Doing things differently.
At houseof we specialise in creatively engineered lights but we are much more than a lighting company.
A common purpose.
houseof was founded by Helen White and Michael Jones in April 2019, out of a shared frustration with the way retailers designed their products, treated their people and ignored our planet.
After 20 years working for some of the high-street’s biggest names, we created houseof to shake up the market… challenging the way the small stuff is done and bringing a different approach to a stale industry.
After 20 years working for some of the high-street’s biggest names, we created houseof to shake up the market… challenging the way the small stuff is done and bringing a different approach to a stale industry.
Shared values.
Everyone we work with shares our values… products should be designed, people should be respected and the planet should be protected. These values are at the heart of every decision made and every light sold.
We don’t just know our customers… we are our customers. We are an experienced, ambitious, detail orientated duo who only put the houseof name on products that we would fill our own homes with.
We don’t just know our customers… we are our customers. We are an experienced, ambitious, detail orientated duo who only put the houseof name on products that we would fill our own homes with.
OUR STORY SO FAR
A life changing coffee
Like all great stories, ours starts in a London coffee shop, where we decided to “go it alone”… we are still a business fuelled by caffeine today.
One brick at a time
We spent the next 9 months ‘learning by doing’… building the product range, website, supply chain, team, branding and buzz, ready for launch.
Launching houseof.com
We launched houseof.com on the 2nd April 2019, with over a thousand people visiting the website on our first day (it felt like a lot back then).
Raising new investment
Our early success brought new investment and an incredible lead investor, who shared our vision and has backed us every single step of the way.
Our first partnership
2019 ended with an approach from H&M to be their first ever dropship partner. The worlds 2nd biggest high street retailer, coming to us!
10,000 followers
We crossed the 10k followers mark on instagram (again it felt like a lot back then). We now have over 45k followers across our social platforms.
Coronavirus strikes
COVID changed everything, demand (and shipping costs) soared and we had to say goodbye to our Clerkenwell HQ and its awesome view.
Going global
2021 started with the expansion of our H&M partnership, Launching in Sweden and Germany. We are now available in 12 different EU countries.
Sustainability
We moved into our Hackney HQ and launched our sustainability initiative… with the commitment to leave the world in a better place than we found it.
New people
We said goodbye to our Gen 1 team as they moved on to new roles with M&S and B&O and we welcomed in Gen 2 to the houseof family.
Start-up of the year
Three years after launching houseof.com we were crowned “Online Retail Start-up of the Year” at the 2022 National Start-up Awards.
Crowdfunding
Keen to share our success with the people that built us, we crowdfunded in Summer 2022 and are now a business part-owned by our customers.
Climate friendly lights
In celebration of our sustainable routes we kickstarted 2023 with a new brand aesthetic and tagline “the climate friendly lighting company”
New partners
2023 was our most successful year yet. Headlined by new partnerships with some of the world's biggest retailers like John Lewis and Next.
Our community.
houseof is a vibrant collective, built by an inclusive, diverse, and equitable community. Our success is driven by the millions who resonate with our values and support our journey. Each product we create is a tribute to this community, reflecting their belief in our mission to deliver sustainable, high-quality lighting. We celebrate the diversity that makes us houseof.
Our philosophy.
Design is the foundation of our business. We are known for our daring shapes, boundary-pushing techniques, and championing the use of colour, all without compromising simplicity and function. Every light we create adheres to four fundamental principles: functionality, sustainability, affordability, and aesthetic appeal. We call this ‘design with purpose’.
Our impact.
As a B Corp certified business, our sustainability program is an example of how we embody our core values and ensure we are growing responsibly. Continuing to amplify our positive impact, reducing our carbon footprint and promoting sustainable practices at an increasing scale. Lighting the path to a brighter future.
