An A-list interior designer who started her company with a £40 website after hitting rock bottom reveals how she turned her furniture business into a £10.7m empire.
Layla Chapman, 35 and Dan, 33, from Sonning, Berkshire, launched luxury furniture brand HOS Home in 2016 – which boasts celebrity clientele including Amanda Holden, Denise Van Outen and Mark Wright – and has since started a joint business venture with Peter Andre selling bespoke beds.
The website, which launched in February 2016, was basic and cost only around £40 to set up. But the super successful brand and partnership has not been without heartache along the way – as the pair suffered four unsuccessful IVF attempts and devastatingly lost two babies.
Now, they have welcomed their first little girl Yasmin, 12 weeks old, into the world – and are set to make over £10.7m from their business by the end of this year.
‘Selling £1million of furniture in the first year was incredible,’ Layla explained. ‘This started as much as a passion project as a business and it’s been amazing to transform so many homes. We’ve delivered more than 100,000 pieces of furniture in the last three years and the demand increases every month.’
Layla’s (pictured) friends were always visiting her home and admiring her furniture. She admitted that design has always been a passion of hers and that she’d accumulated contacts in different areas of bespoke furniture workmanship along the years. Above, Layla with the A. By Andre Kensington bed
Layla and Dan also now have a separate business venture A. by Andre with Peter Andre (above) after building up a relationship with him after styling his home
It was always Layla’s dream to have an interior design business and throughout her twenties, she helped various celebrities with their homes.
‘It started with friends visiting my home and loving the furniture I had,’ she explained. ‘Design has always been a passion of mine and I’d accumulated contacts in different areas of bespoke furniture workmanship, particularly with upholstery.’
‘I started helping friends and family source and create bespoke items of furniture for their own homes. I had built up contacts through events planning that I had been involved with over the years and as time went on, I began to help more and more people.’
‘One of my first paying clients was a good friend of mine, Claudia Valentine from “Posh Pawn” We remain great friends, so she must have been happy!’
Although a big dream of hers, the timing to set up properly was never right for Layla. She married her partner Dan back in 2014 after meeting in 2009, they went from an all time high to hitting rock bottom and losing everything, and having to move in with their parents again.
‘Life was amazing and we were on a high, having had our dream wedding and gone off on our dream honeymoon to the Bahamas,’ said Layla. ‘Prior to founding HOS we had both been involved in the events industry, running exclusive events for brands, high net worth individuals and celebrities across the South East.’
The luxury furniture company has garnered a trusted client base, including the likes of Amanda Holden (above), Denise Van Outen, Mark Wright, Scarlett Moffat, Amy Childs, Megan McKenna, Kady Mcdermot and Olivia Bowen
The power couple fell pregnant with Yasmin (above), now 12 weeks, last year after spending a total of £55,000 on IVF
Layla, 35 and Dan Chapman (above), 33, from Sonning, Berkshire, launched company HOS Home in 2016 with a £40 website following failed rounds of IVF costing £55,000 in total – before finding out she was expecting her first child
‘My husband also founded an electronic cigarette business that had started to gain attraction in Australia, but due to a shift in market conditions and a few steep learning curves, both hit financial difficulties around the same time and we found ourselves having to start again having lost our home and car.’
She continued: ‘We decided to move back in with my mum, hit the re-start button on our careers, and start again from zero.’
‘It was difficult, but we had never had mentors in business and had to learn certain lessons in order to push on again. Looking back it’s the best thing that ever happened to us.’
But the next blow came when the couple were told that they would have to start IVF if they ever wanted children.
‘When we moved back in with my mum in 2015, we had been trying for a baby for about two years with no success,’ she explained. ‘Having visited the doctors and gone through all the checks we received the news that the only way for us to conceive was through IVF.’
Prior to founding HOS, Layla (above) and Dan were both involved in the events industry, running exclusive events for brands, high net worth individuals and celebrities across the South East
Luxury furniture brand HOS Home, which is popular amongst a whole host of celebrities and influencers alike. Pictured: Layla with Caprice
‘Naturally it was devastating. I come from a big Persian family and it’s something Dan and I had spoken about a lot. You grow up thinking that having children is just part of life and a God given right, but it isn’t, it’s a blessing, and the reality hit us that this might not be on the cards for us.’
She continued: ‘It hit us hard. I remember waking up in the mornings feeling like I had a black cloud over me. During the IVF which began the year we launched HOS, I was undergoing treatment at the same time.’
But while it was a difficult period for them both, Layla believes working helped get her though.
‘It was incredibly hard for me to pick myself back up every time we had bad news and go back to the business, but I had no choice as we were at a critical time in our business where we needed all hands on deck.’
‘In some ways being at work helped me get through the hard times as it was a distraction from what was going on in our personal lives.’
And after moving into rented accommodation to get some space, the idea for House of Sparkles (now HOS Home) was born.
‘Having had another failed IVF round, and everyone on top of each other at my mums, we decided to get back on track and move into our own rented place,’ she explained. ‘The events had picked up again with a lot of hard work and Dan and I were planning on buying a restaurant.’
The couple’s first celebrity client was Denise Van Outen, who purchased a Hollywood mirror and they upholstered a bespoke footstool for her. Pictured, Layla, Keith Lemon, Claire Powell and Dan
After several rounds of failed IVF, Layla said it was ‘incredibly hard’ for her to pick herself back up every time but had no choice as the couple were at a critical time in their business. Above, during a scan with Yasmin
She continued: ‘For the last three years, I had spoken to Dan about wanting to start a furniture business. I love interior design and glam furniture, but always gulped at the steep price tags when visiting my favourite boutique and designer shops. I knew there was a gap in the market, but until now it didn’t feel like it was the right time for us.’
