“Lois’ side is South Korea, she’s a good girl; I’m North Korea, the bad boy and we have our neutral zone in the middle…” is how JJ described the duel studio set-up at their beautiful home in the Charente department of France.

As you enter the line of demarcation, to the left is Lois’ space and to the right is JJ’s territory. He is a mixed media artist of Irish decent who studied at Slade School of Fine Art, UCL and Lois is an artist basketmaker trained in sculpture, basket making and product design at Central Saint Martins, UAL and Royal College of Art, London.

They are a fascinating pair with very separate practices but work together occasionally to create something for their home like the dog basket-type sofa affectionally named ‘Doggy’. There are creations from both of them throughout the house, some practical, some decorative but all infuse the place with their unique style.

Lois is the author of several books and is currently working on a definitive publication detailing the traditional basket weaving of the Shetland Islands where they also have a home and spend time.

JJ has a love of making up stories and while I admired a wooden spoon he was crafting, he told me it was “a very rare, possibly unique, Shillelagh-Spoon. They were used by Irish chefs in the 19th and 20th centuries for dishing out whiskey and tenderising meat, but also for tenderising the heads of commis chefs for not doing their job properly. This resulted in several high profile court cases with Shillelagh-Spoons ultimately being banned from use in kitchens.” He had me completely but then I noticed a mischievous glint in his eye that eluded to the fact it was a load of total but wonderful bullsh**t.

@jjignatiusbrennan / loiswalpole.com