Inside the NorsuHOME

01/12/2016

Caesarstone

“Caesarstone’s new Cloudburst Concrete fits our look to a T. We love the matte finish, we love the pale grey that fits with Norsu so well. It was a very easy decision.”
Nat Wheeler, Norsu

Founded by friends Nat Wheeler and Kristy Sadlier, Norsu Interiors specialises in Scandinavian design, selling through an online store and three bricks-and-mortar stores in Melbourne, Brighton, Hawthorn & Malvern East. Norsu (Finnish for elephant) began by specialising in emerging designers from the Nordic region almost five years ago and has been growing exponentially ever since.

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Norsu Interiors owners and founders, Nat Wheeler and Kristy Sadlier, have always lived the life of their brand. First meeting in a mother’s group when their children were small, they became close friends through their mutual passion for Scandi-look interiors, a passion that developed into a thriving business.

Their online shop often used Nat’s home as a backdrop for sharing their favourite pieces and showcasing new products for their almost 300,000 Instagram followers. When time came to sell Nat’s home, the duo wanted to find a new showplace for their products, where they could highlight the Norsu style and take their fans on a renovation journey through Instagram and a dedicated online video series.

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Nat and her husband Dan, a real estate agent, chose a renovator’s delight in Melbourne’s Glen Iris, intending to do a quick makeover with new flooring and paint. However, like many renovation projects, the scope grew until no part of the old Californian bungalow was left untouched.

“When we got it, it was completely (well, near completely), original,” explains Nat. “It was virtually falling down so we renovated the whole house but we didn’t extend it so we worked with the footprint that we had.”

Included in the renovation was a new kitchen, which is where Caesarstone^® features. Working to a budget, Nat chose a flat-pack Kaboodle kitchen from Bunnings, topped with a luxurious benchtop of Caesarstone^® Cloudburst Concrete™.

“We chose Caesarstone^® because of its practicality at a relatively affordable price,” says Nat.

“One of the things I am most happy about is how the Caesarstone^® contrasts with the brass sink we have put in,” she adds. Cloudburst Concrete™ has a soft matte, white-on-white concrete look that keeps to the minimal palette in the new kitchen, yet providing interest through its suede-like texture.

“It’s subtle and sophisticated and teams perfectly with our Perini chevron marble splash back,” says Nat. “I truly believe you can create something magical by being smart about what you are doing.”

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Living Area

After planning the kitchen, Nat and the Norsu team fell in love with Caesarstone, adding it to almost every room, including the living room, where Statuario Maximus™ tops some simple joinery from Kaboodle for a luxurious feel. “We’ve put in built-in cabinetry running down the living room, but I didn’t want anything too high so we’ve just done sort of a waist-height cabinet and then we put some of the stone on the top,” says Nat. “We’ve got the TV on there, and we’ve also got beautiful artwork leaning on there. It’s gorgeous.”

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Laundry

After choosing Caesarstone^® Cloudburst Concrete™ for her kitchen bench, Nat decided to continue the theme into the laundry, using Cloudburst again to complement another brass sink and tapware. “I’ve gone from avoiding the laundry at all costs, to finding any excuse to be in there,” she says. “Our design choices somehow create a sense of calm in a chaotic space, normally filled with muddy shoes and piles of dirty laundry which are all now strategically hidden!”

“I’ve used Caesarstone^® in the past and found it really durable. I’ve got two young kids, a four-year-old and a seven-year-old – I need durable!” Nat, Norsu Interiors.