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Bathroom Talk: Elle King, founder of Ett Hem

There's something quietly radical in refusing to watch beauty fade. After a decade shaping tailoring at John Lewis, Elena King grew tired of replacing wilting arrangements and set out to create the most convincing faux flowers she could find. In 2023, she launched Ett Hem London (meaning ‘a home’ in Swedish) and within months her ‘forever flowers’ were furnishing the Royal Opera House, Buckingham Palace and The Ritz. Meet the woman proving that beauty, done properly, doesn't have to be fleeting.

#seo : elena king

Tell us everything about yourself

“I’m Elle, co-founder and Design Director of Ett Hem London. Having spent 15 years working across fashion and interiors, I’ve come to view them as two sides of the same coin: both are rooted in the art of considered living, the environments we curate, and the subtle stories our spaces tell about us.

Based in London and married to a Swede, that Scandinavian connection has shaped my aesthetic. For me, florals have always belonged at the crossroads of those two worlds: they are the organic touch that breathes life into a beautifully refined space.”

#seo : ett hem

How did you come to create your own flower brand?

“Flowers have always connected fashion and interiors, but the reality of fresh blooms never matched the romance. For anyone living a busy life, fresh flowers are high maintenance, wasteful and gone within a week, leaving you with a sad, wilting mess. During Covid, when gifting flowers was at its peak, I started thinking seriously about the short lifespan of something we use to express care and beauty. When I looked for a high-quality alternative to launch Ett Hem London in 2023, I found a massive void in the market. So, I built it.”

 

What did you feel was missing from the faux flower market before you created Ett Hem?

“The options were either very cheap and plastic, or expensive single stems with zero design vision behind them. Nobody was building a modern, design-led brand creating arrangements that could genuinely hold their own against fresh florals. My confidence came from 15 years of understanding how to build something that feels considered rather than decorative. I curate each collection like a fashion line, layering textures, tones and stem qualities for balance and desirability. We also collaborate directly with fresh florists to ensure authentic creative rigour. Whether we're designing for everyday homes, engineering a two-metre floating floral globe, or creating bespoke installations for iconic London spots like the Royal Opera House and Buckingham Palace, floristry is an art form, and that discipline is what sets us apart.”

#seo : ett hem

Ett Hem means ‘A Home’ in Swedish. How does that idea shape the brand?

“A home is the ultimate anchor, a sanctuary, a sense of permanence, a canvas for self-expression, and the backdrop to our daily lives. My husband is Swedish, so that clean Scandinavian sensibility naturally threads through everything we do, creating spaces that feel serene, deliberate and undeniably refined. Ett Hem captures that exact feeling. The great pieces in a home should never feel like fleeting decor; they should feel as though they’ve always belonged there. Permanent, effortless and elevated. That is precisely what our florals are designed to achieve: bringing design and an enduring beauty to the spaces we inhabit.”

#seo : ett hem

Has building a brand on the idea that beauty doesn't have to be fleeting changed the way you think about your own self-care?

“Completely. The philosophy of Ett Hem London is that you invest in quality and it lasts, and I apply that exact same rule to my skin. I completely stripped back my routine while undergoing fertility treatments, dropping active products, and honestly, my skin has never been better for it. Less, but better. Quality over quantity in every sense; it's the exact same edit I apply to everything.”

What does your beauty routine look like right now? What would we find in your bathroom?

“Intentionally minimal. For my core serum, I'm entirely co-dependent on the fjör Hydrolytic Serum, a Swedish-engineered formula that deeply hydrates and settles sensitive or reactive skin. For complexion, I layer Ilia's Super Serum Skin Tint SPF30 on top for an easy, luminous finish, paired with Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer, a touch of Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, and the Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick. For barrier care, I reach for Augustinus Bader’s The Rich Cream when my skin barrier needs a serious overhaul, and Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Vanilla Beige lives in every bag I own. Oh My Cream's curation is exactly the kind of edit I respond to: impeccable and without compromise.”

#seo : elle king home

How has your relationship to beauty changed since you started building Ett Hem London?

“Building a brand that is fundamentally about enduring beauty has made me much more intentional about everything I choose for myself. I'm not interested in beauty trends any more than I am in floral trends. I want things that work, that last, and that feel like the best version of something rather than just the newest. My routine is simpler and more effective than it has ever been.”

#seo : elle king

What are the rituals that keep you grounded and inspired?

“My home is my absolute sanctuary. I'm very deliberate about the environment I curate: the light, the music, the scent, and the quiet spaces that allow me to decompress. Outside of the home, long walks through London with my dog and cooking keep me centred. But above all, I'm endlessly inspired by women who build things. Our community is the heartbeat of Ett Hem London; collaborating with creative women who inspire us is what truly keeps me connected and inspired.”

What's the best beauty advice you've ever been given?

“Skin first, makeup second. When your barrier is healthy and calm, you don't need to hide your skin; you just get to enhance it. Everything else follows from that.”

#seo : elle king ett hem

If you could only keep one self-care ritual for your skin for the rest of your life, what would it be?

“Intense, intentional hydration. I have fair, dry skin, and when it's deeply hydrated, everything else takes care of itself. A hyaluronic serum or a hydrating face mask are my non-negotiables. I use the mask three times a week to reset my hydration levels, and it becomes a daily necessity whenever I travel.”

#seo : elle king

What's next for Ett Hem London?

“We've received investment and we're expanding into Europe, which is a massive focus right now. We've also relaunched our website to be seamlessly flower-friendly, and we're deepening our UK presence with an exclusive collection launching at Heal's. The same design-led, effortlessly chic vision, just further reaching.”

Follow Ett Hem on Instagram @ett_hem, and disover their beautifull creation at wwww.etthemlondon.com

 

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