Gillian Reith finds things for her home when stocking up on crafts to sell in her boutique

By Heather Macleod
Published on 26/05/2012 20:48

WHILE their cafe is named after Anton Chekhov’s play about Three Sisters who are dissatisfied with their life, Scottish siblings Gillian, Nichola and Linsey Reith feel quite the opposite after realising their collective dream of creating a 21st-century food haven.

Last October, the trio of food fanatics opened Three Sisters Bake, a 50-seater cafe-restaurant in Quarriers Village, Renfrewshire, and it has quickly established itself as a standout destination for quality, fresh homemade food.

All three are currently spinning plenty of tea plates, but for eldest sister Gillian, 32, who is about to give birth to her first child, life is serving up several significant milestones.

“My partner, Douglas Blair, opens his diamond design workshop, Blair and Sheridan, the week before the baby is due, and we’re putting the finishing touches to the nursery after a major renovation to our flat,” she says, during a rare moment of relaxation in her home on Glasgow’s Southside.

“The flat is on the third floor of a traditional Victorian tenement but we are determined to stay on and enjoy it for a few years as we put so much blood, sweat and tears into making it exactly right for us. It was originally Douglas’s student pad, but he had to move out when the entire building was undergoing structural renovation.

“We got together round about then so that, and the building work, gave us the impetus to take the flat back to a shell.

“Douglas carried out most of the work himself, while his father project managed, and all our friends rallied round. We installed a new kitchen and bathroom, restored the wooden floorboards and skirting boards, and redecorated in a style that combines our respective tastes.”

As Douglas shares Gillian’s appetite for bold colours, the generously proportioned, two-bedroom flat comes with a fresh, irreverent approach seasoned with a 1970s retro feel.

The walls in the runway-sized hall are painted in Dulux 1977, a groovy turquoise shade. This space comfortably absorbs the couple’s most recent vintage find, an oversize G-plan sideboard.

Gillian and Douglas enjoy reinventing pieces inherited from friends and family, or furniture found in architectural salvage yards and charity shops.

“Things have come full circle in the dining area of our living room as when Douglas was a student, my parents gave him our old dining room table,” says Gillian, who has known Douglas since she was 14.

Living in neighbouring Renfrewshire villages, the couple shared the same network of friends, so stayed in touch while Douglas studied silversmithing and jewellery at Glasgow School of Art and Gillian went travelling after graduating in English from the University of Strathclyde.

“We were always great friends and I often used this flat as a crash pad in between my travels to Europe and Australia,” says Gillian. “It was only when I returned to Scotland full-time that we started going out together. Now I’m back at my family dining table.”

Now the refurbishment is finished, Douglas is devoting his attention to launching Blair and Sheridan, which will specialise in bespoke jewellery, engagement and wedding rings.

Given his arts background, it’s not surprising that Douglas has turned the base metal of the flat into gold. He even recovered the dining room chairs in a retro turquoise colour, as well as the wooden rocking chair made by his grandfather. Jewel-like shades of turquoise and lime define the dining zone, with the colours of the Sanderson wallpaper, Brighton Houses, echoed in the living area.

“Our 1970s-style three-seater sofa was a half-price bargain from Fraser’s as no-one wanted lime green, but it was exactly what we were looking for,” says Gillian. “We’ve jazzed it up with a lambswool rug from Avoca handweavers (www.avoca.ie). When I lived in Dublin I fell in love with these rugs; the way they use colour is amazing. 

“I’m particularly proud of my vintage flying ducks, much to the amazement of my grandmother, but our most recent purchase is a Timorous Beasties cushion from their thistle collection; it’s the ultimate pre-baby treat.”

With red lacquered cabinetry, purple Amtico floor tiles and lime splashback, the kitchen is the smallest room in the flat, and Gillian accurately describes it as a “Mary Poppins handbag of a room”, with creative storage solutions.

As well as being chief barista at the Three Sisters Bake, Gillian is the main buyer for the cafe’s craft boutique and admits that some of her favourite home accessories often find their way back to her kitchen.

“We stock Gillian Kyle mugs, tea towels, aprons and baby clothes, and I love all of it. Her new range has a nostalgic feel to it and is inspired by trips to the Scottish seaside.

“I love her Cremola Foam teatowels, which I bought before they made it to the shop’s shelves.

“Creating a cafe and craft boutique has been our dream since we used to help our Gran make tablet for her sweetie shop in Kirriemuir, and as our mum was a home economics teacher, cooking and baking is in our blood.”

Working in a variety of places – including yachts and ski chalets – the Reith sisters have spent years cooking and tasting their way around the world, as well as working in some of Glasgow’s most notable eateries.

After experiencing the café culture and relaxed neighbourhood eateries in Australia, they were inspired to open Three Sisters Bake in their old stomping ground of Renfrewshire, where they are forging links with like-minded businesses.

“Wilson Davis Art Gallery & Framer is a neighbouring business which sells lots of work by local artists, including some gorgeous paintings by the gallery’s co-owner, Emma Davis,” says Gillian.

“She uses lovely pastel colours in lots of her paintings which we thought would work perfectly in our nursery. I’m sure the baby won’t appreciate the gesture for another 18 years or so but we love it.

“In contrast to the rest of the flat, our bedroom is fairly muted and calm. We both love photography and found a fantastic print by a local photographer, Stuart Brown, of the Beresford building on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow. Stuart exhibits at the Merchant Square craft fair ever week.”

If Gillian could bottle the magic ingredients which make up Three Sisters Bake it would be a heady mix of passion, colour and fun, just like her home. And just in case you’re wondering if the strong female line is set to continue, Gillian is expecting a baby girl.

Three Sisters Bake, Sommerville Weir Hall, Quarriers Village, Renfrewshire (01505 228 087, {http:// www.threesistersbake.co.uk|www.threesistersbake.co.uk|www.threesistersbake.co.uk} ).

Blair and Sheridan, 417 Great Western Road, Glasgow (

{http:// www.blairandsheridan.co.uk |www.blairandsheridan.co.uk|www.blairandsheridan.co.uk} )