ONE OF BRITAIN’S BEST-KNOWN BUSINESSWOMEN CHRISSIE RUCKER TELLS US WHY HER HOME IS HER HAVEN AND WHY WHITE ALWAYS WORKS
‘Home is somewhere we can close the door and feel instantly calm and cosseted’
a self-confessed homebird, Chrissie Rucker is making the most of the time she now has to spend at her 17th-century house in rural Buckinghamshire during lockdown. “The rare occasion when we get time to be just at home is a complete treat for me,” says the founder of The White Company. “Home has always been such a special place. Somewhere we can close the door from the outside world and feel instantly calm and cosseted.” Set in landscaped gardens, the house, which has a great hall with a mezzanine gallery, a drawing room, spacious kitchen, study as well as stables (for the family horses) and outdoor pool, is an inspiration to anyone who considers home a sanctuary. It is also one of the 12 amazing town, country and coastal houses featured in her first, which also includes her London home. It was published to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The White Company, a luxury lifestyle brand that specialises in fluffy towels, crisp bed linen and luxurious bathrobes as well as scented candles, spa bath and body treatments. Along with husband Nick Wheeler, the founder of Charles Tyrwhitt shirt company, Chrissie is part of a power couple who were ranked 301st on the most recent Rich List with a combined wealth of £452m. Not bad for someone who left school at 16 and started her business in an attic with a 12-page mail order brochure. Her home, which she shares with Nick and their children Tom, 23, Ella, 22, India, 20, and Bea, 16, and their four dogs, perfectly encapsulates her pared-down aesthetic. Decorated in a soothing, neutral palette of whites, creams, pale greys and taupes, texture is added with cashmere and linen throws, seagrass and sisal rugs, timber and stone floors and oversized cushions. Antique pieces are mixed with modern furniture and there are scented candles, diffusers and flowers throughout the house.
