5 Things You Need To Know About Haven In A Box

5 Things You Need To Know About Haven In A Box

We spill the secrets behind our game-changing new product. It’s the next best thing to having us in your home!

We never thought we’d be thanking Covid, but here we are. Last Spring, as the pandemic raged, we realized something. There was no shortage of people needing help finding order in the chaos. Confined to their homes, our community was increasingly fed up with their clutter. As clients continued to ask for our help, we began to evaluate. Was there an easier, safer way to reach more people and help them reimagine their homes? Then we had an idea. Could we create a one-of-a-kind home-makeover experience, and deliver it directly to your door? Spoiler: we could. Covid, or no Covid, this new product is a game-changer. It’s an organizing experience like no other. A year in the making, we are thrilled to finally share it with you! So, yes, thank you, Covid. Without you, Haven in a Box might never have seen the light of day - and, for that, we’re truly grateful!

What is Haven in a Box?

A game-changing kit that delivers a home organizing experience like no other. It’s the next best thing to having us in your home.

Is this just for closets?

Yup. For the time being. We kicked off with the Closet Edition because we believe - now more than ever - a good day starts with a great outfit. We want to empower you to start every day feeling like your most pulled-together, confident self. Believe us when we say: this kit will change the way you dress.

Will there be more Boxes available?

More editions are in the works. We’re currently working on Kitchen and Home Office versions - watch this space!

Is it easy to use?

You bet! Haven in a Box is an interactive experience that allows you to go at your own pace. You’ll be guided through every aspect of a closet transformation, from honing your signature style, to editing, organizing, styling and maintaining your closet. Video tutorials help bring our organizing techniques to life. And each product is designed to work together to transform your space from the inside out.

What's included?

We spent a year pulling together all our favorite closet-organizing products. Some we made, and some we sourced from our go-to brands. Every item has been carefully selected to work together to ensure a seamless closet-makeover experience.

HERE’S THE RUN DOWN:

• The Maison Haven Closet Guide
  A 50+ page step-by-step guide to creating your dream closet. Everything you need to transform your closet - from editing, organizing, styling and maintenance - is in here.

• Closet tutorials
  Our organizing techniques brought to life! Learn how to transform your closet like a pro

• Seasonal Closet Reset Notepad
  A personalized system to keep your closet in shape season after season. This is a key step in maintaining your dream closet.

• Decode Your Style workbook
  A great closet means clothes that make you feel like your best self. Our digital workbook will teach you how to hone - then own - your signature style.

• 4 easy-to-attach labels to organize your off-season wear

• A set of our five custom Edit Labels to keep the all-important purge on track

• A set of 10 rail dividers to overhaul your hanging space

• A Steamery fabric shaver to keep knitwear in tip-top condition

• A Merchant & Mills rapid repair kit - a first-aid kit for your clothes!

• A chic Laundry Care & Stain Remover guide (bye bye washing woes)

• Steamery Clothes & Shoe Mist - keep items fresh (less washing = less carbon footprint)

• Our signature candle to add a dose of luxe to your closet.

How can I get my hands on one?

We’re glad you asked! Click HERE to order your Haven in a Box and begin your closet- transformation journey. Your closet deserves this, and so do you.

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Women's Equality

women’s equality

August 26th marks 100 years since women secured the right to vote. But there’s still work to be done. Here’s our round-up of the female voices leading the charge. Prepare to be inspired!

Some say hindsight is 2020. We say 2020 has been eye-opening. A global pandemic, murder hornets, dust clouds, extreme political division, egregious imbalances, social unrest...and it’s only August.

This month marks one hundred years since women secured the right to vote, with the passing of the 19th Amendment. Women’s Equality Day (August 26th) is a day both to celebrate this victory, and to highlight the continued struggle towards full equality. There’s still more work to be done. Did you know that in 44 states insurance companies use gender to determine a driver’s car insurance rate? (Guess which gender pays more...) Or that the average salary for men is roughly 19% higher than for women (and 25% higher than women of color)?

Historically (and personally) speaking, change is difficult and best served with a side of inspiration. So, with that in mind, we are championing the very best and brightest voices to guide your way. We say strong women with a view are always in style.

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BOOKS

We should all be feminists 
Tiny book. Big ideas. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explores what it means to be a women in the twenty-first century.

Gross Anatomy: A Field Guide to Loving Your Body, Warts and All
Sweat, body hair, cleavage… Mara Altman is asking all the right questions. 

Shortchanged: Why Women Have Less Wealth And What Can Be Done About It 
Raise your hand if you would like to know why women have less wealth? Mariko Lin Chang will explain and share solutions for increasing your financial situation.

Men Explain Things to Me
A pre-mansplaining, Rebecca Solnit penned her critique on male arrogance. 

My Own Words
The woman, the myth, the legend. The Notorious RBG. Need we say more?

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PODCASTS

Encyclopedia Womannica
Not your average high school history class. Spoiler alert – women were there too.

Unladylike
With the tag line, “stay curious. Build empathy. Raise Hell.” What’s not to love?

The High Low
The perfect mix of high to low brow. Brits Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes deliver a blend of water-cooler gossip and hard-hitting journalism. 

Dare I Say
Conversations with the most influential women of our time. And yes, we dare you.

Women Rule
Boss ladies sharing their secrets – the key to success and the journey to achieve it.

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CHANGEMAKERS

Alice Walker
As the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction (The Color Purple, 1982), this 76-year-old is still an engaged social activist fighting for change.

