Meet the Northants business owner who decided to ‘go for it’ and launched a luxury soft furnishings brand

Meet the Northamptonshire business who decided to “go for it” and launch a luxury soft furnishings brand, which she made her full-time job following redundancy.

Louise Miller-Chalk is the founder of Miller & Chalk and she designs, sources the fabrics and hand makes all the products on offer.

The soft furnishings span across feather cushions, made-to-measure curtains and blinds, table linen and blankets – and Louise is the mastermind behind the meticulous attention-to-detail that goes into creating them.

The online store allows shoppers access to an evolving selection of home decor across a variety of interior design styles.

The journey began in 2016 when Louise launched the business under the name ‘Gracie Lu’, selling luxury pet products.

Louise was then working full-time and saw the opportunity to create luxury dog beds – as people had beautiful homes but pet products did not match the aesthetic. She even developed the feather padding inside the bed.

It was four years later, in 2020, when Louise decided to rebrand Gracie Lu to Miller & Chalk.

The 29-year-old was going through a lot of life changes – from leaving a relationship, moving back home and being made redundant from her job – and says this is what pushed her to take the business on full-time.

“I decided to do a big rebrand,” Louise told the Chronicle & Echo. “My style had changed, I had my interior design degree, and this is the natural way I wanted the business to go.

“I didn’t want to just offer pet products so I introduced interiors and soft furnishings in a modern country and neutral style.”

Miller & Chalk relaunched with a whole new website and a couple of years on, Louise found that the business had outgrown her home where she had always operated from.

She began the hunt for a commercial unit to rent and an “absolutely perfect” space became available just outside of Towcester in Astcote.

With an industrial look, Louise renovated the space to bring her vision to life and created a studio where she would one day be able to host workshops.

“Cath Kidston was a big thing when I started my dog bed business,” said Louise. “The style started to change to neutral homes, and my style did too. It was the right way to go and during Covid was the right time to take the jump.”

For those who have never heard of Miller & Chalk before, Louise described it as a “country soft furnishings brand” best known for its cushions.

The 29-year-old found a lot of cushions on the market were filled with hollow fibre and this created a loose shape.

Louise sticks to feather inserts to create “plump and lovely cushions”. Though these are luxury and come with a price tag to match, the business owner reiterated that they use 100 percent feather inserts and high quality natural fabrics like cotton, linen and wool.

When asked if she had always envisioned setting up a business like Miller & Chalk, Louise said: “I always hoped I would, but never thought I’d get to where I am today. It’s amazing really.”

Her interest and passion for interiors stemmed from her family life. Louise’s grandmother always lived with her immediate family and Louise believes her creativity had a knock-on effect. Her father is also an architect and they would often go to his work to see his latest projects.

When asked how the business has been received by the community since the rebrand in 2020, the 29-year-old said: “Social media has been a huge help and I’ve built a really nice community there.

“With social media, you always think people are far away – but I have local customers and followers and others further afield. Last year I was shipping to America and New Zealand, and it’s just me working from a little studio outside Towcester.”

Louise was brought up in Hackleton, which is where the business was first launched, but she now lives in Bugbrooke and works between there and her Astcote studio.

The business owner’s proudest achievement is having her creations featured in magazines and in the homes of influencers.

One who stood out for Louise is Lydia Millen, who has millions of followers online and discovered Miller & Chalk through TikTok. As Lydia is local herself, she purchased some cushions from Louise when she had her house redone.

“It was incredible,” said Louise. “As soon as she posted about it online, it went crazy and opened me up to a whole new audience.”

On the flip side, Louise’s biggest challenge has been navigating running a business – particularly as she believes other business owners do not portray the hard times and decisions on social media.

“You make mistakes along the way, and you learn and grow from it,” she said.

Looking to 2024, Louise hopes to expand with different products which is something she has never done before.

Though the new products will not stray too far from what Miller & Chalk is known for, the business owner hopes they will go down well among customers.

With her renovated studio space, Louise also hopes to host some seasonal workshops in the near future. These will not just be based on interiors and soft furnishings, and may also include wreath-making workshops.

The 29-year-old says this is something she is “really interested in and loves doing” herself, and her main aim is for people to “feel inspired” when they visit the studio.

For more information, visit Miller & Chalk’s website here.