Husband and wife duo Luke Atkins and Veronica Paiva are the new kids on the Australian furniture scene and weāre tipping them as the ones to watch!
We recently discovered them when exploring Instagram ā a photo of their three-legged stool shot from above, revealing the latte and chocolate wood grain, gave us major heart eyes!
Naturally, we contacted them immediately to tee up a chat.
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Can you tell us how Christopher Blank came about?
Iām a carpenter by trade. Iāve always loved timber and creating things.
āThe carpentry game changed a lot from when I started. Itās all just high density living now and I began to lose interest in that pretty rapidly,” says Luke.
āLate last year I had a knee reconstruction and I couldnāt work. I bought a table saw and started cutting timber in the back yard.
“I’m not sure how or when I got it into my head that I could make it. I was so desperate to get out of building that I had no choice but to go for it and try something new.”
āIt was a really good progression and happened organically,ā says Veronica.
āIf you look back at how it all happened and all the signs, without wanting to sound corny, you would really say it was meant to be.ā
Veronica is the national visual merchandising manager for Mecca Cosmetica. With her eye for design, she manages all the marketing for Christopher Blank and is deeply involved in designing the pieces.
āIāve always loved product design, 3D design, interiors and bringing concepts to life,ā says Veronica.

Talking about design, how would you describe your style?
āAh, I knew youād ask that,ā laughs Veronica.
Itās really hard to pin point. We work mainly to client briefs but Iād describe our style as simple, all about proportions and a finish thatās so smooth itās like glass.
āSome clients like totally clean pieces and others like a look thatās organic and textured,ā says Luke.
The wood you use is so beautiful, where do you source it from?
āA lot of builders Iāve known over the years will contact me if thereās a house demolition and Iāll grab the wood,ā says Luke.
āOften it can look ordinary and then you strip it back and it comes up beautifully.ā
āAnd sometimes how you create a piece by the placement and composition of different timbers together can make all the difference,ā says Veronica.
Looking at some of your Instagram photos and videos where youāre wielding a hammer, it seems like at times you have a bit of a love-hate relationship with your work.
āIām always being an idiot,ā says Luke. āItās the only time Veronica encourages it! Iāll ask, āCan I put a cape onā and sheās like āGo for itā!ā
āWe like to show our personalities and have fun. For each piece weād like to come up with a short video or photo,ā says Veronica.

āWe also send clients progress shots along the way like āWe bought the timber todayā and itās a nice way of involving them and taking them on a journey.ā
That fun energy certainly comes across, especially in all the adorable photos of your fur children Betty and Barberella. Do they have a big influence on your business?
āAbsolutely! They play a really big part,ā says Veronica.
āWeāre always thinking of them and how we can include them, like making dog bowls or dog houses.
Most of our brainstorming and planning happens when weāre walking the dogs at night because itās the only time Luke and I have together when weāre not doing other things.
āBut theyāre pretty scared of the machines in the workshop ā especially Betty,ā says Luke.
āEven a broom and she shits herself and runs away,ā he laughs.
āWe only take them down on the weekends when we can keep an eye on them.ā

Is it just you, Luke, who is creating the furniture or do you have other helpers?
āI make all the pieces and Veronica does all the marketing and background stuff,ā says Luke.
āIām pretty much running around like a crazy man, working 12 hour days, but itās lots of fun.
āIāve tried to cut down the amount of stuffing around I do.
āIf it steps up another 10-15%, Iāll need to call on help but weāll keep it in the family, like getting my dad who is retired to help out.ā
Where did that name Christopher Blank come from?
āWe thought for a long time what we would call the business and none of the names worked,ā says Veronica.
āOne day we were catching up with one of our friends, Todd, who is our graphic designer and he suggested āPaiva Atkinsā our surnames but I didnāt want it to be our names.
He asked what our middle names are, Lukeās is Christopher and I said I donāt have a middle name, itās blank. Christopher Blank he said, done, perfect!

What are your goals for Christopher Blank?
āWeād love to have a range thatās just ours. At the moment everything is made to a client brief but weād like to create our own proprietary range,ā says Veronica.
āWe always say weād like our someday to become our everyday, even if itās just the two of us.
āLuke always jokes about global domination,” laughs Veronica.
āWe always have more ideas of what we can do with the business, itās just a matter of having the time ā we have a running list of things to do!
āOur dream is to design. Iād love to do it full time as well, along with other freelance work.
āWe would like to have a fully functioning e-shop [āWhatās that?ā asks Luke] with 10 core products by Christmas.
āItās a good problem to have that weāre so busy we havenāt had the time to do those things yet.
āWe prefer to do things really well even if it means taking a bit longer.ā
Thanks so much Veronica and Luke for sharing your story. To check out more of their work, go to their website or Instagram account.
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Very interesting insight into their business model, process and style! Thanks š