Sheryl Sandberg
The COO of Facebook wrote in her 2013 debut book Lean In, “a truly equal world would be one where women ran half our countries and companies and men ran half our homes”. Check out leanin.org and join a virtual community designed to support, connect and inform.

Malala Yousafzai
She is 23, the youngest Nobel Prize laureate, survived a murder attempt and continues to be a fierce advocate for female education. 

Tarana Burke
Every wondered who started the Me Too Movement? It was Tarana and she wants us all to break the silence and stand up for ourselves.

Amanda Nguye 
CEO and Founder of Rise, Amanda works hard to effect policy, champions for us to rise up and change the world. Oh, and she’s training to become an astronaut.

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INSTAGRAM

Jameela Jamil
She calls herself a feminist-in-progress and we cannot get enough of her @i_weigh movement.

Female Founder Collective
A community where women are celebrated, encouraged, and inspired. Scroll, double-tap, repeat. 

Rupi Kaur
Poet, photographer, artist. A true triple ‘threat’.

MAKERS Women 
Ignite passion. Take action. Yes, please. We just got chills.

Gloria Steinem
A woman who needs no explanation.

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RESOURCES

Oya 
The first mobile app to find women-owned business near you. There are 11 million of them – go find them!

Daily Worth 
A judgment-free zone for all things financial.

Maven
Founded by Katherine Ryder, Maven bills itself as ‘a new type of healthcare company that puts women and modern families at the center.’ Their high-tech platform offers affordable access to medical professionals.

Female Founder Collective 
Designer, Rebecca Minkoff, has fashioned another hit - a platform of businesses led by women, supporting women. Their mission is to empower women-owned businesses to positively impact our communities. 

Hey Mama Co 
A community to connect working moms. They know the juggle is real and are here to help.

Want free swag?

Join our HAVEN INSIDER program to unlock freebies, discounts and more!

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Starting a Biz With Your Best Friend

Starting a biz with your best friend

What’s it really like to navigate entrepreneur life with your BFF? We’re sharing our start-up secrets.

Like all great ideas, HAVEN was born over a glass (or three) of wine. Could we turn our nerdy organizing addiction into a legitimate business? Could our style backgrounds (me: magazine editor; Jen: Burberry lawyer) bring a fresh angle to the home organizing industry? And, most important of all, could our friendship survive launching a business together? The answer to all three was an emphatic YES (this could have been the wine talking).

But the path from lightbulb moment to launch was l-o-n-g. It was hard not to get ahead of ourselves in the beginning. We were so energized by the idea of running our own show, and doing something we were passionate about. But we forced ourselves to slow down, to put in the research, to become experts in our field and to learn about our clients and competitors.

The single most important thing we did was to reach out to other female entrepreneurs for help. And once we started, we couldn’t stop. We were absolutely blown away by the talent around us. Why hadn’t we noticed – and celebrated - all these smart, brilliant women forging their own paths and blazing their own trails? And now, because we’re all in this together (a rising tide lifts all boats, right?), we want to pay it forward and share our advice with you.

Here are 4 lessons we learnt launching Maison Haven...

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Get the tough talk out of the way. This applies no matter how long you’ve known your business partner/team. Launching a business with another person means there’s Nowhere. To. Hide. So define your roles. Discuss finances. Work through any hard stuff that could come back to bite you later on. Jen and I have learnt more about each other in the past nine months than we have in 25 years. Sure, we’ve seen each other through heartbreak and career highs, through weddings and the birth of our kids, but nothing takes a friendship to the next level like a grumpy 5.30am phone call to plan your business strategy. After witnessing my colossal ability to procrastinate – a two-month quest to find the ‘perfect’ font for our website is just one example - Jen nicknamed me Steve Jobs (after the famously obsessive cofounder of Apple). And while it’s illuminating to watch Jen flex her lawyer muscle (there is no better negotiator around), I’ve never loved my high-flying biz partner more than the moment she confessed she didn’t know how to take a screenshot on her phone.

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Prepare to work your ass off. Launching a business is f*cking hard. Someone once told me you can work 40 hours a week for someone else, or 80 hours a week for yourself. Go in with your eyes wide open. And know that the business will only grow as fast as you do. So the answer is to put the time in, then put the time in again. With four kids between us, Jen and I snatch working hours when we can. This often means late nights and dawn starts (thank god for Touché Eclat).

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Play to your strengths. Aside from both being uber-organized (a definite plus when you’re launching a home organizing business), Jen and I have very different skillsets. So we use the ‘divide and conquer’ approach. As the grown-up in our partnership, Jen handles the big-girl-pants side of the business: registering the company, opening bank accounts, drawing up contracts, becoming fluent in Quickbooks – tasks that make my brain melt down. As a former magazine editor, I handle the creative side: the branding, the website, the words, the logo. While we both have opinions, we’re also smart enough to know when to back off and let the other person do their thing.

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Done is better than perfect. For all the perfectionists out there (yes, I’m guilty) resist the urge to tinker with every last detail. Do your due diligence, prepare as much as you can but know that sometimes you have to cross your fingers and hope for the best. What’s the worst that can happen? You fail? As Arianna Huffington once said: ‘Failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of the success’. So adopt Maison Haven’s ‘better an oops than a what if’ approach and go for it!

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Join our HAVEN INSIDER program to unlock freebies, discounts and more!

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