Sponsored by The Vignette Room
Getting into business with family is always one of those ‘Should I, shouldn’t I?’ scenarios. Obviously, there’s the positives: the fact you know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, you like to spend time together (most of the time!) and in the end nothing can ever really come between you. But on the other hand, as the saying goes: “You always hurt the ones you love!”
So, do you risk it? Well mother and daughter Tracey Kennedy and Jennifer Brown did, opening their homewares store The Vignette Room in Sydney’s Paddington this year. And six months on, there’s no regrets! “I think the key to our success is that we understand where the other person is coming from and realise we both want to achieve the same goal, even if we have different paths to get there,” explains Jennifer. “For the most part, we get on really well. I think the only issue comes from a slight clash in personalities. Mum is a type-A perfectionist whereas I like to allow things to take their course a little more.”
Deciding to go into business together after they spent time designing and sourcing products for Tracey’s properties, it’s quite a jump from their previous careers. With Tracey running an engineering business (which she still does on the side) and Jennifer coming from a customer service background, they realised they both loved being immersed in the home sector. “We discovered after the projects were finished, that our blend of different aesthetics worked really well,” says Jennifer. “So we thought there was an opportunity to create something together.”
Stocking a wide range of unique products, they are displayed in a way that makes you feel like you’re inside the home of a ridiculously stylish friend. “It’s so exciting to have people walk in the door and go: ‘Wow, wow, wow,'” explains Tracey. “We get a lot of feedback about how we have lots of unique products or products people have seen before but now see in a new light thanks to the unique way they have been displayed.”
Also designing a small range of side tables which Tracey makes through her engineering business, they’re hoping to expand this range in 2016. However, that’s just one of many goals for the new year! “We have a showroom expansion happening at the start of 2016 so I think we’ll be looking to expand our own fabricated metal furniture range to include other items,” says Tracey. “We also want to expand our product offering to include some unique internationally sourced products, as well as adding an interior styling/consulting and product-sourcing arm to The Vignette Room.” The world is their oyster!
