Yummy mummy Lorinska’s cubby house reno by Minnie & Me Interiors

Penelope and Florence’s Cubby for Melbourne Yummy Mummy, Lorinska

I was beyond excited when Lorinska wanted to work with me again, this time to create a magical cubby house for her daughter’s Penelope and Florence, just in time for Christmas.  Lorinska is a dream client… she loves pink and all things girly (same same!), and was happy to hand over full creative control to me on both projects that I have worked with her on #winning.

Lorinska lives in a modern urban townhouse, so it was important to consider the style of her home, and the space available to fit a cubby house during the planning phase of this project.  The façade of her home features clean lines, in a modern dark charcoal, so it was important to choose paint colours that were modern, with a feminine and traditional twist.  The cubby is located on a small back deck, so we had to choose a cubby that would fit in the tiny space.  

 The Cubby

We chose the Frankie cubby by Hide and Seek Kids.  Hide and Seek Kids is a family run Australian business based in Brisbane.  Owner, Annette and her team, create the cutest cubbies going around.

 We chose the Frankie because it’s a super cute design (that little front porch = all the heart eyes!), but it was also jus the right fit for the space we had to work with.    It’s so important when choosing your cubby, to measure and measure again if you are working in a small area.  If Lorinska had wanted a smaller cubby for the space, given that the Frankie actually does take up a huge part of her deck, I would have recommended that we use The Arlo Cubby House, The Bertie Cubby House or The Harper Cubby House, but these are significantly smaller than The Frankie.  Given we were placing the cubby directly on the deck, there was no need to build a base (lucky us!), but if you are placing the cubby in a yard, it is important to build a base from sleepers.  

The cubby comes finished in water based natural stain.  It is always recommended that the cubby is painted for longevity, more about that later.  It’s also a great way to add your own personality!

We also added two shelves to the cubby, which do not come standard. We added one externally to act as a servery, and one inside above the window to feature pretty things. 

The Mud Kitchen

We chose the mud kitchen by Hide and Seek Kids, as it can be used both inside and outside the cubby house. It also comes with a natural timber stain; you can leave it as is, or paint to match your cubby.  More on what we did later.

 Painting and renovating the cubby

 We chose the following paint colours for Lorinska’s cubby renovation:

 We did two coats of undercoat, then two coats of the final colour; this seals the cubby and protects it from the elements.

 We all know that painting can be a time consuming and back breaking exercise, so if you are on a budget, have time constraints or don’t feel up to the task, I’d suggest painting that walls and trims in the same colour e.g. classic white. Whilst painting can be challenging, the final product is so amazing, and so worth the time and effort.

 We painted the cubby whilst it was in pieces, this is soooooooo much easier!  We used a spray gun for all the big pieces.  For the trims and front door, we used a medium sized paintbrush, then small art brush at the very end to tidy up around the windows and door.  Once assembled, we touched up any paint that had been damaged during assembly, but this was minimal.

The wallpaper:

To apply the wallpaper to the cubby, we first applied two pieces of plywood, cut to size to fit the back wall.  We applied this with liquid nails.  We decided to leave the wooden panel as a feature, as it reminded me of a cute picture rail, but you could easily cover this with the ply if you’d prefer a whole wall of wallpaper.  Jon then applied the wallpaper as per our installation instructions. See here: The wallpaper came in two drops, he applied the wallpaper from left to right. See our product info here:  https://www.minnieandmeinteriors.com/pages/product-information-terms-conditions.  Our wallpaper is totally safe to be used outdoors in a cubby house.  Hide and Seek cubbies are waterproof, if sealed correctly with paint.  Plus, water does not damage our fabric or the print.  Have a look at our IGTV… you’ll see our little Minnie doing an experiment whereby she soaked it with a hose.  Pretty cool hey?!

You usually see cubbies styled with an indoor play kitchen, so I wanted to create something a bit different.  I instead added a girly make up vanity and pretend make up from Little Make-up lovers in one corner, and an Ikea dollhouse (with matching wallpaper to the feature wall in the cubby house) in the other corner.  The vanity is from Kmart, hacked with our table top; again matching the cubby feature wall.  I furnished the Ikea dollhouse with inexpensive furniture from Kmart, and placed it on a beautiful large storage case by Belle and Co Living to make it just the right height for playing.  These cases are also perfect for toy storage. I added comfort for playing with a squishy play mat from Little Wiwa, and a bit of luxury and warmth with a cosy pink plush rug (would you believe a bath mat!) from Ikea.  A girly cubby wouldn’t be complete without a gorgeous rattan bassinet from Tiny Harlow, and custom made bedding from The Young Co.  I completed the look inside with a basket filled with faux lavender, both from Ikea. Oh, I almost forgot the pendant light from Ikea (I don’t think this one is currently available).  It adds some natural tone and texture, and a bit of magic, with added fairy lights from Kmart.

