Essex decluttering queens Charlotte Reddington-Smith and Gemma Lilly talk to Rebecca Pitcairn about their first product collection and why celebs cannot get enough of their space-saving solutions
A few years ago, a new trend emerged in the wellbeing sector for decluttering. Based on the mantra ‘tidy house, tidy mind’ the revolution saw a rise in duster-wielding social media stars and influencers aiming to ‘spark joy’ with their Mary Kondo-esque home cleaning and organisation techniques.
Here in the UK, Essex friends Charlotte Reddington-Smith and Gemma Lilly realised a gap in the market for those who didn’t just want a clean and tidy home, but a domestic style makeover that focused not only on organisation but style.
“I suppose we’re a bit like the Trinny and Susannah of home makeovers only a bit kinder,” says Gemma, referring to Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine, the stylists who presented BBCs What Not to Wear in the early 2000s and were known for their straight-talking and often brash fashion advice. “We’re people pleasers, me in particular,” adds Charlotte. “We just really enjoy making people happy.”
Since setting up Style Sisters in 2018, the Loughton duo have transformed hundreds of homes and when the bubbly pair are off duty, life isn’t much different. We sit down to chat the day after Mother’s Day, but instead of putting their feet up on the one day of the year it’s deemed more than acceptable for mothers to do so, they tell me they both spent the day rushing around after their kids and, believe it or not, cleaning. “Yeah I was helping my parents clean out their kitchen,” laughs mum-of-two Charlotte. “But then it’s what I enjoy doing so I can’t really complain. It was my kind of Mother’s Day!”
The Essex home stylists, who have become social media stars thanks to their dedication to creating colour-coordinated cupboards and closets for celebrities such as Rita Ora, Amanda Holden and Stacey Solomon, aren’t actually sisters, but best friends that met while they were in Sixth Form at West Hatch High School, in Chigwell.
“We weren’t actually friends back then, we knew each other as we did similar classes and said hi, but didn’t really hang out together,” says Charlotte, explaining that it wasn’t until a few years later when they both fell pregnant at the same time that they re-connected.
“We were 21 and there weren’t many others our age having kids so we didn’t really have a clue what to expect,” adds Gemma. “When we found out we were pregnant within six weeks of each other, we bonded over baby stuff and have been pretty inseparable ever since.”
Having followed similar creative career paths – Charlotte trained in interior design and Gemma as a fashion stylist, setting up the Bonnie and Clyde fashion boutique in Loughton before the pair joined forces – and keen for a job they could fit around bringing up their children, they decided to merge their two specialisms and launched Style Sisters.
“We started doing wardrobe detoxes, but it’s since evolved into styling of other rooms – often clients call us back to organise their playroom or kitchen,” says mum-of-one Gemma. “And you’d laugh at how many husbands think it’s all a load of rubbish at first, then end up asking us to sort out their wardrobe space, too!”
The pair’s success is also a prime example of the power and influence of social media – their first client happened to be a Love Island winner, who posted pictures of her wardrobe detox on Instagram and within hours Charlotte and Gemma were inundated with enquiries.
“It was like some sort of divine intervention,” says Gemma, remembering the experience. “Then, once we started doing some other well-known names, it just snowballed.”
“It was before lockdown and, at that time, no one had that sort of access to behind the doors of these celebrity homes and people couldn’t get enough of the transformations,” Charlotte adds.
Now with 279,000 Instagram followers, Gemma, 35, and Charlotte, 36, count Michelle Visage, Georgia Toffolo, Rochelle and Marvin Humes, Gemma Collins, Kimberley Walsh, Jamie and Jools Oliver, Lisa Snowdon, Frankie Bridge and Vogue and Spencer Williams among their client list, and regularly appear on ITVs This Morning offering their top decluttering tips. However, there are some hacks the pair don’t necessarily follow themselves.
“Decanting wouldn’t go well for me,” admits Gemma of the trend for transferring groceries from packets and boxes into uniform glass containers. “Everything would just go off!”
“We’re realistic,” adds Charlotte. “There’s not a lot on Instagram that’s real so we try to delve deep into how our clients live their lives. We don’t want to create more stress, we’re there to eliminate it.”
In 2021, the pair published a book, Style Sisters: Helping you live an organised & stylish life, featuring their top home style advice and, this spring, they launched their first product range – a “natural next step” for them.
Starting from just £8, the range, which is available from Next and Very, features boucle storage baskets and bags, slimline clothes hangers, foldable storage boxes and a children’s play box in a stylish mix of monochrome and soft neutrals to help minimise clutter.
“It’s a mix of products we struggle to find when looking for solutions for our clients and also more stylish versions of products already out there, such as the velvet covered hangers, which are a real game changer when it comes to organising your wardrobe,” explains Gemma.
But the biggest challenge they tackle for their clients is space and making that space more functional. “Spaces need to be functional and easy to maintain and everyone will have different spaces to work with. Not everyone has space for a play room, for example, so it’s about making the storage solutions you have in your living room fit in with your style,” says Charlotte. “Unfortunately, as much as we’d like to, we can’t magic space, although I think some of our clients do think we have a magic wand!”
Follow Style Sisters on Instagram @stylesisters
