Hill House Home

So here's the thing about Hill House Home-it's basically the brand that made pajamas acceptable daywear, and honestly? We're all better for it.

Founded in 2016 by Nell Diamond (a Brit who clearly understood that comfort and style shouldn't be mutually exclusive), Hill House started as a bedding company. But then came the Nap Dress in 2019, and everything changed. Picture this: a smocked bodice, flutter sleeves, and fabric so soft you could legitimately sleep in it-but it's pretty enough to wear to brunch, a wedding, or just about anywhere. During the pandemic, when we were all losing our minds in sweatpants, the Nap Dress went absolutely viral. Like, 1.2 million dresses sold kind of viral.

And the numbers back it up. The brand saw three consecutive years of 300 percent year-over-year growth, which is kind of insane when you think about it. Fashion now accounts for 87 percent of their business, with the average dress ringing in at $210. Not cheap, but not outrageous either-especially when you consider these things basically work as your entire wardrobe.

But Hill House isn't just about the dresses anymore. They've expanded into basically everything you'd want for a cozy, aesthetically pleasing life: bedding (their original thing), bath stuff, baby products, shoes, accessories, even wallpaper. It's like if your Pinterest board became a store. The brand's whole vibe is this sort of vintage-meets-modern femininity-lots of florals, smocking, and that cottagecore aesthetic that took over Instagram.

What's really interesting is how they're approaching retail. While 98 percent of their business is still online, they've been strategically opening stores in places like Rockefeller Center in NYC, Charleston (which has a coffee bar called Nell's-cute), Dallas, Palm Beach, Nantucket, and most recently, a Chicago-area location. These aren't just stores, though. They're designed to feel like you're walking into someone's beautifully decorated apartment, complete with residential decorators doing the interiors. The Charleston location even has a Pick 'n' Mix candy wall inspired by Diamond's British childhood.

The brand's also gotten smart about wholesale, partnering with Saks and Shopbop for their fashion, Maisonette for kids' stuff, and Over the Moon for bridal. But they've kept that direct-to-consumer DNA-their marketing budget is less than 5 percent of revenue because their customers basically do the marketing for them. There's even a whole community that calls itself "Nap Dress Nation," which is both adorable and brilliant.

One thing that stands out: Hill House really gets their customer. They know people want to try stuff on (hence the stores), they know people want options (hence the massive range of prints and styles), and they know people want to feel good in what they're wearing. It's not revolutionary, but it's executed really, really well. And in a world where so many brands are trying to be everything to everyone, Hill House has stayed pretty focused on their lane: pretty, comfortable, feminine pieces that make you feel like the main character in your own life.

The brand's raised over $30 million in funding and is valued at more than $150 million, which tells you investors believe in this whole "comfortable luxury" thing too. And honestly, when you see how many people are walking around in Nap Dresses-at farmers markets, on vacation, at actual events-it's clear they're onto something.