ALL IN THE FAMILY

Words: Rachel Loos

Main portrait: Catherine Hyland

Making waves

Teresa Rivera and Grant Wilkinson, exclusively shot for Christie’s International Real Estate magazine.

PARTNERS Wilkinson & Rivera

They may be married and the rising stars of U.K. furniture design, but for Teresa Rivera and Grant Wilkinson, the moment they unveil their concepts to each other still sets the heart thumping. “We design fairly independently of each other to begin with so there comes a point when we have to convince the other of our idea,” says Wilkinson. “When we’re both excited, there’s a spark between the two of us, and that’s when we start to share the drawing, passing it back and forth, drawing on top of each other’s drawings, and it becomes more collaborative.”

And if the spark fails to ignite? “We’ve learned to take criticism gracefully, but that honesty between the two of us is important; we don’t work in an echo chamber,” says Rivera.

The couple, who met at university, caught the attention of the designerati with their reimagining of the classic Windsor chair, its wavy frame making it look as though it is being viewed through water. Created during the pandemic, it was the catalyst for the launch of the company. “We posted it on social media and there was such a buzz,” says Rivera.

Their aim was to split everything 50/50. “But because of my time as an interior designer, I have experience in finance and the administrative side of things,” says Rivera, who admits to being a dab hand with a spreadsheet. Adds Wilkinson: “Likewise, I take care of production management and CAD [computer-aided design] drawings because those are the skills I’m trained in; I’m a dinosaur on anything else to do with computers.”

They both still get their hands dirty in the workshop, though. “The point of creating Wilkinson & Rivera was to have creative control and enjoy being makers,” says Rivera. “Being on the lathe, sanding and shaping, it’s an inescapable part of our business.”

With different projects on the go, plus a boisterous two-yearold to look after, the couple are strict with their time. “Things are more segmented now so if we need to talk about production, future design, certain collaborations, we need to make time for it; everything’s in a very neat Google calendar,” says Rivera.

Adds Wilkinson: “You can guess who’s responsible for that!” wilkinson-rivera.com

PARTNERS Goddard Littlefair

Martin Goddard jokes that when he married Jo Littlefair, he swapped a business contract for a marriage one. “Ironically, the anniversary of the clause that tied me to our business for five years came to an end almost to the day of our wedding,” says the interior architect—referring to an agreement the couple put in place when they started their professional partnership.

By this point, the pair had worked together for a long time as colleagues, having met 12 years earlier at another design business. Littlefair left to have children “but, design-wise, there was such a good connection that I told Martin that if he ever thought about going out on his own, to be in touch.”

This he did. Commissioned to design a spa and in need of someone who specialized in sourcing furniture and fixtures, he called on Littlefair. It was the beginning of a successful relationship that in 2012 saw them form Goddard Littlefair, which now has a team of almost 90 people in London, England, and Porto in Portugal, their elegant look winning them clients including Hilton hotels and The Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland.

However, it was not just the practice that blossomed. “We fell in love,” says Goddard. “We’d always got on well, enjoyed our time together and were comfortable in each other’s company, and as we got more immersed in doing what we love to do, it fell over into ‘I love you.’ That was a bit of a shock to both of us.”

Being together, they agree, has made both their personal and professional lives more rewarding. “It’s a passion that we live and breathe. Sitting in a hotel, our ex-partners couldn’t understand our obsession with a table top or chair leg,” says Littlefair. “Now, when we’re in a space, the two of us can unpack it and put it back together and really enjoy that experience. And it’s important for the business, too, to understand other people’s design narratives.”

“Being with the right person who understands what we do means we bring out the best in one another,” says Goddard. “And understanding what impact that has also determines how we treat our team—it’s about bringing out the best in them, too.” goddardlittlefair.com

COUSINS Kin & Company

“I have this memory of us being in a little café and sketching,” says Joseph Vidich, recalling the moment in 2017 when he and his cousin, Kira de Paola, took the first step in creating their product design business, Kin & Company. “I had ideas, Kira had ideas and then we edited them down before deciding what to make. That felt very natural, and it’s still largely the process today.”

Their easy working relationship is one forged in childhood. Although they grew up on opposite sides of the United States— Vidich in New York, de Paola in California—the pair spent a lot of time together and found they were kindred spirits. “Our moms are sisters and are close, and Joseph and I are too,” says de Paola. “We’ve always had a nice connection.”

“We were raised with shared values and reference points but, unlike siblings, we shared all of the good times and none of the bad,” adds Vidich. “There were no resentments or jealousy.”

As adults they both went into creative fields that encompassed furniture and interior design. It was Vidich’s mother who suggested the pair collaborate. By then de Paola was living in New York, “so I called Joseph up and said, ‘I have this crazy idea, let’s start a business together’—and he said, ‘let’s do it!’” she laughs.

The café sketches resulted in the launch of their first collection. Called Thin, it played with steel, making the cold, hard material appear to flow to create eye-catching sculptural tables, chairs, and bookends. Today they continue to push the boundaries of the material, selling directly to architects and interior designers.

They consider the company a third entity with an aesthetic that reflects them both but that is different to what they would do if working individually. Vidich leads on design with de Paola heading strategy, finance, and marketing. “We split what we each do in an 80/20 ratio with the 20 percent where we cross over,” says de Paola. “We also use that equation to decide who

Bridging generations makes the final decision if we disagree on something. We never get angry, no one walks away irritated or frustrated.” kinandcompany.com

Dr. Jean Laing and Kristen Laing-Herbert (right) are the mother and daughter team behind the Australian skincare brand LaGaia Unedited (below).

MOTHER & DAUGHTER LaGaia Unedited

When Kristen Laing-Herbert joined the Australian beauty and skincare company her mother, Dr. Jean Laing, created a quarter of a century earlier, the merging of two generations had a strategic as well as personal impact. “What I was seeing in the beauty industry at the time didn’t resonate with me, or my generation,” says Laing-Herbert, who came on board a decade ago, aged 23. “It was important to me that we pushed back against unrealistic beauty standards, that we were about unedited beauty and filter-free skin confidence. So, we decided on a major rebrand that brought together our two different perspectives.”

This change, which saw the company amend its name from LaGaia to LaGaia Unedited, was agreed over a bottle of wine— typifying their easy-going relationship. “We’re like any other co-workers but with more understanding and patience because we are mother/daughter,” says Laing-Herbert. “There’s a lot more love, laughs, and happy hours to bring the corporate day to an end!”

Laing long hoped her daughter would join the business. “I had to be patient while Kristen explored the world and decided what she wanted to do,” says Laing. “At the start there was a lot of mentoring but now I have slipped out of the parental role and we are co-partners, and we wouldn’t want to do it without the other.”

A skincare expert, Laing oversees product formulations; her daughter has a health science degree and is in charge of training and marketing, but is also an expert in skin technology. “We each wear a lot of hats but trust in each other’s expertise,” says Laing-Herbert. “We stay in our lane when not seeing eye to eye.”

LaGaia Unedited products, which focus on pH balance and natural ingredients, are available online and in upscale resorts and high-end spas including those in the Qantas First Lounge. “Our business is built on personalized service and we don’t filter ourselves or the cheekiness of our mother/daughter relationship,” says Laing. “Bringing our personality to the table is why people like working with us; it’s the way our business has grown.” b lagaia.com.au

Rachel Loos writes about design and style, is lifestyle editor of Grazia UK and was previously editor of Elle Decoration UK