Behind The Brand: Bella Buttercup's Jaimee Hastie And Chloe Blanchette

Bella Buttercup was destined for success from the moment co-founders Jaimee Hastie and Chloe Blanchette conceived the idea. From Scandi-style baby play gyms to stylish and practical baby change mats, nappy clutches, play mats and more, Bella Buttercup’s founders explain the road to success - and why parents love their unique products…  

Tell us about your fashion and interior design background – and how this influenced Bella Buttercup? 

“We both studied different areas of design at university, Jaimee Fashion Design and Chloe Interior Design. We believe that the coming together of these two areas is where we have been able to produce beautiful quality and well-designed baby products, which include soft goods products and the wooden Play Gyms and teething toys."

What was the inspiration behind your business? Or the ‘light bulb moment’ for launching your first product and the brand? (I notice it launched in 2012 so neither of you had children at that stage?)

Bella Buttercup was born out of the desire to gift many new, or soon to be mothers in our lives something special and unique at their baby showers. The first Bella Buttercup items were such a success that the business evolved naturally from there. At the time of its launch, Chloe was pregnant so the experience she had in searching for great baby products also became an inspiration to us both and our developing brand. 

Tell us a bit about the Bella Buttercup’s style? 

Our range has a Scandinavian-influence using minimalist designs, soft tones and neutral shades. Every product is designed with an interior focus as well as being educational and functional too. We believe that every product should be beautiful so you feel you can leave them out for display in your home, without having to hide them away for visitors. 

How are Bella Buttercup’s products unique?

Our Play Gyms such as the Mini Bar are designed in-house and have a very unique design aesthetic. We believe these are beautiful, yet educational and best of all, they help busy mums to get things done. We pride ourselves in designing products that are missing in the market. A large portion of our range is designed by us, so you won’t find them anywhere else.  

Bella Buttercup are stylish AND practical! Can you explain? 

All products within the Quilted Collection are machine washable and contain a water-resistant interior, helping to prevent spills from travelling through. There is also the ability to use these both in and out of the home. We like to combine ease of use with strong design aesthetics to give an all-round top-quality item. 

Tell us about Bella Buttercup’s heirloom appeal? 

We create baby and toddler items which stand the test of time and can be passed down through the family. A Bella Buttercup item is a beautiful gift for any new or expecting parent to receive. Our recent collaboration, ‘Written in the Stars’, allows for gold embossed initial personalisation on our Nappy Clutch leather star for an extra special touch. 

What do you love about Scandi design and interiors?

The clean, minimalist style, raw wood and soft colour palette is for us the stuff that dreams are made of. A focus on clean, simple lines, minimalism, and functionality without sacrificing beauty. 

Why do parents love your designs?

They wash and dry incredibly well! They are comfortable for their babies and toddlers to use and they make travel, change and play time easy. Many mums have also commented that they love the unusual design of our Mini Bar, which is not like any other play gym on the market. 

Can you share some nursery decorating tips?

We have kept our designs minimal colour palette soft so they can work back with any home interior. Each piece remains sophisticated and modern, adding to the overall feel of the room. There is a colour option suitable for every nursery or décor choice, whether you love pastels, marled greys or classic naturals. 

What does a typical mummy-work day juggle look like? 

For Jaimee, who is a fairly new mum to toddler Austin, it is all about getting a balance of work/play time. Toddler sleep times are key for getting a bulk of work done and over this time, generally it’s about being glued to the computer while she can. 

For Chloe, who has a daughter that started school this year, it is about getting used to Eva being home earlier on in the day and having to fit her work hours in during school hours. One thing we have both have learnt through our journey is to try and keep family time just that, and try to be present with our kids as much as possible. 

What advice do you have for other mums juggling work and children? 

Don’t be hard one yourself if your day didn’t go to plan. Sometimes balancing work and family life requires a bit of creative thinking so this means finding ways to make necessary work tasks that can’t wait fun so little ones can help/play alongside.  

What happens behind the scenes to make Bella Buttercup great baby and toddler products?

Designers of our own range means that these are original concepts that have been developed through various stages of design, product sampling, testing and quality control checks to bring you the very best items for use with your children. 

Website: bellabuttercup.com.au

Instagram @bellabuttercup_ Facebook @bellabuttercupbaby

Want to see the products up close? Come to our next Sydney baby expo or Melbourne baby expo by visiting our Sydney baby expo page here or our Melbourne baby expo page here.