Meet Rebecca Cox and Debra Vigna of Lily Spindle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Cox and Debra Vigna.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Although we’ve been friends for nearly a decade and immersed in the design/art world forever, it wasn’t until a trip to La Saladita, Mexico with our husbands, as we swam, ate, drank, read, surfed, and relaxed, that we got to seriously, deeply talking about our mutual love of interiors, textiles, and art (the shared love of animals was already firmly established). Having worked with and for small, independent, entrepreneurial people for so many years, we had lots of natural inspiration to galvanize us into just going for it and launching our own design studio. And once we did it, we were like, what the heck took us so long?

The name “Lily Spindle” derives from a few things – the love for one of our hilarious and beautiful rescue dogs, Lily (you can see her all over our website), a nod to the classic, timeless, typically cylindrical wood rails in the backside of benches and dining chairs hailing from early 17th century to present-day, and our desire to merge our personalities to create a new persona of sorts – Lily Spindle, who we imagine is a fun, well-read sexy tomboy who’s always (seemingly) effortlessly put together.

Nearly four years later, here we are, several more rescue dogs deep and gleefully beautifying spaces all over Southern California.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
When we began Lily Spindle in 2015, we’d intended to have an actual brick-and-mortar storefront and design studio where we’d meet with clients as well as sell vintage and contemporary art, furniture, lighting, accessories, rugs – you name it. Basically, the whole kit and caboodle of the things we love and regularly reach for, so to speak, in our work.

Straightaway, we got a few design clients and almost immediately, that part of the business took over, pretty much negating our inclination to launch the retail side of the business, despite having loads of experience in it. The struggle was and continues to be, what’s essentially an expected struggle of entrepreneurship – embracing the organic path and navigation of your business and its evolution. We’re constantly adapting to our growth and expansion with every project, every client, every consultation, every shopping trip, every gallery visit, every quirky design challenge.

Oh, and traffic. Traffic is a daily, interminable struggle.

Lily Spindle – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Both of us are heavily involved in the animal rescue community and have our respective menageries of shelter dogs and cats, so we know all about living well, comfortably, and beautifully with incorrigible, furry beasties. We consider our pets to be 100% a part of the family with no compromise implied. Our philosophy is that a home doesn’t have to be either/or – beautiful design should flow naturally within the client’s lifestyle, not change it. We want our clients to be able to live with their beloved animals rather than sequestering them off to the “animal-friendly” zones of the house.

As a full-service design team, we work on everything from entire residential remodels and construction to art, paint, and color consultations and our mixed background of fine art, furniture, and interior styling and design give us a unique perspective on every space we encounter. Big fans of living a well-loved life, we eschew the “precious” and embrace the perfectly imperfect, designing spaces with loads of character, great comfort and livability, infusions of original art, and heaps of color – we really dig the color. We love including that quirky, beloved family heirloom piece or oddball portrait collection into a fresh, revitalized space.

Being married to artists, being immersed in the Los Angeles art scene, having a collective 30 years’ worth of experience in selling artwork in independently-owned galleries and restoring irreplaceable works of art in collectors’ homes, we have an ongoing and long-reaching relationship with artists in LA and beyond. This relationship undoubtedly impacts and influences our design perspective as art is a pretty vital element in our approach to designing spaces – we feel original art imparts a certain kind of character and distinction nothing else can.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
When clients who were a bit trepidatious and unsure of what they wanted at the beginning of the process, by the end of the project are blown away by how accurately we’ve captured them and are incredulous as to quite how it’s happened (and maybe utter a few enthusiastic swears in shock and awe) – that’s success.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lilyspindle.com
• Phone: 3106149778
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilyspindlelosangeles/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lilyspindle/

Image Credit:
Joe Atlas, Rita Earl Photography

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