Then one late January evening, having been targeted by a furniture company on Instagram, Layla showed Dan her idea.
‘He said, “right, let’s do it,” whilst turning off the television and sitting up. “What now?” I said. He replied: “Yep now, let’s just do it, we can make this work.”‘
The couple both knew there was a gap in the market for affordable luxury and exclusive products, and that very night they came up with the name and drew out a business plan and got to work.
The website, which launched on February 6th 2016, was basic and cost only around £40 to set up, but they managed to get a great sale on the first day of trading.
That first sale was of the black Hollywood Mirror and it was sold for £244 and that was made on the first day of trading. From then, the business took off and in that first year they made £1.13m.
Speaking of the moment she was told she would only be able to conceive through IVF, Layla said: ‘I remember waking up in the mornings feeling like I had a black cloud over me.’ Above, with Yasmin
After hitting financial difficulties at the same time in their careers, Layla (left) and Dan (right) decided to move back in with her mum, hit the re-start button, and start again from zero – and it paid off
‘It wasn’t easy getting suppliers to work with us at the start,’ explained Layla. ‘We wanted to sell quality furniture at affordable prices online and the furniture industry insiders and suppliers were wary about this.’
‘We convinced a few of our preferred suppliers however, made a basic drag and drop website using Shopify and using Youtube tutorials trying out how to make it work well and look good and the website went live.’
She continued: ‘It was basic, but we were proud of it. Dan set up a Facebook advert and we waited, not dreaming that a sale would come in on its first day. But it did and we couldn’t believe it!’
‘We looked at each other, high-fived, and then got to work. It gave us the confidence we needed that this could work in the way we believed.’
And their first celebrity client was Denise Van Outen, who purchased a Hollywood mirror and they upholstered a bespoke footstool for her.
The couple have since supplied furniture for Amanda Holden, Mark Wright, Brian Mcfadden, Scarlett Moffat, Amy Childs, Kelly Brook, Megan McKenna, Kady McDermott, Olivia Bowen, Caprice and Chloe Sims.
‘We are inundated with requests for many interior design influencers and celebrities each month whom love the furniture,’ said Layla.
The couple launched a website on February 6th 2016 which cost only around £40 to set up, but they managed to get a great sale on the first day of trading. Above, Layla posing on one of her luxury chairs
The couple’s brand first gained attention after Dan set up a Facebook advert and they never dreamed a sale would come on their first day. Pictured, Layla admiring the mirrored furniture
However, Layla’s personal life was not without it’s rocky side. After continuing to try with IVF, she went on to have four unsuccessful attempts and devastatingly lost two babies before now welcoming this year her baby girl Yasmin.
‘It was incredibly hard, particularly on our third failed attempt, having got pregnant and miscarrying, but we are a team,’ she said.
‘Dan picked up the slack on the days I struggled most, and I picked up the slack on the days he struggled most. The business was so new and Dan and I were doing everything – sales, customer service, warehousing, marketing, product picking, website development, the works. We were so busy that at times it was a welcome distraction.’
She added: ‘I do know a difficult point for Dan though was after having found out the devastating news, having to brush himself off and work that afternoon speaking to customers and putting on a brave voice.’
‘Inside we were both hurting badly, but we have always said anything is possible, and we weren’t about to give up.’
And give up they didn’t – Layla and Dan fell pregnant finally last year after spending a total of £55,000 on IVF – and welcomed their beautiful little girl Yasmin in January.
‘We feel that God has given us the whole world and we can finally share this amazing news,’ explained Layla.
With business booming from their furniture company, the couple are set to make over £10.7m by the end of this year and are on target to keep doubling this every year. Pictured, Dan with a diamante-covered drawer
To date, Layla and Dan have delivered .ore than 100,000 pieces of furniture in the last three years. She said: ‘Selling £1million of furniture in the first year was incredible. This started as much as a passion project as a business and it’s been amazing to transform so many homes’
‘We are proud to have gone through this battle as a team and after four long years of IVF it makes welcoming our little angel even more special. We’ve been lucky to have incredible support from our family and close friends throughout the journey.’
Through all of this and their beautiful miracle baby this year, they have a bustling furniture empire. They also now have a separate business venture A. by Andre with Peter Andre which is doing amazing, having built up a relationship with him after styling his home.
‘The venture with Pete came about having built up a friendship with him and Emily whilst styling their home,’ she explained. ‘We designed his and Emily’s bed which was featured on Michael Mcyintres “Big Show.”
‘Pete is very passionate about interior design and shared our passion for making designer furniture more affordable. Having made the new bed for them, the conversation progressed and we came up with the idea of a bed range with Pete that we could design together and decided on the name “A. By Andre”.
Speaking of her venture with Peter Andre, Layla explained: ‘We came up with the idea of a bed range with Pete that we could design together and decided on the name “A. By Andre”‘ Above, Emily Andre and Layla designing their bed
For Layla and Dan, the aim of their business is to sell furniture (above) which is affordable whilst ensuring the quality remains
They launched at the end of November and now have the beds showcased in the showrooms of 22 of the country’s most reputable luxury retailers, with the view to increasing that number to 100 retailers by the end of the year.
They also have plans to expand to sofas later this year with matching bedding in the pipeline also.
‘Our aim is for our furniture to be affordable whilst ensuring the quality remains,’ Layla explained. ‘The major hurdle has been developing a model that allowed us to do this whilst eliminating as many third party issues as possible, and we’re happy to say we think we now have a fantastic way of working.’
‘We have an incredibly hard-working energetic team and trust in youth and the creativity that they bring. It’s a big family, but we love it and we strive to go above and beyond to deliver those family brand values daily.’