Little Boyd Blue just grew into a massive success
WALKING into a Boyd Blue showroom is akin to entering an exotic wonderland filled with eclectic furniture and accessories sourced from around the globe.
From the grass weave wallpaper, a Boyd Blue inspiration featured in the most recent episode of The Block, antique foiled mirrors, rustic furniture, handblown glass accessories and pendant lighting, to bespoke soft furnishings using the vanishing art of deep diamond buttoning, every piece has been hand-picked by Shelley Boyd.
The passionate entrepreneur is the founder of Gold Coast interiors wholesale and manufacturing business Boyd Blue.
With showrooms across the country and plans to expand to New Zealand, the business has more than 30 staff and turnover has doubled in the past three years.
A business which has become a national design empire began 15 years ago when Shelley started selling fabrics from the boot of her car.
The expat Kiwi was born into a rag trade family.
Her cousin is New Zealand fashion and design legend Marilyn Sainty.
Shelley started her own business selling children’s clothing while studying textile and design and learned pattern making in the Jag factory during school holidays.
A move to London and stints working in the famous Kings Road fashion strip and with renowned eccentric interior designer Mrs Rossiter at her department store Rossiters of Bath honed her fashion sensibility.
“I was in heaven, working with beautiful fabrics and learning all the traditional techniques,” she said.
After relocating to the Gold Coast she began selling fabrics to interior designers – her office was her car.
Shelley made the brave decision to start her own business in 1999.
“I started with a car, very little money and spent the first six months on the road before opening a showroom in Bundall Rd,” she said.
When she outgrew the showroom she moved to the current head office and warehouse in Ashmore.
From quality fabrics, Boyd Blue has added furniture and interior design products to a collection which services a high-end niche market with unique products.
Shelley travels overseas at least one week every second month to hand-pick the work of the world’s best artisans and craftspeople.
Each year, she attends the revered interior trade show in Paris – Objet De Maison – and last year for the first time attended Highpoint, the world’s largest furniture fair in the US, to ensure her product range remained cutting edge.
She has also developed her own in-house brands, Boyd and White, operates a furniture polishing and restoration service and a bespoke soft furnishings arm.
Boyd Blue products have featured at the Etihad Towers, Dubai; Jupiters and Treasury casinos; the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort, Sea Temple Palm Cove and Gold Coast restaurants, resorts and luxury homes.
Boyd Blue has showrooms in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and a recently opened threelevel flagship in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, but the Gold Coast will also remain HQ.
“I have put my heart and soul into this business. I’m proud Boyd Blue has grown and survived for 15 years, employing a fantastic local team, and manufacturing right here on the Gold Coast,” Shelley said.
“I think what sets us apart is our focus on customer service and attention to detail; I am committed to providing our clients inspirational and beautiful products and working with them through every stage of the design process.”