Our story

We are Dennis and Lisa. We are cousins, we grew up in the same family of people who could never leave a room alone, and Softstead is ours. One lamp moved, one shelf rehung, one corner lit differently so it was nicer to sit in. That habit never left either of us.

Softstead began with a small irritation. Good lighting was either priced like furniture or looked like it belonged in an office, and almost everything worth having needed an electrician before it worked. So we started sketching what we actually wanted in our own homes: pieces warm enough to sit under in the evening, plain enough to live with for years, and simple enough to set up on the day they arrive.

How we design

Every piece starts on paper. We draw it, argue about it, live with a sample for a while, and change it when something does not feel right. When a design is finished we work with a small number of trusted factories, most of them in China, and ship straight to you. Keeping the layers out between the drawing and your door is what keeps the price honest and the quality the same in every batch.

We started with lighting alone. Customers kept writing to ask whether we made anything else, and that is where the decor and the accessories came from. We still widen slowly, and only when a piece passes the same test as the lamps.

What stays the same

Everything we sell can be set up without an electrician. No drilling, no wiring, just plug in, hang up, or place. That rule is why we turn designs down as often as we keep them, and it is the reason our pieces suit renters as readily as homeowners. Every item is CE certified before it reaches you.

We are still the two of us, which we like. If you write to us, one of us reads it.

How we operate