ROCK ‘N' SOUL

Jo Wood added a distinctly urban edge to her remote off-grid home. The results are a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll…

- KAREN DARLOW

Garden

Jo designed the outside space herself and planted the wildflower meadow from seed with her daughter during lockdown

Dining space

Jo brought character back to the house with her stone fire surround. The Marilyn painting is by Russell Young. Wallcovering, Rockett St George

How did a self-confessed city lover end up living with no mains electricity, drawing water from a well, and with sheep for neighbours? Jo Wood asked herself that question every day in her first six months here. ‘It was horrific. Everything went wrong. Within days of moving in the generator broke,’ she recalls. ‘I wondered what on earth I’d done.’ But after living in cities all over the world, the lure of the countryside proved too great to resist. Jo is CEO of her own organic beauty range, and says: ‘One of my dreams was to live off-grid and when this house came up, I took the plunge.’

With help from some experienced off-gridders, Jo got the essentials sorted. A new generator and back-up generator were installed and she began transforming the house.