Behind The Scenes

The best thing about living in the countryside is the friends you make along the way. We can’t quite believe that it’s been one whole year since we launched Friends of Joules– how the time flies when you’re having fun!

If you haven’t yet heard of Friends of Joules let us introduce you. Friends of Joules is your online marketplace for a contemporary country lifestyle. It brings together everything you could possibly need (and want!), all in one online marketplace.

We’re excited to introduce you to this stunning collection of products, and the people and businesses behind them. People and businesses we have got to know well and are now proud to call our friends. Happy 1^st Birthday Friends of Joules!

Orange Pippin is an illustration and homeware brand created and run by Helen Cox. Helen illustrates all designs by hand from her studio in Sheffield. Full of character and colour, the Orange Pippin collections are all inspired by nature, from the smallest bee in the garden to the biggest whale in the ocean! After illustrating the unique designs by hand using watercolour, gouache and pencil, the designs are then beautifully reproduced across a range of homeware and stationery.

P. S. Curious about the name? Named after the Cox’s Orange Pippin apple and dedicated to Helen’s childhood dog, Pip.

Beefayre is a company founded in the beautiful Leicestershire countryside, inspired by nature and the plight of the honeybee. Since launching in 2012, Beefayre has enjoyed continued success with their range of Natural Plant Wax Candles, Diffusers, Body and Bath product and Greeting Cards. Beefayre are passionate about creating beautiful products that don’t cost the earth – literally. The beautiful botanical illustrations on all their products, are designed by the artist and founder Sharon Jervis, who is passionate about the plight of the honeybee and raising funds for bee conservation projects in the UK.

Spice Kitchen is a family-owned artisanal spice and tea company run by mother and son team Sanjay & Shashi Aggarwal (aka Mamma Spice & Baby Spice!). Sanjay and Shashi share a common goal: to honour their Indian heritage and make their ancestors proud. Shashi’s expertise and knowledge with spices and spice blends are the foundation on which everything else is built. Originally hailing from Kenya, Shashi grew up in India and has now lived in the UK for over 30 years. Spice Kitchen specialises in lovingly producing small-batch, freshly ground spice blends and tea blends.

Along with running a thriving business, Spice Kitchen supports several charities including FRANK Water who build sustainable water projects in India and Nepal and Find Your Feet who help families in Asia and Africa build a future free from poverty and hunger.

Helen Round is a British textile designer and print maker. Her classic designs, inspired by the flora and fauna of the countryside and coastline are hand printed onto the highest quality linen using traditional screen-printing techniques.

Helen’s designs start life as sketch book scribbles and the collections of simple and functional linen homeware and kitchenware are all made and printed in the Cornish studios. Using small batch production and the best quality linen, each piece is sewn by a team of skilled local artisans from start to finish.

Tillyanna are a family-run business in the green hills of Monmouthshire. Based in the same village where founder Helen Parker grew up, they design and create products inspired by the woodland and countryside around them. Using classic typography, many of their items are able to be personalised using high quality printing methods, all printed from the studio.

Spending time with loved ones and creating memories sits at the heart of the Tillyanna brand and with a love of the outdoors, they strive to ensure their range is both eco-friendly and natural.

The Den Kit Company started life as a celebration of children’s ingenuity, innovation and creativity. A shared belief that children are at their best when enabled to play outdoors – unencumbered by adult direction and in unstructured activities that allow them the freedom and autonomy to create and imagine. As teachers and parents, we are advocates of outdoor play – it promotes creative problem solving, increases attentions spans, reduces anxiety, widens vocabulary, improves communication skills and is just great, great fun. Designed and hand-made in rural Shropshire, The Den Kit Company’s kits appeal to children’s natural sense of adventure and discovery.