Light and Natural Nursery - Project Nursery

There must be something in the air in Australia because this nursery is beyond lovely. It was designed by the multi-talented Samantha Hobbelen, a clinical dietitian turned entrepreneur. She is the founder and director of Hobbe Home, a Sydney-based company offering a line of luxury rocking chairs and ottomans. (We have our fingers crossed that one day we’ll be able to find their product line in the US.) And how fitting for this mom of two—17-month old Hugo and 5-week-old Harvey—to be in the business of designing handcrafted rocking chairs that are timeless, comfortable, made from sustainable materials and covered with high-quality fabrics. I mean, no one knows what a new mom needs better than another mama, right?

Today Samantha is sharing her son Hugo’s beautiful light and natural nursery. She and her husband decided not to find out the gender of their baby before he was born, so they started with a neutral color palette, using the tone of their Hobbe rocking chair as inspiration and adding pops of color to the space along the way. Thanks so much for sharing, Samantha!

Crib | Crib Sheet

Tell us about your design process. Did you start with one central item or idea that served as your inspiration?
The design process started and was centralized around having a neutral color palette (with a potential pop of color), as well as working in our nursing chair. I started our business, Hobbe, around the time Hugo was born, so I was in the process of designing rocking/nursing chairs at the same time that I was styling the nursery. Hence, the chair was always going to be a central focal point for me personally in the space. Using gray and white tones with some colorful accents, the space was styled with a Scandinavian-inspired design, blending clean lines with the naturally stunning features of the room, including the bay windows and fireplace.

Rocking Chair | Felt Garland

Timber Flag

What was the most important thing you wanted to achieve when creating this space?
I wanted to ensure that the space worked for us and reflected us personally. The process of creating a beautiful space for Hugo was important to us because we knew we would be making so many treasured memories in that room. The room was kept simple, sophisticated and uncluttered.

Changing Table | Tribal Watercolor Prints

What’s the first thing people notice when stepping foot into this room?
When people walk into Hugo’s nursery, the first thing they notice and usually comment on is the beautiful light in the room. There is a huge bay window at the front of the room that looks onto our gorgeous tree-lined street and through to Sydney Harbour. It is magical in there first thing in the morning when the light filters through the blinds.

What did you enjoy most about the design process?
The thing that I loved most about the design process was discovering so many amazing creators and artists, mainly via Instagram. I was so new to the entire baby industry and was blown away by the creativity, quality and originality of so many stunning pieces that I found. I spent hours trawling through different feeds, with one link taking me to another great feed, and on and on and on. Many are local Australian creators, and many are mums running their design businesses from home. I love supporting local, and I love even more supporting small family businesses run by people who want to give their families the very best, which is what I am striving to achieve too!