The Fruit Shoppe Cubby

by Kristy young October 8, 2020

Introducing The Stevie Cubby by Hide and Seek Kids

I jumped at the chance to work with Annette and her team from Hide and Seek Kids to make over her new Stevie Cubby. When I first saw Stevie, my heart skipped a beat. Stevie is the perfect size for any backyard, has lots of room inside for many many hours of play, has an absolutely gorgeous facade, and the styling possibilities are endless.

Before:

We certainly faced some challenges with this project. Being in lockdown meant that I had to order products online (I'm a go to the shops type of gal), and coordinate everything remotely! Thank goodness for FaceTime! But we made it work, and got on with the job at hand, and Stevie came up a dream.

Gorgeous sisters Abigail and Willow are the proud new owners of Stevie. Their mum, Emma and dad, Andrew allowed me full creative control, even though Andrew initially doubted my choice of the peach facade (he took that back recently, and said it has grown on him, hehehe).

Mood board:

The first thing I do before starting any project is to do a mood board. I usually use Canva or Pic Collage on my phone. Pic Collage is the most simple for novices.. literally just screen shot your inspo pics and add them to the app. I used Pic Collage for my final concept below. I always start with the wallpaper, then design the rest of my project around it. It's through the wallpaper that I gain inspiration for the facade and the decor. Our wallpaper was my starting point. I hit Pinterest and came up with a few concepts, but a peach facade had my heart. Although, I am desperate to do a lemon cubby! Next project maybe?

The final concept:

Painting:

A very wise painting expert once told me that when choosing paint colours, always go a few shades brighter outdoors than you would for indoors, as the bright light will lessen the impact of the colour. I certainly didn't want the peach to look cream, I wanted a vibrant peach.

We bought some paint sample pots from Dulux and tested the colours outdoors. Trialling samples is always a must.

Tip: The lovely Raff from @everyday.muse gave me a beautiful compliment on the day of the photo shoot. She said she loved the way I mixed pinks. So there is my tip for you... never be afraid to mix different shades of pink. Pink is always a good idea! Pink and Peach is especially a good idea... oh, and lavender too!

These were our faves:

We decided to paint the facade: Coral blossom by Dulux (weather shield). 4L required.

The trims, floor and roof in: Vivid white by Dulux (weather shield gloss). 2L required.

The awning in: Pink Wish by British paints (left over from Minnie and Genie's cubby) and Dandelion yellow by Dulux (sample pot). Painted in stripes to appear like a shop front.

Always paint your cubby as per Hide and Seeks instructions to ensure longevity:

https://www.hideandseekkids.com.au/painting-maintenance-information/

During:

Base:

Where the cubby is positioned is on a slight angle, so Andrew had to build a base from treated pine. Hide and Seek Kids always recommend building a proper base, again to ensure longevity. See here:

https://www.hideandseekkids.com.au/painting-maintenance-information/

Styling:

Styling is guided by your mood board. My mood board lead me to develop a Fruit Shop.

Our fruit shop required:

Wooden crates and fruit
Plants/ flowers
A cash register
A play kitchen
Kitchen accessories
Shelving
Seating
Signage (the fruit shop sign is self adhesive, so Andrew just painted a section of the cubby white and stuck it on, easy!)
A luggy or basket (to do your shopping!)
Drink bottles (which match the cubby of course, to keep you hydrated)
Cookies (playing is hungry work!)

Luxury additions included:

Wallpaper (of course!)
A chandelier
A squishy play mat (necessary for comfortable play in my opinion)
A floor cushion (the perfect seating for little bottoms)
A storage basket (to hide away toys and bits and pieces)
A bird house
A dolls high chair
A pretty decorative floral arrangement

Wallpaper installation:

I get lots of questions about how to add a smooth surface to the cubby for the wallpaper to be installed on. I have been asked "Do I really have it add corflute?" My answer is yes, as it will look so much better, and ensure that your wallpaper sticks correctly. It is also so so so easy! I watched Andrew do it in around 20 minutes.

We chose to wallpaper the back wall, which didn't have any windows or obstacles. Our wallpapers are always made to cover the feature wall in the Hide and Seek cubbies, generally the back wall. But if you want to wallpaper the other walls too, our wallpaper can be cut around obstacles on installation.

Andrew purchased black corflute from a concrete supplier, as the sheets were larger and cheaper than purchasing from a local hardware store. Andrew purchased x2 sheets (2400 x 1200mm) for around $30.

The cubby is almost 1700mm high (at the back, taller at the front), so Andrew cut the x2 pieces to fit. He cut the corflute to size using a stanley knife and straight edge ruler. He cut one larger piece - covering about 2/3 of the wall, then a smaller piece - covering about 1/3. You can just see here the smaller piece running horizontally along the top 1/3:

Andrew attached the corflute to the cubby with screws to ensure it was firm for the wallpaper to be installed on. Use a screwdriver or drill. He semi recessed the screw into the corflute (i.e. did the screws up very tight), to make sure that when the wallpaper was applied, the screw heads weren't noticeable. See here:

He then installed the painted stripes wallpaper as per our instructions. Here:

https://www.minnieandmeinteriors.com/pages/wallpaper-installation

Excuse the dark photos... we installed the wallpaper in the dark, cold and pouring rain! (Thanks Melbourne!)

We printed feature wallpaper tiles in our wild blossom design with a white border to appear like framed artworks. We literally just peeled off the backing and stuck them on, easy!

A word on decals! Yes, you can also use our wall decals in the Hide and Seek cubbies. Simply peel and stick, and apply them directly to the painted walls. Either apply them over the grooves in the walls, or push them into the grooves, whatever tickles your fancy. A word of warning: do not use teflon based paint, "wash and wear" or washable paints!

Wallpaper and wall decals and the elements: The Hide and Seek cubbies are water proof when painted correctly, but even if rain gets in, our wallpaper is completely safe to be used outdoors! It's the best product going around. Check out our Instagram videos... I got Minnie to water it with a hose, which had zero impact on the print or fabric itself.

We hope you love Stevie as much as Abby and Willow do.