house style

Inspiring – and cheery – new home buys

Spreading joy

hogging the duvet

Sliding into a freshly made bed is one of life’s simple pleasures – and Jessica Mason is on a mission to make it more pleasurable st ill. Her new company, Pig let, specialises in proper linen sheets( made from French flax) in a range of soft neutrals( white, dove grey, blush pink) and more moody hues such as charcoal and indigo. Stone-washed and finely spun, they feel as good as they look. But why the offbeat name? ‘It’s born from the idea that something doesn’t need to be polished to be beautiful,’ explains Mason, who quit her job in PR to launch Piglet in January .‘ We offer high-quality basics t hat don’t demand too much effort.’ Comfortable, beautiful and effort less–sounds like a winning combination to me. From £32 for a pair of pillowcases.

tuft love

The circumstances that led to Lisa Todd starting her homeware collection in 2014 were horrid( she was forced to give up her career as an interior designer due to an accident that left her with a debilitating neuromuscular condition) but the resulting products, which she describes as ‘uplifting interior updates’, are decidedly cheerful. After completing an online textile design course, Todd now creates ‘beautiful paintings for happy homes’ in her Windsor studio, which are printed on to fabrics, wallpaper, ceramic sand birchwood trays in the UK. The joyful rugs, meanwhile, are hand-tufted in India, from £785.

haven scent

My top tip for the housework-phobic: scent t he air beautif ully and visitors will be fooled into thinking a room is cleaner than it actually is. (Disclaimer: g iven t he cost of scented ca ndles, it may just be cheaper to hire a cleaner.)

To salve your conscience about any burgeoning home-f rag ra nce habit, invest in Jo Malone’s Iris & Lady Moore candle. It smells delicious (sweet and powdery but fresh, too) and 75 per cent of the proceeds go to charity garden projects. The company has funded five therapeutic gardens around the country, which provide support for people with mental-health issues through the cultivation and care of plants. A sixth will be opening in Notting Hill later this month.

Above Slip into a French-flax linen duvet cover in Indigo, from £129, Piglet (pigletinbed. com). Left Handtufted Charleston rug, £2,375, Lisa Todd Designs (lisatodddesigns. com). Far left Iris & Lady Moore Scented Candle, £46, Jo Malone (jomalone.com)