How do you create a beautiful, drool-worthy kids space, without the clutter? That was the question that sparked SPACEY into being. The SPACEY team’s passion is in creating magical spaces and play for Kiwi kids. They design and create their own range in NZ, as well as source worldwide, all those magical things that encourage your cuties to play… then put away! We spoke to the SPACEY founders Tania and Sally to learn more.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
SPACEY came about after a hardcore addiction to beautiful kids spaces kept getting thwarted by the fact that kids have a lot of STUFF. We loved those spaces but the reality of keeping them uncluttered for busy parents seemed impossible. We wanted to offer creative ways to have beautiful rooms full of beautiful things that were both practical and fun.
The Launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
We (Tania and Sally) were both on two different journeys, but both balancing work life, mum life and all that goes with it. We realised we shared a passion for kids spaces, and knew that starting a business solo was not as much fun as with a mate. And best of all we were only a short bush walk apart! We spent a lot of time brainstorming ideas, and quickly realised we had so many that we needed to streamline and focus on a few key pieces that we knew were missing in the market. We’re lucky that we balance each other out really well, and between us we have solid design and branding/project management backgrounds.
Tania spent most of her 20s in Scandanavia, and that love of clean, beautiful and clever design has stayed with her through her design career. We stock a few European brands like FabeLab, Donsje and Kreativitum, and bring some of that vibe to our own SPACEY pieces. We also spent a lot of time sourcing beautiful New Zealand offerings like Henry + Co, Misery Guts and Sheep-ish brands.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Finally going live! We spent a lot of time developing the brand, curating beautiful pieces, and working on designs and getting them produced for the SPACEY original items. Everything took a lot longer than we expected, but it was important for us to get it right. You only get one chance to launch to market. Selling our first original pieces were SO satisfying, and knowing that we were able to design and make things here in NZ felt like a great achievement.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
It’s a juggling act worthy of a circus! We’re lucky that all of our kids are at the same primary school, there are often catch ups with multiple distractions for kids… as we’re answering these questions there are currently four kids surrounding us playing with a bunch of play dough and a WHOLE lot of glitter (!) at the table with us!
Our kids are the most important things in our lives, so we are lucky that going on bush walks, testing products and playing with the kids also counts as SPACEY research!
Kudos also to the husbands who assist with our research by being big kids and mucking in at playtime!
We’ve got a comprehensive to-do list and because there are two of us we can keep things moving without it putting too much strain on either of us at one time.
