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softlife

20A softer society for ambitious women19

A members' house in London for women who build big things at a humane pace. Pilates before pastries, suppers that run long, and a reading room where nobody asks what you do.

Become a member See the week
A woman in a pink tracksuit stretched out on a blue velvet sofa

The softlife principle

We think the good life is not a race. Rest is a strategy. Softness is a strength. A slow morning is a perfectly serious plan, and the best ideas turn up somewhere between the second coffee and the long way home. So we built a house for doing less, beautifully, together.

Founded in 2019 by Margot Ellery and eleven very tired friends. Eight hundred members later, the chairs are still the point.

Read Margot's note

A week, softly

Seven days, seven colours, one easy rhythm. Drop in for one or do the lot — the calendar resets every Monday and nobody keeps score.

  1. A woman stretching on a reformer in a white studio lined with arched mirrors

    Slow-start pilates

    Mon · Oxblood · 8:00

    Reformer class, then pastries on the terrace.

  2. A woman working at a laptop at a white table in a calm, sunlit room

    Desk & dumplings

    Tue · Crimson · 10:00

    Quiet co-working with a very long lunch.

  3. A woman in a striped jumper reading in bed under a white blanket

    Reading in bed

    Wed · Peony · 20:00

    The reading room after dark. Pyjamas encouraged.

  4. A supper table set with tall candles, dried flowers, grapefruit and glasses

    Supper club

    Thu · Blush · 19:30

    One long table, a guest cook, no phones.

  5. A swimmer gliding underwater through a turquoise pool

    Late swim

    Fri · Baby blue · 18:00

    Lido laps and something cold after.

  6. A woman in a grey cardigan holding a bouquet of pink and white flowers at a market stall

    Market run

    Sat · Powder · 9:00

    Flowers, bread and the week's gossip.

  7. A breakfast tray with two coffees and croissants on rumpled white sheets

    Do nothing day

    Sun · Linen · All day

    Breakfast in bed, officially.

Four clubs, one house

Every member belongs to all four. Turn up when you like, leave when you're sleepy, and bring the friend who needs it most.

Things we're soft on

The house moodboard — whatever somebody pinned to the wall by the stairs this season.

The soft edit

Things from the house you can take home, made in small runs with people we like.

A pink pyjama set with white piping on a hanger
A lit candle in a glass beside pastel macarons on a windowsill
A pink notebook and a gold pen among peonies on a white desk
A bathtub of pink water scattered with dried flowers

Sunday silk set

Washed silk · Peony · S–XL

Pyjamas cut loose enough for a long lie-in and smart enough for the door when the pastries arrive.

£120

Slow hour candle

Fig leaf · Linen · Smoke

Poured in the house kitchen. Burns for sixty slow evenings, or one very long bath.

£38

Do-less planner

Undated · Cloth bound

One task per day and a whole page for lunch plans. Comes with a gold pen and no guilt.

£24

Petal soak

Rose · Pink salt · 400 g

Dried petals and pink salt for a bath that takes up the whole evening on purpose.

£28

Notes from the reading room

All notes
  1. Two wine glasses casting long afternoon shadows across a table
    Rituals

    The case for the two-hour lunch

    Why our best decisions get made over a second course, and how to defend your calendar for one.

    6 min read

    Read the note
  2. A hand resting by an open white envelope on a wooden table
    Work

    How to say no, softly

    Five polite sentences for turning down the meeting that could have been a voice note.

    4 min read

    Read the note
  3. A stack of pink and red books on a white table
    Reading

    Twelve books for a slow Sunday

    The members' shortlist, from a beach-house mystery to the essay everyone underlined twice.

    8 min read

    Read the note
Margot Ellery, the founder, in a dusty-pink silk blouse, resting her chin on her hand

Dear you,

I started softlife in 2019 after a year of saying yes to everything and enjoying almost none of it. I wanted a place where ambitious women could rest without apologising — somewhere with good chairs, better soup and a ban on the word hustle.

Six years on there are eight hundred of us. We run companies, raise children, write books and occasionally do absolutely nothing. All of it counts.

Come for a slow morning. Stay for supper.

Margot

Margot Ellery · Founder

Join the club

Three ways in. No joining fee, no minimum term, and all of them include the good chairs.

Good questions

Anything else, write to us — a real person answers within a day.

hello@softlife.example
Do I need to be a member to visit?

No. A day pass gets you through the door for any one session plus the reading room. Most members started that way.

Who is the house for?

The house is built for women and non-binary people. Guests of any gender are welcome at supper club and on open evenings.

Can I pause my membership?

Yes, for up to three months a year and without a fee. Life happens; so do long holidays.

Is there a joining fee?

No joining fee and no minimum term. Cancel any time with thirty days' notice.

Can I bring my laptop?

In Office Hours and the garden, yes. The reading room and the supper table are screen-free.

Do you host private events?

Founding circle members can host suppers for up to twenty guests. Ask us about birthdays and book launches.

A bright pink front door under a white fanlight on a red-brick house framed by ivy

Come over

The house

14 Linden Row
London W11 2QP

Hours

Mon–Fri 7:30–23:00
Sat–Sun 9:00–23:00

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