There's a school of thought that says the bedroom should be a calming space decorated with soft pastel colours, plain linen and soft lighting.

But the girls from Kip & Co think your bed is an under-utilised piece of furniture that has the potential to become a design centrepiece in your home. A big call, no doubt, but bold statements are an integral part of the brand created by sisters Kate Heppell and Hayley Pannekoecke and their mate Alex van der Sluys.


From vivid colour and eye-catching patterns to touch-me textures such as plush velvet and textured shag pile, the Kip & Co look is anything but understated.

“When we started out there was nothing around to make your bed a statement piece of fashion in your home,” says Alex. “We all love colour and pushing the envelope and although we’re not formally trained in design, we all have quite a creative streak and a very unique aesthetic.”

The trio had always wanted to go into business together and each had floated loads of ideas that would allow them to work together and flex their collective creative muscle.

“It was important that whatever we did together was something creative,” says Alex who also works in corporate communications. “We’re all quite busy and have lots going on in our lives so it was also important that whatever we chose was also flexible and could fit in around everything else we do.”

Their solution was to launch the business online which, since 2012 has grown from a range of just 40 products to 150 in the new AW15 collection including pyjamas, a completely new category for the brand.


And instead of fitting in emails, phone calls and design meetings in between other commitments, Alex has recently reduced her corporate working week to four days so she can devote an extra day to growing Kip & Co which now employs a casual staff of 10.

“In terms of collections, we work on a six-month cycle,” she explains. “We’ve just finalised our Spring/Summer collection so before too long I’m sure we’ll be thinking about next winter.”

In the meantime, buyers have the AW15 collection to keep them warm at night and Alex says this winter, it’s all about texture.

“Winter really lends itself to being more adventurous with fabrications,” she says. “This year we’ve expanded our velvet range and introduced cord bedding for the first time. There’s heaps of beautiful blankets and rugs in this collection too with details like big pompoms and long shag pile.”

First publish in Home, The Daily Telegraph 4 April 2015