14 DIGS.NET | 7.10.2020
P R O F I L E | D E S I G N E R G E M S
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PHOTOGRAPHS:
COURTESY
OF
THE
WHITE
COMPANY
Founder of The White Company, Chrissie Rucker
applies a neutral palette and discriminating eye to
cultivating the British brand's au courant style.
Setting the Tone
"I have always loved the perfect simplicity of white," says Chrissie
Rucker OBE, founder of British lifestyle brand The White Company. "Just
like a little black dress, it's classic, yet modern and never dates."
Neither, it seems, does the brand that just marked 25 years. The idea
for the business came to Rucker—then a Harpers & Queen journalist—
when her boyfriend and now-husband Nick asked her to help set up his
first home. "When he moved in, he owned a bed, a few chairs, some green
towels and burgundy bed linen!" says Rucker, who was confident she'd
secure every essential. But confronted with all that choice, bright color
and manic pattern—"it was a disaster!" she says. Yesterday's disaster is
today's beloved brand, however, one defined by chalky
whites, textured neutrals and natural finishes across a range
of beautifully designed, well-made products.
High quality and soft, tactile texture is The White Company
way. "Crisp, cool cottons and beautiful linens combined
with the softest cashmeres, silks and textured knits all work
beautifully together," says Rucker. "We love to layer in pieces
made from natural wood or stone, as well as beautiful glass
vessels, ready to fill with fresh flowers, greenery or candles.
Soft rugs to use underfoot, throws to layer and of course
wonderful, sensory home scents that will instantly shift the
warmth and mood of a space." One finds expressions of
this aesthetic in the new book For the Love of White (Harper
Design), which features Rucker's white-haute homes and
others she admires. But even the most graciously appointed
space simply pales in comparison to a woman of vision.
thewhitecompany.com
(CLOCKWISE
FROM TOP)
BED, BED LINEN
AND HOME
ACCESSORIES
BY THE WHITE
COMPANY,
ANTIQUES BY
ROSE UNIACKE,
AND PAINTING BY
DEBORAH TARR;
FOR THE LOVE OF
WHITE: THE WHITE
AND NEUTRAL
HOME BY
CHRISSIE RUCKER
(HARPER DESIGN);
KITCHEN BY ANN
BOYD DESIGN
WITH ALL HOME
ACCESSORIES
BY THE WHITE
COMPANY; SOFAS
AND ANTIQUES
FROM ROSE
UNIACKE; RUCKER
AND DOGS COCO
AND TINKER.
