Scandinavian design is all about minimalism, clean lines, simplicity, it’s light and bright, and is traditionally very monochromatic. At norsu we love to merge this will our unwavering obsession of pastel tones.

Think light and bright. Add natural materials such as oak and leather. Select soft furnishings in delicious pastel tones. Use textured natural fabrics such as luscious linens. Add layers upon layers to add warmth and cosiness. Hung art that makes your heart sing. Make your house a home. Love where you live.

Dan and I love where we live. Our home is everything to us; it’s where our best moments are shared, it’s where we feel the happiest, and it’s our haven where we escape to after life’s hectic days. For us, it was important to create this same ‘feeling’ for our little ones, Annabel (8) and Harvey (5). Our kids love the outdoors, spending endless hours digging holes and jumping on the trampoline. Thinking about providing them with their own little norsu HOME in their favourite space kept me awake at night with excitement!

Our home is more of a modern take on Scandinavian design with materials used such as marble, brass and concrete. I’ve always had a love for the more rustic inspired Scandi look, so the cubby provided the perfect opportunity to get creative and explore this style. From the outset we were determined to design a little Scandi cottage, one imagined beside a peaceful lake in Nordic forest. Yes, we get a little carried away at norsu.

Our kids have grown up surrounded by interiors, in fact we first opened a shop when Harvey was four months old and he joined me behind the counter! It appears styling is in their blood. Given we were creating their slice of heaven it was an absolute negotiable that Bel and Harv were part of the styling process (with some influencing from Mum along the way, of course!).

When it came to selecting a cubby, we looked no further than Castle and Cubby, having fallen madly in love with their barn door creation the second we all laid eyes on it. Not only did we love its design, we were so thrilled we could decorate it ourselves. How did we tackle this? Like every styling job we do at norsu, we jumped online to source our inspiration – we scoured blogs, Instagram and Pinterest and even created our own little digital moodboard (gosh this is sounding a little OTT isn’t it). We looked for imaginative ideas for adopting the cottage theme. For example, with the help of local artist HoneyHoney Creations we made little fishing rods out of silver birch branches, we constructed a pretend fire using earth toned linens, we planted fruit and herbs for cooking with, we set up a tee pee for some make believe glamping, and added a divine rattan day bed for afternoon snoozing. Another key component of our cubby design was painting it to perfection– with the help of our mates at Top Notch Coatings we adopted Nordic whites and pale greys and then even added a feature ‘half wall’ in norsu’s infamous blush pink, and painted a blue-toned grey barn door to keep Harvey happy.

I didn’t have a cubby growing up and instead would play for hours on end in a little area under a tree. I made do with what we had and filled it with my favourite treasures and created so many amazing memories with friends. Remembering how much I loved this, convinced me that getting a cubby would be the best idea and so far, this couldn’t be truer!

I am not a huge fan of technology and often feel saddened that electronic devices keep our kiddies inside and away from creative play. The best part of getting a cubby has been seeing our children outside and happy creating their own little world, surrounded by fresh air and greenery. We have all loved the space, even Dan and I have shared a beer or two on their deck, as they’ve performed their concert creations. It’s this family time that makes us so grateful for our cubby.

Use this opportunity to do something different…push the boundaries and don’t be
restricted by functionality. Involve your children in the process so they truly understand what it’s like to create a space where they love to play.