DEPARTMENT store John Lewis and Partners has asked an Oxford-based business to develop an exclusive range of products for its stores nationwide.
Upholstery and furniture venture Vieva only launched in the past year but has already managed to bag the ‘terrific’ deal.
The company is a design house brand aimed at working within the high-end designer furniture and lighting markets worldwide, through wholesale distribution via retailers and also directly through its new online store.
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Design director Andy Bullock and his partners Stuart Bottomley and Rachel Zivkovic from Oxford Upholstery set up Vieva last year and have now developed a new furniture product range called Humpties which John Lewis and Partners love.
Humpties are upholstered floor cushions made from 'exquisite' fabrics and 'luxury' leathers and are Vieva’s first product range that has been launched.
The smaller cushions are designed for use as traditional footstools, while the larger designs are imagined for occasional seating arrangements in corporate spaces, such as reception areas, relaxed hospitality lounges or larger domestic living spaces.
Mr Bullock said: “The Vieva brand has high ambitions to produce and manufacture world-class product designs for the international interiors and designer furniture markets, including hotels, VIP lounges, restaurants and corporate HQs.”
Humpties stems from the word ‘humpty’, a colloquial British word for a ‘low padded seat or pouffe’ and they have been designed using high-end materials.
The seats have a plush feel due to the use of inserts that are filled with 100 per cent sustainable British wool from British upland sheep which has tensile strength making them durable but also ‘luxuriously comfortable’.
It comes after Mr Bullock launched another business last year called Urbancyclo, where he developed the Quicktwist handlebar stem, which allows owners to store their bikes indoors by making the bike narrower through a ‘click and twist’ handlebar mechanism.
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Vieva’s design studio, which is based in Oxford, works with interior designers and architects creating and prototyping bespoke furniture for their projects.
Mr Bottomley said: “We now have an amazing team at Vieva, with full-time upholsterers working in our prototyping workshop and us three directors ably supported by Sarah Shepherd, our rock in the studio office.
“The future is looking very bright - watch this space.”
Humpties come in a range of fabrics including velvets and Italian leathers and are available in four sizes ranging from 45cm to 90cm in diameter.
Prices start at £185 for the 45cm rising to £695 for the largest seat size.
The 60cm version, which retails at £330, is the most popular one to be used in the home as a versatile floor cushion and inserts come with a lifetime guarantee.
The floor cushions have zipped, removable covers for easy cleaning or a change of mood and a handle has been incorporated so that you can pick it up and throw it down conveniently, anywhere in the home.
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It also creates high end lighting as well as furniture for homes and corporate settings.
Vieva says it is committed to using high quality materials to produce interior products which are ‘beautifully made but also made to last’.
There is currently a 10 per cent introductory offer available to everyone who shops online at humpties.com.
Vieva was born in February 2018 when Mr Bottemley approached Mr Bullock with an idea for a product that the upholstery company had previously made in a limited way but felt had far greater potential than was previously realised by the firm.
The team spent a year refining the product design and developing the fabric ranges to prepare the brand ready for launch this month.
Mr Bullock has 30 years experience in all areas of design.
He also mentors at the University of Oxford, with the Saïd Business School as one of the faculty’s (O)Network of industry experts.
Vieva hopes its Humpties range will be accepted into John Lewis stores towards the end of this year.
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