Luxury dog bedding specialist Charley Chau is celebrating its tenth birthday. From a quirky little hobby sewing dog beds on the sitting room floor to happy customers in over sixty countries around the world – this is the story of how a love of dogs and a passion for interior design led to the creation of an award-winning, family-run British business.
 
Charley Chau was founded ‘by accident’ after endless frustrating searches for a dog bed that was both comfortable and stylish. Prompted by yet another disastrous dog bed purchase that went lumpy after one wash sisters Christine and Jenny Chau sat on the sitting room floor one afternoon and hand-stitch two Snuggle Beds for Christine’s Italian Greyhounds, Charley and Anna.

The dogs absolutely loved the Snuggle Beds and after posting photos on Facebook, Christine was inundated by friends asking her to make beds for their dogs. And so, in August 2010, Charley Chau was born – no shiny business plan, no plan at all in fact, just a passion for creating dog beds that were super-cosy, stylish and practical.
 
Charley Chau was meant to be a quirky little hobby but in 2012, the sisters found that their small business had  taken on a life of its own and it was no longer possible to fit it in around their jobs in the City. It was decision time – close down or give up their successful City careers. Charley Chau won and the sisters have never looked back.
 
Sadly, Charley left this world suddenly and unexpectedly in 2019 but, as the company that bears his name enters its second decade, he leaves a brilliant legacy. From humble beginnings on the sitting room floor, Charley Chau’s customers range from ordinary dog folk to baronesses and billionaires across the globe, all with one thing in common – they want the absolute best for their dogs!
 
Experts in Canine Comfort
Dogs spend an average of twelve to fourteen hours snoozing each day, so Charley Chau takes canine comfort very seriously. Christine is responsible for creative design at Charley Chau and she obsesses over every little detail to ensure that their beds are as comfortable as caninely possible. The obsessive attention to detail shows in the time that the company takes in designing and testing Charley Chau dog beds.
 
The Ducky Donut Bed was six years in development but they’re confident that it’s the best donut style dog bed ever made. Forty-five metres of stitching is required to make just one large Ducky Donut Dog Bed to Charley Chau’s specification, and the sides are filled with ethically sourced duck feather pads so that a dog can squish and squash the bed to their heart’s content but it will always keep its shape.
 
It’s these seemingly small details that Charley Chau takes so much time to perfect and are what ensures a Charley Chau bed delivers the best night’s sleep for even the most discerning of dogs.
 
In September 2020, Charley Chau will come full circle when they launch their version of a bolster bed – the style of style bed that Christine purchased that prompted her to hand stitch the first Snuggle Beds for her dogs. However, the Charley Chau version – ten years on - will be a much more blissful Bolster Bed and made to Charley Chau’s standards of comfort, quality, and performance over time.
 
Style with Substance
At the time of Charley Chau’s launch most dog beds were brown, decorated with bones and pawprints, and it was accepted that they would go lumpy after being washed and need to be replaced frequently. Charley Chau set out to change that and they've been at the forefront of designing beautiful dog beds that perform over time for the last decade.
 
From the start, Charley Chau has been determined that dog beds and blankets should be as beautiful as any other soft-furnishings in our homes. This is driven by a passion for interior design (Christine studied interior design at the Chelsea College of Art) that shines through in their use of gorgeous upholstery quality fabrics in a beautiful selection of colourways that finish their beds, as well as the fibres and fillings inside them.
 
Equally, the sisters are also determined that dog beds should also be fit for purpose, long-lasting and worthy of their investment rather than short-term purchases that end up in landfill. Charley Chau are dog lovers – their gang grew to five with the addition of Tino, Theo and Mabel – and so they know about all the challenges of living with dogs and keeping a beautiful home. It’s for this reason they design to a mantra of “machine washable everything” and why all Charley Chau dog beds are available in upholstery quality fabrics with waterproof liners, spare covers, and replacement mattresses.
 
Commenting on the first ten years of keeping dogs in the comfort they deserve, Charley Chau’s co-founder Christine Chau says: “Jenny and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to combine our love of dogs with our passion for interior design and call it work. We’ve had unbelievable support from our customers and other friends over the last ten years for which we are truly grateful. It’s amazing to think that we started out by accident, sewing beds for our own dogs, with no intention of setting up a business, and yet we were named Family Business Entrepreneurs of the Year at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards. Charley has spent ten years setting a new standard for dog beds and the general dog loving public is now much more demanding when it comes to choosing the perfect bed for their dogs. I like to think that we’ve had a huge part to play in creating that shift. But this is just the first ten years … there’s still much more to come from Charley Chau!”
 
Discover the best in dog beds: www.charleychau.com  
 
For imagery: https://bit.ly/CharleyChau10
For more information: Alex@barkandbeyondpr.uk | 07791 592 011