House by John Lewis

Today, John Lewis, a brand we all know and love well, is rebranding to John Lewis & Partners, to accurately reflect the unique business model they run; a business based on their partners (the employees of the company).

Today, in addition to talking about John Lewis & Partners, I'm sharing some of my choices from House by John Lewis' latest collection, the biggest of John Lewis & Partners' own Home Brands.

John Lewis is a chain of high end department stores created by John Spedan Lewis and the first store opened in Oxford Street, London, back in the late 1800s. The chain is owned by John Lewis Partnership and now has over 50 stores across the UK.

Before I move to showing the House by John Lewis collection, I wanted to dwell on the brand change from John Lewis to John Lewis & Partners, because it reflects the unique nature of the John Lewis business model (and we all know I love to write about business!).

As I have mentioned, John Lewis is a partnership and you can read all about the partnership strategy here. The John Lewis Partnership exists today because the founder John Spedan Lewis signed away his personal ownership rights in a growing retail company to allow future generations of employees to be a part of its ownership; to buy into his vision and to have a company that was not open to the demands of outside shareholders but which could be a better business with involvement from all. 

The Partnership's ultimate purpose is the happiness of all its members, through their worthwhile and satisfying employment but because the Partnership is owned (in trust for its members), by the partners, they share the responsibilities of ownership of the business as well as its rewards, including a share in the profit.

This is a truly enlightened business model, especially given it dates back to 1928. Today, some employees in other businesses, participate in business rewards through share ownership, share options and other such mechanisms, but often only at a very senior level. This is open to all employees, making them feel valuable, as well as being rewarded.

The new brand identity (the first brand refresh in 17 years) puts the partners back at the heart of everything John Lewis does, it is what differentiates the business today and reflects what John Lewis customers understand about the brand. The change is sending a clear business message, this is what John Lewis is about and what makes them so unique and different.

So, let's move on to House by John Lewis, which I am showcasing in this blog post. John Lewis & Partners have a number of "own" brands and House by John Lewis is the biggest of John Lewis' own Homeware brands, first established in 2012. This brand is aimed at the contemporary home, with a modern and uncluttered feel; that is well thought out, useful products that you will love to live with but which are also well made and most importantly affordable.

I chose 5 products from this range which I will show you throughout different rooms in my house.

Now, given you have passed a few photos to get here, you will see that I chose items for my son's (Alfie) room. Alfie is a very discerning "interior client" knowing exactly how he wants things to look (remember the revamp of his room and his input here?) and given House by John Lewis is about products that you will love to live with, I can't think of a better test.

Above you will see a close up of two of the items I chose; the Snooze Table Lamp in Navy and the Snooze Embroidery Cushion in Chilli, fun and lively items for any kids’ room, in great primary colours. These fit in perfectly with Alfie's colour scheme. The lamp is a good size, great for bedtime reading or to leave on overnight if he has nightmares. The cushion and the lamp both have friendly, cheerful faces printed on them, creating a "happy feeling" to this room; the first thing that Alfie commented on. With any luck, the "snooze" element will also kick in at bedtime!

House by John Lewis is about smaller pieces that can instantly transform a room and what better way to transform a kids’ bedroom than to add a "happy snoozy feeling" to it.

I also chose the Ananda Blue and Ivory Rug Runner for Alfie's room to pick up on the blue of the Snooze Table Lamp in Navy and Alfie's hot air balloons, hanging from the ceiling. I could actually see this runner working really well in my kitchen, it is a versatile piece and Alfie may well have to hold on tight to this one.

Designed with modern living in mind, this rug epitomises the brand; it is a striking accent colour, yet likely to be incredibly durable in a kid's room, also protecting the carpet from the inevitable "spills". Moreover, the colour really livens up the space.

Alfie absolutely loves the new additions to his room, so a big tick in the box for brand identity "items you love to live with".

Naturally, the House by John Lewis range contains a large number of different items, so I wanted to show you the versatility of the brand by showcasing items in other rooms in my house.

For my living room I chose the Terrazzo Ceramic Bulbholder Table Lamp.

Terrazzo has risen as the material of the moment. From its starting point as hard-wearing flooring made by setting chips of natural stone in concrete, it is now being used in all manner of home environments from kitchen work surfaces to lighting.

As Terrazzo is made with any stone, the potential for so many different patterns and colours makes it the perfect addition to this collection. As a natural and sustainable material, it also means every piece is unique.

Terrazzo is so popular because the warm mix of colours means that it does not clash with an interiors scheme, and it hides marks well.

This is a solid bulb holder, minimal in design but which you can change the look of, simple by changing the type of feature bulb you use.

Personally, I love the size and look of this lamp; the size, particularly allows me to use it as part of an ornamental display on my mantlepiece, while still providing accent lighting on a dark evening. The natural stone makes it easy to fit into my room scheme.

Finally, I chose the Monty Magnetic Shelf Wall Light for my study (you remember I have a thing about lights, right?). This wall mounted, black steel plate is magnetic, allowing you to move the gold bulb holder around the shelf, depending on the items you want to store or display.

Here, because I am not using this shelf in a functional manner, I chose to add decorative items; a vase and a faux succulent.

Like the Terrazzo Ceramic Bulbholder Table Lamp, you can change the look of the bulb holder, by using different filament bulbs, and the look of the shelf, depending on the items you choose to add to it; perhaps some flowers, a candle or even a photoframe.

So, House by John Lewis is designed to be at the heart of any contemporary home and I found it easy to choose items that would work in different rooms in my house; all of which have different colour schemes, themes and uses. 

The items I used in Alfie's room were thoughtfully created and designed as "uplifting pieces" which have helped transform the look and "feel" of his room, yet retain functionality and are practical pieces.

The Terrazzo Bulb Holder is bang on trend this season, with Terrazzo being a material of the moment in interiors and the bulb holder a great size as a decorative, yet functional piece.

The Monty Magnetic Shelf is practical and for me "fun" in that I can change the look and feel of it, by simply changing around the decorative items and moving the bulb holder, something I'm likely to do often.

House by John Lewis have a team of 19 in-house designers launching exclusive products throughout the year, so you can always find something new and different for your home.

This is a sponsored blog post, however all opinions are my own.

The Girl with The Green Sofa