It all began with a book. Soft Furnishing, by E.A. Spilman and M. Steele, gave us a heart-warming glimpse into home life in the 1950s with its wonderfully earnest guidance on how to make and care for everything from arm caps and frills to eiderdowns, pillows, and pouffes.

While its context is, of course, out of step with modern life, what struck us was the way in which the authors viewed the role of home furnishings in the lives of the people making use of them. In particular their comments on ‘simple pouffes or humpties’ (yes, there’s our inspiration) stayed with us. A humptie wasn’t just something to pop your feet up on or recline against – its very presence encouraged someone to enjoy rest in a busy day and start their work again ‘with renewed vigour’ and ‘a more hopeful outlook’.

Yet when we looked around, most modern pouffes and footstools didn’t seem to hit the mark. They were usually filled with polystyrene, which can’t be recycled and isn’t biodegradable, and very few managed to keep their shape. We wanted to create something more natural and sustainable, something that would last long enough to play a meaningful role in a person’s homelife. We also wanted to put to use our many years in upholstery and interior design, crafting something timelessly beautiful and invitingly comfortable.

So that’s the ambition of our Humpties. To support the everyday hubbub of life, quietly yet dependably making your home a more comfortable, enjoyable and reinvigorating space, helping you make the most of each ordinary moment.

We hope you’ll find yours a joy to live with. And we hope we’ve made E.A. Spilman and M. Steele proud.