Birds of a feather
We meet three besties, busy mums and business partners, Bonnie, Erin and Lana, aka Three Birds
Hi Bonnie, Erin and Lana. How did you all meet?
We’ve been best friends for almost 20 years and have seen each other through all the ups and downs of life; meeting and marrying our husbands, starting families (we now have nine beautiful kids between us), and juggling busy careers.
What sparked your brave leap into entrepreneurship?
We were desperate for a change from our corporate jobs so Bonnie and Erin, who had job-shared for years, decided to go out on their own to start a new career flipping houses. They called on Lana as the marketing brains behind their new venture… and Three Birds Renovations was hatched. None of us had actually renovated a house before but Bonnie’s parents are keen renovators and Bon’s got it in her genes! So we went from there and learnt on the job. We make no secret that we’re completely self-taught and employ professional trades on the tools rather than DIY. We took a leap of faith and have never looked back!
“We took a leap of faith and have never looked back!”
What’s the secret to working together and maintaining your friendship?
The beauty of our distinct roles within the business is that we each have our own area of responsibility (Bonnie – Creative Director, Erin – Operations Director and Lana – Marketing Director) which means that disagreements are few and far between and that definitely helps keep our friendships intact. We always consult each other on the big decisions but are lucky that we generally agree! Believe it or not, the biggest challenge we face is coordinating the three of us. With nine kids between us, we’re all busy juggling ‘mum life’, so after taking our troops to extra-curricular activities and keeping up with our day jobs, there’s not much time to get us all in the same place at the same time.
Where do you draw design inspiration from?
We gather design inspiration from many places. Travel (yay, we’re so excited to be flying again after a two-year hiatus!), hotels, glossy mags and Instagram are all great sources of inspo for us.
Most memorable project?
That’s like making us choose a favourite child! Each of our 14 homes to date has a special story behind it. Let’s give a special mention to our most recent project, House 14, aka the Three Birds Dream Home. Five years ago, we had the idea (some would say a crazy idea), to one day create a Three Birds home that people could buy and build on their block of land. And this became a reality! We teamed up with legend builders, Rawson Homes, to create an exclusive Knock Down Rebuild package that allows people to build their very own Three Birds Dream Home on their block. It has been meticulously designed by us, bringing together all the best design features from our most loved homes. This home truly is the ‘Best of the Birds’. Every fixture and fitting was hand-selected by us. No detail has been spared: from skirting boards to wall sconces, tapware to tiles, all the design choices have been made by us to deliver our signature coastal-cool style.
Most treasured item on your bedside table?
Well, that depends on the week, and the Bird! We’re constantly re-styling our homes but chances are you’ll find a gorgeous scented ECOYA candle, a vase with a pop of greenery, and hopefully a piping hot coffee.
@threebirdsrenovations | threebirdsrenovations.com
Interview by Brooke Duder