The Ruby Thursday Collective, Lindsay Mills’ photography, online shop and kids’ décor business, began with “a plain old, boring blog” and “a really hideous chair.” Lindsay began the Ruby Thursday Collective as a DIY home décor blog, a way to satisfy and stimulate her creativity – her job as a hair stylist working from home had become monotonous. Hair initially offered an inventive opportunity, playing with “texture and colour and palate,” she says, but it became too easy for her and she craved an artistic challenge.
The first project on the blog was the transformation of an ugly, old chair into an eccentric, mid-century modern piece. She spray-painted and reupholstered it, all the while documenting the process. Taking so many pictures of her projects and her daughters, Ruby and Lila, Lindsay soon added a photography section to the site, showcasing her family photos. Soon, friends were asking her to photograph them. “It started with a random chair in a room … but family is where it was for me," says Lindsay.