The Carstairs Siblings

The Carstairs siblings have a unique bond that has shaped both their childhood and their professional lives. Growing up on a farm, each sibling had their own passions and interests which hinted at their future roles in the family business.

Together, the three siblings are a force to be reckoned with, taking their beautiful homeware products from Emma’s initial sketches, through production carefully overseen by Colin, to despatch into the world, with Donny steering the business through the entire process.

Colin

Production Director

Talking about their childhood Production Director Colin comments “Emma was always good at art, and music - but Donny and I never got past the recorder. I liked tinkering with the machinery. There was no shortage of tractors, balers, all sorts for me to learn from,” explains Colin.

“Donny was always into his numbers - we both were, but while I steered towards engineering, he steered towards accountancy and managing the numbers, translating the hard numbers that I can produce into turnover and whatnot.”

Recalling a funny moment that identified the difference between himself and Donny, Colin commented: “We had an old baler, and every so often you’d hear some squeaking, so you’d have to stop, check it over, realise the chain had come off, put it back on, and off you go."

"One day I was driving the grain trailer, and Donny was doing the baler. I was a few fields away from him, unloading a combine, and could see Donny down in the next field, just a speck in the distance really. I noticed a bit of smoke, and thought to myself, jokingly at that point; looks like the baler is on fire”.

And it was.

"Donny had luckily managed to unhook the tractor and drive away, and was just watching this thing burn out - it was a total mess. I said 'Donny, was there a wee bit of squeaking going on?' and he said 'yeah, it was squeaking for ages.' I said 'that’s normally when we stop and check what’s going on, and fix it'."

"So that’s how we differ; I’ll see wee problems and I’ll check them - he’s a bigger picture type of person!"

Emma

Design Director

Emma, the youngest of the three siblings, had big boots to fill when she was just a wee girl.

“I was desperate to keep up with my older brothers which resulted in all sorts of mishaps and mum used to have to empty out my pockets of worms before washing my clothes. We were all fairly feral, but we loved it.”

As they grew older, Emma recalls: “From a young age we started earning money working on the farm then to picking flowers, then wiring the stems of flowers when mum started her dried floral business on the farm; as we grew, we were given jobs with more responsibility.”

“I was good at art when we were growing up, I loved to draw, and I liked animals - you have to when you’re surrounded by them on a farm! I hated maths, I was no good at it, unlike Donny. I went to Napier University and studied Interdisciplinary Design. This course allowed me to take an idea from a brief right through to a physical thing, whether it was a product, an exhibition space, or anything in between. I loved it. At one point they showed us a video of entrepreneurial Scottish people, and my mum was in it - everyone around me was shouting 'There’s Mrs C!' It made me realise what an impressive thing my mum had done in setting up her business."

Read more about the history of Selbrae House here.

When she graduated, Emma was unsure of what to do. "I didn’t want to go into the family business, I was determined to carve my own path. I worked down in London for a consultancy but eventually a prolapsed disc in my back brought me back to Scotland. While recuperating from spinal surgery, I started doing some bits and pieces in the office for Donny when he started running mum’s artificial floral business and one thing led to another."

"I was taking briefs from companies like Matalan, Next and Aldi for faux flower arrangements and plants and bringing them to life - overseeing the process right through from brief to final product, just as I’d been doing at University. I spent seven years doing that, and then Donny took on Just Slate. We all worked as a team to muck in and get things done during those tough early years, but I instantly loved it."

Emma now designs and sources new products and costs them solely for Selbrae House. "I facilitate ideas from the whole team and bring them to life. The introduction of engraving breathed new life into my passion for drawing, and I have thoroughly enjoyed crafting illustrations of our most cherished animals. Witnessing how this unique feature adds a distinct touch and deeper significance to our products is truly fulfilling.”

