall south facing windows and it was really my first blank canvas at the age of 24 to decorate any way that I wanted. It was just myself, my pug named Kingston and lots of blank walls ready to be decorated. My love for home decor started definitely way before that when I was a kid and my mom let me have full creative freedom with my bedroom, which resulted in painting it lime green and adding a disco ball with red ribbon in the corner. 

Being a loft style apartment, with the industrial features it definitely had that element of cold to it, so my sister suggested adding plants and greenery to my space to warm up. You have to think back to 2018 when there were zero plant boutiques back then, just your traditional nurseries. The hunt for plants was relatively easy, however finding a modern planter to fit the style of my apartment boded to be a bit of a challenge. After a few days of research, I could not find what I was looking for - modern shapes, matte finish, no drainage hole for indoor use, etc. Then Hudson and Oak started as a side hustle that week on my couch at my apartment, in parallel to my full time marketing job in tech, and the rest is history!

On your website, you have a section called “The Market”, a collection of your teams’ favourite home goods. Where do you source these brands that you want to try out yourself?

Sourcing for our market collection is one of my favourite things about our shop! When we were opening our showroom back in 2022, I knew I wanted to bring in other brands that were items I have been using for years. Tried and true, women owned, Canadian owned, up-and-coming brands, bipoc and/or lgbtqia+ owned, and overall have the same ethics and sustainable initiatives as we do.

Over the last two years we have introduced our customers to such amazing brands like Super Matcha, an organic ceremonial grade matcha from South Korea, Sabre, a drool-worthy french cutlery brand that is all handmade in Paris, Graza Olive Oil, all made from the freshest olives from Spain, Ola Pia*, the spiciest chili oil from France, Spice Girl Chai, a delicious and perfected liquid chai concentrate from Toronto, and honestly the list goes on. It truly is so fun sourcing, testing and bringing these brands into the shop!

*only their olive oil available in the shop currently

You just might be the queen of coming out with cute glassware! Tell us about your new candle + aperitif coupe combo, and the design story behind it?

You're too sweet! The new aperitif coupe design originally started from a sketch of a vintage glass, with a bit of art deco inspiration. I really wanted a coupe with a chunky and bold base. With that specific coupe when we were going through rounds of sampling and making adjustments, I knew I wanted to make it into a candle collection. With the coupe glass we did adjust the size and base specifically for stability when burning a candle and to hold a certain amount of oz's of wax.

The new candle collection has been loved by so many this season, with three incredible scents. Espresso Martini with scent notes of espresso, tonka + cream. (we can't pour enough of this scent), Olive Oil Negroni with scent notes of olive leaf, sea salt + citrus rind (such a unique scent and Honeydew Yuzu Spritz with scent notes of honeydew, yuzu + prosecco (which is such a calming scent). What we love most about this collection is once you are done burning your candle you have a coupe glass to use afterwards!

We were following along your home organization and décor journey (now in your Instagram highlights) How would you describe your personal home décor style? Other than your own brand, where are your favourite places to curate your pieces from?

I would describe my personal style as a bit modern Scandinavian, with hints of warmth and inspiration of nature's irregularities, with a pinch of eclectic because I love fun shapes, bright stripes and punchy coloured art.

My favourite places to curate pieces would be anything from the Sarah Sherman Samuel collection at Lulu and Georgia, ANY furniture piece from Ellison Studios, and if you're local to Vancouver my favourite interior design is Studio Roslyn. They encapsulate such a sense of uniqueness but don't compromise on warmth. They will be my first call for when I'm ready to design my dream home.

How has your home style evolved in the last 5 years? 

Oh gosh...SO much. My loft apartment was industrial, then when we first moved into our rancher it was more bohemian but still had many elements of modern. I feel like I've flipped our current rancher upside down at least three times haha, and honestly I would do it again, maybe even in a few years.

What is your favourite thing about owning a home goods business?

Simply creating and designing what I love and seeing the joy from our customers that appreciate the small intricate details and love that we put into every piece.

The new year is here! What harly jae pieces are you looking forward to wearing in 2025?

I have recently fallen in love with the Prairie Skirt! How beautiful is that piece? You can dress it down and wear it in the Summer but can dress it up for the Fall/Winter with some kitten heel boots. It's just so flattering, especially paired with Murmur Knit Tank, which again is another well thought-out piece. It hits at your hip and it's SO comfortable. When the days get longer and colder, I reach for my Aura Pants to pair with all my knits from harly jae.

Just like many others, we love sneak peeks…any fun/exciting launches or plans for early 2025?

We have been working on a new tableware linen for quite some time now. All new shapes, finishes and colours. I have really taken my time with this collection because I wanted it to tick off all those boxes to fit with meals we cook regularly and wanted these shapes and sizes to match those perfectly. From a deep set pasta bowl that can double for when we make dan dan noodles, to a cereal bowl that also holds the perfect amount of ice cream, and plates that are organically shaped that look beautiful in any kitchen.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, I wanted this new ceramic collection to be the perfect shade of bone for our own wedding in 2025. So when designing the large and side plate and the new serving bowl, it was top of mind that these were going to be used at our very own wedding table setting. I am very excited to share this collection with our lovely customers in 2025. 

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Sarah wears our Muse Sweater with the Aura Pants, our Meadow Zip Cardigan with the Murmur Knit Tank & Prairie Skirt

You can shop her products on the Hudson and Oak website and follow the shop Instagram for new arrivals and updates.

Visit the showroom: 26956 Fraser Highway, Langley BC