Two babies, two besties and a whole lot of coffee + nappies and we made it all the way to Cabarita Beach! Located just south of Kingscliff & The Gold Coast – I will just let you know, Cabarita beach is totally worth the drive! The entire Australian coastline is pure magical, but there sure is something about northern NSW that steals my heart every time! More warmer days and I’m obsessed with all the funky tropical plants!
My girlfriend and I are both mothers of two boys the same ages. We left our toddlers at home and got to enjoy a fun mum + bub vacation. We stayed at the incredible airbnb, Caba Cottage! This stunning, beachy cottage is renovated beautifully. It is located just a short stroll from the beach and town centre. The open plan living, dining and kitchen along with the spacious outdoor entertaining area was the perfect place for us to unwind. We couldn’t get enough of the interiors, the special touches and how the cottage is so gorgeously presented. I’m obsessed with the beautifully featured local artwork and pot plant placement. We spent our mornings exploring the lovely, quaint Caba Cove and the stunning surroundings.
It was truly such an honour to be recently invited to an intimate session with Iina Vuorivirta, an incredible IKEA of Sweden designer. IKEA was the reason I first fell in love with home interiors. Scandinavian decor is my favourite style of home and I have always preferred the minimalist approach to design.
According to IKEA, the home is more than just four walls. It is about atmosphere. The meaning of home is the same, no matter where you are in the world. IKEA take their product development and design very seriously to ensure to meet the five key elements of titular design. These are:
Form.
Function.
Quality.
Low price.
Sustainability.
Swedish IKEA designer, Iina has a background in craft. She has extensive experience with glass and ceramics. I love how she explained that in the process of design at IKEA, she visits the countries where the products are manufactured and plays with the possibilities of sustainability and the brand becoming more circular. No production line is perfect, but in the process of creating her IKEA vase she decided to melt down the waste material from other glass products and create a unique Vase that varies in colour with every batch.
Iina has recently designed the new SYMFONISK, the highly anticipated collaboration between IKEA and Sonos. She began the journey three years ago. Both IKEA and Sonos know that home is all about atmosphere. Music makes a home and is important. That is something that Sonos takes very seriously as they create the best sound in the world. The light and music of the new SYMFONISK come together to give you the full experience. The concept is like a modern fireplace – you have the sound but you also have the light to enjoy. The sound quality is exactly what you can expect from Sonos.
I loved learning about how IKEA is discovering ways to be more sustainable. Iina specifically focuses on how to make her designs for IKEA better for the environment. Her favourite mediums are glass, cork and bamboo. She finds that when glass is combined with cork, magic is created. “The tactility of the two materials is amazing.” Cork trees need to be harvested every six years and when the bark is removed, they can be harvested again. The trees continue to deliver and thus are a win-win when it comes to using this material. She also loves using bamboo in her creating. The bamboo forrest of Vietnam grow over 1m per day. Iina explains how incredible it is that IKEA offers opportunity for workers in Vietnam and can share that handmade tradition with the rest of the world.
Finally, Iina shared favourite product that she has designed to this day, which is the best dish brush in the whole world. She shared how she loves humble, everyday life objects and found this product an incredible challenge due to the scale of it and its’ closeness to you. She explained that, “designing an object that you use with your hand is very different to designing a larger piece of furniture”. She’s spent 18 months creating this new product, RINNIG, that is made with 100% recycled materials and is all recyclable. The brush is meant to be the only dish brush you’ll ever need and will last upwards of 2 years. It has a magical suction at the base to stick to any tile or sink and a scraper edge to remove tough debris.
I have always enjoyed walking through the curated spaces in IKEA and browsing their clever range of products but now have an even greater appreciation for the brand.
Treats for kids don’t have to be full of sugar. It’s super simple to make your own sugar free lollies that your kids will certainly love! Phoenix couldn’t resist these super easy-to-make cactus, green juice gummies.
[Ingredients]
4 tbsp gelatin powder
2 tbsp Lakanto Monkfruit natural sweetener
1 cup pure green juice
[To make]
In a small saucepan, combine juice and sweetener until almost boiling.
Lower the heat to the lowest setting and whisk in gelatin.
Once gelatin has fully dissolved, remove from the heat and pour into gummy molds
Refrigerate until firm for about 30 minutes. Pop out of molds and store gummies in the fridge in an airtight container.
I know it’s cliche – but wow did a year ever go fast! I remember when Phoenix turned one and he seemed like such a big boy. I can definitely say that this time around, having a 3 and a half year old at home to compare to and Cruz still feels like a baby.
He started walking just a few days before his birthday. A couple months later than his older brother, but we would not have been ready any sooner. We’ve had the sweetest year as a family of four. Cruz has fit right in and looking back on a year ago, it’s crazy to think we were ever worried about adding to our family. Phoenix adores his little brother and Cruz is equally entertained by him.
