Am I totally addicted to Nordic design?

My husband thinks I am addicted to furniture from the Nordics!  At this point you'd be forgiven for immediately thinking - IKEA - and you wouldn't be wrong - I have a house filled with IKEA furniture, but IKEA is not the focus of my nordic design lust.  This sits firmly in the children's furniture zone with my design guru - Stokke .  i'm a member of some Stokke pages on facebook and browsing the page this morning at 4am (newborn son decided this is when the day should start!) I decided to share my love of all things Stokke. 

The hardest part of this blog was where to start.   Should I give my review of the Tripp Trapp or the Xplory that I love so much.  Then I realised perhaps I should just tell the story of my family.  As a mum of 3 beautiful daughters and and a newborn son, Stokke have been a part of our lives for the past nine years.  In fact its more than that, my first introduction to Stokke was via my cousin’s Tripp Trapp chair – 14 long years ago.

When I first saw Zoe’s tripp trapp chair I was only 18 years old myself – neither a mother nor someone familiar with all the trimmings needed for a baby.  I did however know what a high chair looked like – and the Tripp Trapp looked nothing like any I had ever seen.  I quickly realised that Zoe loved that chair, she enjoyed sitting at the table with the family without the normal separation of a high chair.  In all honesty I did not really think about the Tripp Trapp in any detail until the birth of my own daughter 5 years later.  When we were looking for a chair for Courtney, the Tripp Trapp came to mind.  Even better, Zoe’s chair was handed down to us to use.  And with the addition of a babyset – it was perfect.  Courtney could be part of the dining experience just like any member of the family and always knew what it meant to sit at the table and eat with us.

When pregnant with our second child in 2005 – I visited The Baby Show in London and became instantly obsessed with the Xplory.  I loved the idea of my baby being up high – closer to me and away from the road.  Before the end of the show I had purchased my lovely new Xplory in turquoise blue.  When Keira was born in April 2006 the Xplory became a vital part of our everyday life.  People would literally stop me in the streets to find out what my buggy was and where I had bought it from.  As the UK went through the Bugaboo phase I was delighted to have a buggy that stood out from the crowd and improved the closeness between my baby and I – even when we were out and about.  In the winter the footmuff seemed so much warmer than anything anyone else had and also so much ‘funkier’ in design.

Our third little angel, Zara, arrived in 2009 and once again the Xplory was king!  We updated the textiles – red this time - and added a cup holder – it felt like a brand new buggy but still my beautiful and unusual Xplory.  Whilst a lot more people had Xplory’s by this time, it was still very much a stop you in the street beauty, but now there was more of a knowing nod between passing mothers and fathers who owned an Xplory, almost like a little club of fellow believers!

Now with number four recently arrived I have decided to indulge myself and have purchased the Sleepi and Care – both of which I have been lusting after for years.  I have to admit my husband thinks I am nuts for so wanting a cot and a changer.  But I’ve told him many times it’s not just a cot or a changer – it’s a way of life for our babies and us.  It sounds extreme but I think once you become a Stokke owner you never look back.  The attention to ensuring the baby’s comfort and wellbeing is at the centre of every design – whilst also pulling off beautiful ergonomic design appeals to me in a way no handbag or Prada shoes ever could!  Well - maybe I can have the Prada as well...