"We’ve all grown in our roles here - in completely different areas and with totally different skill sets. It’s amazing what you can do when you have the freedom and space to grow. We are a small team but we like that - it’s how we work best. Donny has always been the boss; it’s just the role he falls into naturally, ever since we were kids. He’s always looked after Colin and I, a really natural leader. Because we are family, we have the passion and commitment to get stuck in. None of us could do the others’ roles!"

“Donny and I can’t fix machines; we aren’t technical. Neither Colin nor I could run a business... and neither of them can draw a horse!”

Donny

Owner & Managing Director

Talking about the early days Donny recalls:

“When you’ve had to work for every pound, and you know the value of that pound, that knowledge doesn’t leave you. When we started this business we didn’t have a forklift; we were doing everything by hand, stacking lorries and warehouses, shifting it all ourselves. And we had some tough times with cash flow initially. We’re used to taking risks, failing, and getting up and trying again. We sit down, have a family meeting, then get going."

"I learned to be entrepreneurial from my parents, both of them doing their own things in their own ways. Now that my siblings and I work together, I understand them better than I ever did as a child. All three of us are different in terms of strengths, and we are all fairly laid back. We treat each other with respect, and it’s effortless; trust is a given and we have each other's backs."

"We are the first generation of Selbrae House; we weren’t handed it on a plate by our parents. Our parents were part of the journey, and they’re still involved, but it’s me at the helm. And the three of us siblings are therefore always simultaneously looking over our shoulders at what has gone before and looking ahead to what’s coming - but we’re mainly looking ahead."

"We are the ones building the legacy for this business - setting the precedent. It’s a big responsibility, but we can make leaps of faith and take risks without worrying ‘that’s not how we do it here’ - we decide how we do it here.” 

“We all live relatively near each other, most weeks we have a meal together as a family, and we never talk about work outside of work. That's not a rule, we just don’t feel the need to talk about it. We are colleagues, and we are family, and it just works for us.”

Donny’s primary aim as a business owner is to add value. “Our customers are good people, our trade clients work with us, they communicate, and we treat each other as human beings. We are lucky to have that dynamic in a world where that human touch is often lost. We have a great reputation from ground level up, and that is reflected in our products. I want every interaction that anyone could have with Selbrae House to add value to their lives. Whether they’re placing a trade order, their providing us with materials, working for or with us, or using our products, I want them to feel that they’re having a quality experience. That’s what we pride ourselves on.”

When asked where he thinks his ability to keep diversifying comes from, Donny comments:

“It comes from the family’s farming roots. If one crop wasn’t doing well, we had to find an alternative focus. If we faced adversity, we had to ensure we worked hard at an alternative plan to keep things moving. We keep the family style of working at the core of what we do with our wider team - we encourage hard work, self-regulation, and a shared goal to keep the business progressing.”

"We take pride in what we do, and there’s no hierarchical nonsense. Everyone mucks in and works hard. We encourage ideas and input from all employees. We’re all human beings at the end of the day, and we’re not just working for ourselves; we’re working for each other, and our families, and their families,” explains Donny.

“Our family have been farmers for generations, striving to produce the best possible beef and the highest quality barley. And today, nothing has changed in how we do things - it’s only our products which are different. We still use the natural resources around us, valuing quality over all else, and we still work together as a family to bring our products to our customers. We do still appear at farmers markets and shows, but now our ‘market’ is a little different. Our Scottish products are used and loved around the world, but now they’re not beef and barley; they’re beautiful, hand-crafted slate and wood products grown right here in Scotland, where the Carstairs family have been working for generations.”

Henry Ford, who came from a farming background himself, once wisely said;

“Coming together is beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”

These words perfectly capture the spirit that the Carstairs siblings embody as they run their business. Their remarkable success in working together can be seen in the exceptional products they create and the positive working environment they have established.

Rooted in their agricultural heritage, the Carstairs siblings embody the essence of teamwork as they forge ahead in their mission to bring beauty, functionality, and joy in the simple things to households worldwide.