Cruz loved his birthday cake (almost as much as Phoenix did). All day long, Phoenix was raving about how “This is the BEST birthday EVER!”. Which was really quite adorable considering we didn’t plan much for it. Kids birthday parties can be as extensive as wedding planning these days and we are glad we decided to have an intimate little celebration instead. Neither of them cared either way. We had cake, balloons and presents – and they were certainly pleased. Luckily, Cruz didn’t seem to mind that Phoenix opened up all of his presents.
Hey there, welcome to a tour of my master bedroom + Cruz’s nursery!
Our bedroom was previously pretty basic and certainly needed a little bit of love. After having babies, there is so much focus on the kids room, clothes and things that it is so easy to forget about yourself. Nothing like a fresh new set of sheets to crawl into at the end of the day. Having a bedroom that feels like ‘me’ has been important all of my life. It’s my little slice of heaven that helps me start and end my day feeling good.
I am always drawn to white, bright, scandinavian-style interiors. Basically I’m an Ikea addict over here. But recently, I’ve been loving all the moroccan rugs popping up on my pinterest page. Rattan decor, woven baskets, neutral tones with pops of rust and peachy pinks is what inspired me to create this space. I think it’s important to layer a room in textures – not necessarily colours – if you want to achieve that minimalism look. If you focus on collecting the majority of decor in basic colours like whites, greys, beige and tans, you can’t really get it wrong. When it comes to adding in colours, do it lastly and it’s ideal to stay within a similar palette too. Don’t get me wrong though – maximalism – is a pretty cool style of it’s own, but these are just a few tips I’ve gathered from my own eyes admiring all things minimal living.
We are currently living in a pretty teenie tiny, 2-bedroom, beachside apartment. Honestly, Instagram makes my place look much larger than it really is. When Cruz recently outgrew his bassinet, I knew we had to set up a cot – somewhere. But where? I love having my babies sleep close to me at night, so I knew that we had to make some space in our bedroom for him. Then, a random scroll through the local used facebook forum, I spotted these coastal chest of draws and it sparked a desire to completely transform the space.
The first thing I did was sell our office desk that was collecting clutter and re-distributed all of my office supplies into our closet and drawers. Next, I set up the cot to start Cruz’s nursery. I knew we needed a feature wall behind the cot, but I didn’t want anything too busy and wanted it to suit a baby room and an adult space. I love all of the spotted dot patterns that are trending right now and chose to go with the “Huddy’s Dots” grey spotted wallpaper by Milton & King. I found their peel and stick wallpaper to be of great quality and easy to work with. I love this removable wallpaper for its’ beautiful pattern, and also because it is easy to apply and adjust. If you want to change things up or move home, it is just as simple to remove and can be peeled and re-applied on a new wall. How great is that? It is the perfect solution for transforming a wall when you are renting or need something that isn’t permanent.
Next, I felt the nursery needed a canopy. They are delicate, light and add extra dimension to a cot and corner of babies room. I added a beautiful white that can be neatly-tied or loose. It comes ready with ribbons inside and in front to secure mobiles or garlands. I try and choose items that are versatile and last for many uses. A canopy, can be used over a cot, a toddler or children’s bed too. I chose white because it will always be timeless. Kids grow so fast, and rooms transform before you know it.
I then picked out a beautiful rattan moon for a magical, dreamy vibe behind the cot. A wooden peg rack is the perfect, practical solution to hang bits and pieces. For the cot bedding, I chose a whimsical mushroom design. Add style to even small beds with a cute throw blanket. I finished Cruz’s bedding with a delightful handmade cushion from Little Peach and Pip.
Moving on to the other half of the room. My pine bed and bedside table really needed a freshen up. I painted the bed with quick-drying, water-based, white chalk paint. I swapped the plain drawer handle on the bedside table with one of the stunning brass palm tree handle from Pineapple Traders. It’s a really affordable solution to changing up any set of drawers. Sticking with the palm tree vibe, I could not look past a beautiful palm tree Kantha quilt from Garzie + May. They are made from quality cotton fabrics that have been traditionally hand block printed in India, using carved wooden printing blocks. I stuck with my white sheet and doona cover underneath to suit the quilt. I stuck with neutral colours, such as latte and almond, when finishing the bed with a pom pom cushion and neutral throw blanket. And at last, I was so excited to complete the room with the most beautiful moroccan rug from Oh happy home.
The space contains a combination of a few items we previously owned, some beautiful finds from my favourite Australian, businesses and a quick lick of white paint to my IKEA bed and beside table. I couldn’t help myself from accessorizing with timeless scandinavian birth posters, palm trees, a monstera deliciosa and I even stitched a little handmade rainbow to finish the space.
