We love sleep! And perhaps because these days those hours between when our heads hit the pillow and when the alarm goes off the next day seem more fleeting than ever, we think of our bedroom and our bed as an oasis of sorts. That’s why we’ve teamed up with the chicest sheet maker out there, Hill House Home, for a pretty luxurious giveaway. Follow the instructions below to be entered to win the “Love me, always” embroidered pillowcases pictured above—(PSA: These sets make great wedding gifts)—and read on below for our Q&A with founder Nell Diamond.
Here’s How It Works:
(1) Follow @overthemoonblog and @hillhousehome (2) Like this pic and tag a friend. A winner will be chosen at random on Friday morning and notified via DM.
Your wedding was one of the most beautiful we’ve ever covered on Vogue.com, and we love Hill House Home. We know you came up with the idea for brand while studying at Yale Business School. What was the first thing you did after realizing there was a hole in the home market?
That is so nice—sometimes I actually find myself stuck in traffic just scrolling my wedding hashtag on Instagram two years later!
One of the first things I did when I realized this business idea could work was to start talking about it. I wanted feedback, and to understand if my friends and peers actually needed something like this. I spoke to anyone and everyone—asking where they buy bedding, how many pillows they have, their bedtime routine—at some point it got a little creepy! But it was incredible field research, and I literally would come home from a dinner party and write down notes from my discussions that night as we were designing the first collections. It’s the same reason I love doing our customer service now—I’m on a mission to help people feel amazing about their bedrooms, and in turn their sleep. Real, practical feedback is crucial to how we design and think about our products.
You’ve said you were inspired by grand hotels like the Carlyle, the Ritz Carton, and the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc . . . what elements did you pull from?
I was completely inspired by the reaction people have to beds and bedding in the best hotels, and I wanted to help bring that feeling home. I don’t think it has to be a special occasion to sleep beautifully—the hotel experience should be something we aspire to every night.
There’s a pattern to the experience of travel at the best hotels—after a long day jumping in the sea, or exploring an ancient town, or visiting galleries—you return to the perfectly made bed—and it’s this wonderful, magical moment of unfolding the sheets and jumping in and re-playing everything you’ve done in this new place. That’s the moment I want to capture—the ideal bed you keep returning to after all the chaos of the day. I think that’s why the hotel bed is such a romantic ideal—but there’s no reason we can’t experience it all the time!
Stylistically, I love how all my favorite hotels embrace the mostly-white bed with small hints of color in pipings and bindings. A lot of my friends told me they were initially intimidated by the idea of a full, white bed—it seemed like too much upkeep. So it was really important to find a fabric that was low-maintenance—not a ton of wrinkling—and that washed well. We were also really purposeful in our design, taking great care to make all of our products practical as well as pretty. We spent over a year sourcing the perfect two fabrics, and the same amount of time working with our small, family-owned manufacturer to create practical updates like an envelope enclosure that keeps pillows tucked in and the bed looking neat.
We love the idea of the “Break Up Box” and think you were spot on when you said everyone needs to change their sheets after they go through one. On a happier note, what do you think are the things one needs to do after getting married when it comes to bedding?
Get a few extra pillowcase sets you love, and don’t be afraid to mix and match. Pillows are the first thing you see when you walk in the room, so switching them out is like an instant bedroom facelift. It’s my easiest life-hack for a an amazing, full, hotel bed. Also—if you iron anything—iron your pillowcases! It takes one minute and suddenly you’re in the Downton Abbey bed of your dreams.
Personally, I love to swap out my pillowcases depending on my mood—so I’ll do my soft, romantic Vale pillowcase set with embroidered script monogram some days, and others I’ll do the bold, architectural Chancery Lane set with gray or red thread with the fun Waverly Collection in pink behind it in Euro shams.
Are there any items you think a couple needs to register for?
Frames! If you’re like me, you’re going to want those pictures . . . literally . . . everywhere.
Anything you’d definitely register for knowing what you know now as a married lady?
Plates! I thought it was totally old-fashioned, but now I’m obsessed with all the wedding plates we received.
What’s your go-to wedding gift for friends?
A bedding set, of course! I’ll do monogrammed pillowcases with a subtle white or gray monogram thread. Depending on the couples’ style and personality I’ll either do their wedding date, names, wedding hashtag or sweet saying like, “love me always.” I also love doing matching PJ and Robe sets with “Mrs” and “Mr” monograms—so fun!
Anything you’d do differently when it comes to wedding planning knowing what you know now?
I had the best wedding planning team—Fait Accompli—they made it so easy. I was in Business School when I got married, and I literally went from my last mid-term exam to the plane to my wedding. I had notebooks full of econ graphs next to my bright white wedding shoes in my carry-on! I actually loved having that distraction of being crazy focused on school, because it meant I wasn’t overthinking (too much . . . ). I wouldn’t change anything!
Any advice for brides out there?
We had a bunch of last minute cancellations—including a member of the groom’s party—and that was really tough. Personal conflicts happen, though, so the important thing is not to focus on the negative or take it personally. Your wedding is about you and your partner. All the other stuff, all the other guests are just extras. Nice extras, but extras. I’ve had a few friends who have guest-stress, and I tell them—don’t let anyone get to you! So cliché—but it’s your day.
