The Wind Down With Tom And Stanley

As a nation, we’re fast becoming property addicts – whether it’s buying or renting, we spend our days endlessly scrolling Instagram for the latest interior trends, and Tom and Stanley from Leeds are no exception. On the hunt for a renovation project, they stumbled across their dream terraced house and the rest, as they say, is history.

However, just a few months in, sleeves rolled-up, dust everywhere and mid-reno, the pandemic hit and Tom and Stanley both lost their jobs within four weeks of each other. Rather than wallow in their misfortune, they had the perfect opportunity to focus on establishing their own businesses and Sons Of Seeds and Stanley Candle were born.

This weekend, we're hopping into Tom and Stanley’s cloud-of-comfort to chat colour schemes, winding down and the perfect lazy Sunday…

What do you do out in the world?

We both sadly lost our jobs within four weeks of each other due to Covid, however, like most things, it was a twist of fate and allowed us to focus on exactly what we wanted to do.

We’re now full time content creators and photographers working for some amazing brands  and we also manage our house plant business Sons of Seeds and online candle shop Stanley Candle. 

We work from home 24/7 and our bedroom is usually our office, so a comfy bed is a must.

Tom and Stanley layer up with The Cotton Quilt in Clay

Tell us about your home…

When we first walked into the house three years ago, we saw the original fireplaces and wooden floorboards and knew we had to have it. We could see past the yellow walls and brown carpets, fell in love with an idea and made it into a reality. When the first lockdown kicked off in March last year we realised that we had no more excuses, so we began the makeover. 

At first, we decided to go for dark and moody colours, but have since realised it made the rooms feel smaller. We wanted to add luxury and light into our little terrace. So we painted, stripped and changed our colour schemes into rich creams, bright whites, and a lot of beige.

The neutral colour palette has brought so much light to our rooms and turned the rooms into a fresh and modern looking space and we couldn’t be happier.

You can follow Stanley and Tom's renovations on their home account - @twoboysandafrenchie

Winding down with Stanley and Marlin

What’s your favourite room in your house and why?

It would be our bedroom. It’s so cosy, warm and feels like a genuine retreat - somewhere we can really switch off and relax.

Our Bedfolk sheets (Tom & Stanley sleep in Linen in Snow) have transformed our bed into a real-life cloud of luxury. Marlin our Frenchie also adores them and has given her seal of approval! 

Stanley & Tom's cloud of comfort

Where in your home are we most likely to find you reading, drinking coffee and taking a moment to yourself?

We normally have a coffee meeting in the morning via the living room to talk through our day. But if we want a moment to ourselves then you’ll find one of us in the spare room or we’ll read in our bed, since it’s so insanely comfy! 

How do you make your weekend feel like a weekend when you’re working from home?

We try and clear away all of our work bits so the rooms feel normal again. We usually end up getting a takeaway and maybe have a few bottles of wine. We’ll always go for a long walk, have a veggie roast and watch a film on Sundays.

Easy like Sunday morning...

Which products help you to wind down well? 

S: I make natural soy candles, made with only essential oils, so our house smells like Lemon Dreams.

We always have good coffee, good food and good bedding, so when you hit those pillows you really do unwind and sleep like a baby.

Winding down essentials

What does your bedtime ritual look like?

We play beautiful sleep frequency sounds, spray lavender mist and read a good book.

I woke up like this

Stanley & Tom’s Lie In List:

Read: 

Tom:  The Humans by Matt Haig

Stanley: The Last Thing To Burn by Will Dean 

Listen: 

We're always listening to Folklore by Taylor Swift. It’s so peaceful and gorgeous to have as background music. Also anything by Bon Iver.

We play sleep frequencies and yoga dream playlists before bed.

Watch: 

“It’s A Sin” on Channel 4 is a must watch. We haven’t stopped thinking about it since completing it last week.

And Escape To The Chateaux, because we love the Strawbridges! 

Follow: 

@sonsofseeds

@stanleycandle

@twoboysandafrenchie

@stanleydru

@tom.sheard

(We have to plug ourselves!)

Featured products: The Cotton Quilt in Clay and the Linen Bundle in Snow