shah bahpyu – The Interiors Addict

Lil Spaces: unique kids decor inspired by designer’s daughter

Inspired by the magical world that came with having her daughter Helaina, Shah Bahpyu and her cousin Darko Andreski decided to start Lil Spaces. “When she came into the world, everything changed,” explains Shah. “It was like there was this awesome secret society and now we were a part of it. I guess that’s what kids do when they first come along. They turn your life upside down, sprinkle a bit of magic dust and allow you to see a whole new realm of possibilities.”

So, chock full of inspiration, they launched online store Lil Spaces late last year. Providing an array of high quality and unique kids decor, their prints and cloud lights are their flagship products, which are designed in-house and tested by their own little assistant. “We follow our own saying,” says Shah. “If it’s not good enough for Helaina, it’s not good enough for anyone! Most of the things that we stock in our store are tested first hand by our little independent princess. Helaina already owns it all! Only then we can believe in a product and count it as part of the Lil Spaces family.”

A standout has to be their cloud light, which came about almost by accident. “I made three cloud lights as decorations for a Christmas pop-up shop back in December and every night people would ask if they were for sale,” explains Shah. “So for the past three months, we have been going through a process of designing, prototyping and testing. Finally, our cloud lights were released in March.”

With each light having been sculptured by hand, a single low voltage LED light bulb emits a soft glow which is diffused by 100% natural fibre: “Gentle on humans and the environment!” Battery operated, they hang on clear fishing wire, giving them the illusion of floating mid-air.

Their other big sellers are their prints which, originally made for children, have also proved very popular with adults. “They are not just your status quo. We’ve designed them with both parent and child in mind. They are not super kid-ish, so even though they have been designed for little spaces, you could hang them anywhere. Since we launched, about one-third of the prints have been purchased by adults for their own spaces.”

Photography by Andrew Campbell and Nikki Canale

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Real rooms: A stylish nursery that both mum and child will love

Designing a nursery that’s stylish rather than babyish is no mean feat, but one that Shah Bahpyu has certainly managed.

Shah, whose daughter Helaina is seven months old, spent three months creating a contemporary space that was clean, fresh and uncluttered, but also contained some meaningful pieces.

With a soft pink and grey colour palette, her favourite features are the black and white photographs of Helaina’s grandparents, the Helaina in Wonderland art created by her godfather and the pink princess pedal car.

And while it looks beautiful now, it wouldn’t be true home design if there hadn’t been some hurdles to begin with. “I was stuck for ages until I came across the wallpaper, then I knew exactly what to do,” explains Shah. “I find that I always struggle in the beginning to find a jumping off point, but once I find it the rest always falls into place relatively easily.”

While Shah doesn’t currently work in interior design, the process has inspired the possibility of a career change. Now that she’s successfully designed her own, nurseries have become an area of interest, in particular designing a room that is pleasing to both mother and child.

“My husband and I always joked that babies didn’t understand anything and parents decorated nurseries for themselves, but once she came along, my feelings changed. I wanted her to have a great room, and yes I’ll admit I designed the room for me too!”

You can read more about Shah’s designing adventures on her blog Hammer and Heels.

Photography by Andrew Campbell.