Meet ~ Alida and Miller
The truth is we have always had a style crush on mother – daughter duo of Kit Bettison and Marg Scholley. Their eclectic, unique style is as wonderful as it is colourful. You will not be disappointed flicking through their portfolio.
From interiors, events and renovations – this dynamic pair will do any space justice. Recently we sat down with both parts of the Alida & Miller team – and asked them a few things we were dying to know.
Tell us a bit about yourselves and where and how it all began?
Marg : We are a mother/daughter team based in Bangalow and Byron Bay.
Kit's background was in fashion styling for the last twelve years, and I have been flipping houses for twenty-five years.
We decided that collaborating together sounded like a great idea, so, Alida and Miller was born (Alida is Kit’s middle name) (and Miller is my son Toms middle name ) We set up shop in a spare room in my house in Bangalow, in 2013 and have added 2 more staff members to the mix. Kit and myself have the same aesthetics and we both bring different opinions to the table. Kit will make me look at a style from a younger point of view, and I will rein her in when she goes over the top. The outcome..... magic.
We can't believe how successful the business has become. We feel so grateful, and privileged to be working with such wonderful clients and putting our all into their projects for the last 5 years.
So who’s the boss? Tell us about your partnership?
Kit: Mum likes to say she is the boss, I like to say we are business partners. We are very lucky that we get to work in this environment, working with your mum gives you the flexibility of being able to work full time and raise 2 young boys. And when bouncing ideas off each other, we are not afraid to be honest and brutal, which makes us far more productive.
Your website is looking amazing, tell us a little bit about your most recent projects?
Kit & Marg : Thank you, the amazing Sophie Bell at Peppa Hart designs our website, we have a few big projects that we have just finished. An amazing holiday home at Coopers Shoot that needed a complete gut and Reno, and the Light Years Vietnamese Restaurant in Byron Bay. As for current projects, we actually have a few commercial projects this year, which is a fun road to go down. We have a large country pub just outside of Bathurst that we are renovating, and a surf resort in Sumatra that is still in the early stages. We are also working on some fun local new builds. and a big wedding thrown in for good measure.
Kit you seem to travel often - tell us where you feel most inspired?
Kit: I recently returned home from Palm Springs, and I have never felt more inspired in my life, it was very special to experience. I am a complete history nerd, I’m more inspired by eras than trends, that's why Palms Springs was so magical to me, it felt like a beautifully preserved time capsule. We stayed at the Parker, so I felt like I was in an Old Black and White movie.
What do you love most about the art form of putting a space together?
Kit & Marg: We love getting to know the client, their lifestyle, and how they want to use the space. Being able to choose paint colours, tiles, flooring, soft furnishings, furniture, art and decor items for a space, and watching that space come together, is probably our favourite and most rewarding part of our job. We are so pleasured that people trust us to come into their home and curate such a personal space, we take it very seriously, and hope that they can see the thought and care that we put into all our projects.
Kit, you are a young mum of two adorable boys… how do you juggle it?
Kit: Having flexible hands on husband, and working with my mum helps. The kids always come first, so I'm lucky that Mum lets me drop everything if I have to tend to the boys. And forcing my self to be super organised, I have to do everything the night before, so the mornings are less stressful, and we all get to work/ kindly on time. I'm also lucky that I have an amazing group of girlfriends, who encourage and support me with being a working mother and business owner. They totally understand the challenges that I face (as most of my girlfriends are also working mums) so I think it’s important to have caring and understanding friends around you, it definitely makes my life as a working mother that much easier.
We have always appreciated their support at The Bare Road and rely on their good taste to decorate our office and showroom. Marg wears the Jordy Split Tee and Kit wears the May Dress – both in white.
Featured are some bright and beautiful captures of one of our favourite new establishments in Byron Bay’s buzzing town centre Light Years – serving modern Vietnamese cuisine – the Alida & Miller influence speaks for itself.
alidaandmiller.com
Shop the styles.
Jordy Tee Dress Blanc (left) + May Dress Blanc (right).