Cush & Nooks is a New Zealand-based blog dedicated to interior design. Behind all the colour, pattern and style is the lovely Vic Bibby, who – off the back of the blog’s popularity – has now also opened a Cush & Nooks online homeware store, and recently launched an interior design business with one of her girlfriends!

Tell us about yourself first Vic – what do you do for work and for fun?
I’m one of those really lucky people whose work is fun! I’m pretty passionate about all things interior design. I have an interior based blog called Cush & Nooks where I write about and feature all those things that I’m inspired by daily. I have an online homewares store by the same name, where my products reflect what I’m loving at the time. And I write for several magazines, including Homestyle and Napier Life.

As if that doesn’t keep me busy enough, I have just started an interior design business Bibby + Brady. My partner, Dael, & I work with clients, both residential and commercial, to design spaces that they love, and are a reflection of them. We are successfully working with clients all around New Zealand with the help of technology – email, phone and skype. Our aim is to be accessible and approachable to everyone, and for our clients to know upfront what costs they’ll be facing. To do this we have broken our design process into simple-to-follow steps. You can hire us for just step 1, or all 3 – whatever suits you.

Outside of work I love hanging with my husband and three beautiful girls. I also love all the standard stuff – eating out with friends, reading, movies, running with my dog, and, of course, shopping.

Vic (left) and her business partner Dael

How did you come to start the Cush & Nooks blog and how has it changed since then?
I started my Cush & Nooks blog when I was still working as a graphic designer. Things just weren’t clicking for me at work anymore, and the blog was a creative outlet for what I had become most passionate about – interior design. Initially it was simply somewhere for me to store all the things that inspired me. Essentially, it still is, but it’s also a tool to promote people, products and businesses that I believe in. And the blog will be ever-evolving and changing as my tastes change, in much the same way as the interior of your home changes over the years.

Working from home – bliss!

Who inspires you?  
To be able to get up every day and do something that you love is amazing. I’m inspired by people who have found a way to do that. It sounds glamorous, but it takes dedication, passion and long, long hours to make it happen. Top of my list are Emily Henderson, Anna Spiro, Lucy Feagins, Holly Becker and Bri Emery, but there are so many more.

Some of the bloggers and interior mavens who inspire Vic

Tell us something we wouldn’t guess about you!
Before interiors came sports! When I was younger I played lots of different sports, but my favourite was hockey – I represented Wellington for many years. Now all you’ll catch me doing is pounding the street with my dog and my iPod, and occasionally biking to the cafe on my Electra Cruiser.

What are some of your favourite design and style blogs that you think we should go and visit?
Once again, there are many. I like to visit international blogs to get a feel for what’s happening out in the big world. Emily Henderson always inspires me and often features awesome ‘before and after’s'; Desire to Inspire never lets you down; and SF Girl by Bay is another fav. In terms of NZ blogs you can’t go past Fancy! New Zealand Design Blog, Studio Home, The Design Chaser, and Milo & Mitzy.

Pics from some of Vic’s favourite blogs

Whats the best thing about being a blogger? Whats the suckiest thing?  The best thing is the friends you make. I’ve met like-minded people from all over the world through blogging. And all the amazing things you discover when sourcing content for the blog. There’s not a lot of sucky things for me when it comes to blogging – maybe having to sit at my desk for so many hours a day. Sometimes I envy those pilates instructors whose work is a work-out too!  Pic of Home Office

Finally, got any tips for start-up bloggers to get them over the global average 3 month lifespan?
Really, is that the average blog lifespan?! Well, I would say if you want to start a blog, make sure it’s a topic that you’re super enthusiastic about. You don’t want it to become a chore, but if you’re writing and featuring things that excite you, how can it?   In saying that, it is a lot of work, so make sure you take some time out for you. I enjoy my weekends off blogging – that’s my family time – and like any job, you need to take a break from time to time. As long as you let your readers know you’re on holiday, they’ll be fine with it. And you can come back feeling refreshed, and hopefully, with some new ideas for the blog.