Outdoors, I added a large faux plant from Ikea (Lorinska already owned the beautiful concrete pot), faux pink flowers in the planter boxes, also from Ikea and some fake turf.  Plants and greenery just really create a delightful garden party feel in my opinion, and make you feel instantly relaxed, particularly in an otherwise concrete space.  I was lucky enough to find the cute cane chair on the porch on Facebook marketplace for $20.  Bargain! We then sprayed it white.  Other items that I added to the porch, include: a hanging plant from Kmart, a plant stand from Kmart, which I used as a lamp table for the adorable lamps from Livly and Little Belle Co.  The heart cushion on the chair is also from Kmart, and cute dolly, which looks exactly like Penelope, is from Isobel and Lulu.  In the servery window, I styled it with a wooden tea and coffee set from Kmart.  At the front of the cubby, we added a play area.  No play area would be complete without a big squishy play mat, this one from Grace and Maggie Play mats.  We added two other play mats to the side of the cubby, framing the mud kitchen as well.  Penelope is going to love playing with her play dough from Dough my dear, whilst wearing her apron to protect her pretty clothes from The Amore Co.

My styling tips:

Painting and renovating the mud kitchen

We used Pink Wish to paint most of the kitchen.  We did one coat of under coat, followed by two coats of the final colour.  I chose to leave some parts natural (the oven door, bench top and rail), so I just gave them two coats of Exterior Ultra Clear by Dulux Australia.  I decided on some black accents to give it an edgy modern feel.

Again, we painted the kitchen in pieces and were able to use the spray gun on most parts.

We spray painted the stainless steel sink in black by Dulux Australia. We lightly sanded it first, then applied two coasts of primer by Dulux Australia, then applied two coats of Black by Dulux Australia.

We removed the standard knobs and handles gently, then added black knobs and a black handle from Bunnings.   These were super cheap.  We also added an inexpensive black hook board from Bunnings to hang cooking utensils and accessories.

We added one of our famous play kitchen splash backs over the existing chalkboard.  But, because the mud kitchen will be located outdoors, and hopefully be used to make amazing mud pies, we used vinyl covered with laminate to make it completely waterproof. And mud proof.  It can be cleaned with mild solvents if required.  We use the same product on our table and vanity tops.

We styled with décor from:

1. Three Wild Ones: two personalised rolling pins, a personalised apron, a personalised chopping board, a set of salt and pepper shakers, a kitchen plaque and two credit cards.  Freaking seriously cute!!!

2. Kmart: a set of wooden icy poles.  Cheap as chips.

3. Ikea: Faux plants and pot and set of three faux Christmas trees. Greenery is always a must! I attached these to the mud kitchen with strong double-sided tape to ensure that they remain in place on windy days.

Lorinska’s cubby was made possible, due to all these of beautiful suppliers: 

Frankie cubby & mud kitchen @hideseekkids
La Rochelle Cool Pink Cubby wallpaper, mud kitchen splashback, dollhouse wallpaper & vanity table top @minnieandmeinteriors x @blond.noir 
Playmat x3 (outside) @graceandmaggieplaymats 
White herringbone and pink panelling dollhouse wallpaper @minnieandmeinteriors 
Playmat (inside) @littlewiwa 
Kristy and Lorinska’s dresses @legoeheritage 
Penelope and Florence’s outfits @arabellaandrose 
Penelope and Florence’s shoes @fawnandfinch 
Blush heart lamp @_livly 
Pink elfin light @littlebellelight 
Storage case @belleandcoliving 
Play dough  @_doughmydear 
Mat and apron @theamoreco 
Doll and dress @isobel.and.lulu 
Pretend make up @littlemakeuplovers 
Doll bedding @theyoungco 
Mud kitchen accessories and apron @three_wild_ones 
Name sign and cubby sign @harlowandluxx
Balloon garland @the_pop_up_party_co 
Doll bassinet @tinyharlow 
Cubby door mat @chalknco 

Design, renovation and styling by Kristy Young @minnieandmeinteriors 
Styling and photography by Raffeala Jenkins @everyday.muse
Tradie extraordinaires: Jon Young (my little bro) and Andrew Hart (my bestie)
Wallpaper king and head of our production team: Dean Young (my Dad)
#mydreamteam
 
I hope I have inspired you to create some cubby magic of your own.
Big love,
Kristy

Reach out with any questions to hello@minnieandmeinteriors.com