This season, we were thrilled to collaborate with Rose Lihou, the talented lady behind British design studio Born Lucky. In case you haven't seen her work before, Rose designs and prints the most beautiful wall art for children and the modern family (and we say 'family' because her creations look amazing in any room of the house).

When I first spoke to Rose a few months ago, I knew that Born Lucky was the perfect brand for Bobby Rabbit. Sharing our ethos that a child's space should spark imaginations and inspire creativity, her designs explore themes of nature and adventure. She works with carefully considered, stunning colour palettes that evoke a sense of calm and tranquility with a lasting longevity to 'grow' with your child.

Our summer brief began as an 'underwater exploration' theme. We looked at treasure, sunken ships, anchors and other icons from the deep, but in the end, we both loved the idea of creating a trio of ocean creatures that could sit on the wall either individually or together as a set.

Rose designed a Narwhal, a Whale and an Octopus in a beautiful, tropical jewel-themed colour palette with hand-finished silver details:

The Whale Print was perfect for our 'Deep Blue Sea' room:

And we *loved* styling the Narwhal and Octopus prints in our 'Magic Tent' room, where the jewel tones and the added touch of sparkle blended perfectly with the colours in the room. Introducing sea creatures to this setting continued the overall 'theme' of our summer collection, but in a less obvious, more unexpected way:

This week, we caught up with Rose to find out a little more about her brand, the story behind it, and how her style has influenced the look and feel of her own children's shared bedroom.

What's the story behind Born Lucky? How did it all begin, and what inspired you the most?

Rose: Born Lucky is my illustration studio and we create design-led nursery artwork. We believe that a child's bedroom wall is a privileged position to occupy - it's the first and last thing they see each day.

I'd been working as a freelance illustrator for a few years and was hugely inspired by the memories of pictures on my wall when I was a child. I wanted to create purposeful artwork for children, which nurtured creativity and explored narratives of adventure and the natural world. I'm always moved when customers share images of our artwork in their family homes.

Before that, I worked as a product designer for LUSH Cosmetics.

How important is the use of colour in your creations?

Rose: The use of colour is absolutely central to my work. All of our Born Lucky collections feature colours drawn from nature; colours which are tranquil and nurture creativity. Our best selling minimalist Alphabet print features colours inspired by putty, rocks, ice, moss and clay.

Would you say your style is more true to form, or abstract? 

Rose: When doing initial designs I like to draw more true to life, and then refine the design over and over until I hopefully finish with something more minimalist and clean. I love creating artwork for children that has immediate impact and I find that refined and minimalist design help me achieve that.

You're a mum too! What do your children's rooms look like? Can you share any top tips for decorating a child's room or nursery?

Rose: I have two girls aged 6 & 4 and I love that they share a room. The walls are Farrow & Ball Green Ground, and we used white and natural wood for their furniture along with lots of plants. I'm really fond of their toy boxes which are just basic Ikea crates stacked up. My tip would be to keep a stash of good quality A5 papers and blue tack so they can create an ever-changing gallery wall of their artwork.

And finally: whale, narwhal or octopus - which Bobby Rabbit creation is your favourite and why?

The octopus was the most fun to draw, but I think the narwhal is my favourite print because of the harmony between the colours. I have one of these prints currently in our front room and am really happy with the result.

*****

If you like what you are see, why not head over to Born Lucky and check out the rest of their beautiful collection? And don't forget to have a closer look at our Sea Creatures too! We loved collaborating on this project and are super proud to welcome the Born Lucky brand to our portfolio. Thanks Rose!