On a beautiful sunny autumn morning, we were lucky enough to be invited to have a chat with Vanessa Perilli at her gorgeous light-filled Melbourne abode. And what a treat awaited beyond the stunning lush olive tree that greeted us in the front yard. Vanessa is the creative brain and self-described one-woman band behind V.Happy Co – makers of cute as personalised children’s alphabet art prints. (We had a feeling her home would be just as fun and joyful as her designs.)By day, she is a Designer who specialises in branding and typography. By night, after tucking her little ones into bed, you’ll find her packing orders, designing posters, creating content, answering emails and anything else involved in running V. Happy Co. In this Heart-to-Heart, Vanessa shares the inspiration behind her small biz, how she keeps the creative juices flowing, styling advice for kids' rooms and lots of other pearls of wisdom. Take it away Vanessa… Shop apparel here and cushions + rugs here. How would you sum up V.Happy Co in one sentence?Life’s too short to have boring walls! V.Happy Co brings playful design to kids’ bedrooms and play spaces.Tell us how this beautiful business of yours was born! What first sparked the idea?The idea for V.Happy Co was ignited long before it came to life. Its journey started with the design of my baby's nursery when I first found out I was expecting. Being passionate about interiors and styling, creating a nursery filled me with much excitement. It was my dream job! One piece was essential; Enzo Mari’s 'La Mela', iconically designed in 1963. I found an original silkscreen of the print and this was the perfect excuse to buy it. Little did I know that this artwork would profoundly impact my work and my baby, Hazel.As a new parent, I was confronted with the diagnosis of my baby's hearing loss, which was confirmed at five months, but detected at birth. Motherhood didn't unfold as I had imagined. I spent the first year consumed with appointments and countless conversations with support workers, absorbing the overwhelming information through tear-filled eyes. While there were many beautiful moments, these were also accompanied by sadness, but I had to put on a brave face for my baby.'La Mela' hung over Hazel’s change table and at 1.2m, it couldn’t be missed. As expected, Hazel’s speech was delayed, despite early intervention and speech therapy. From Hazel’s waking moment, I made every effort to sing, rhyme, talk non-stop and read different books. I’d point to 'La Mela' and repeat “Apple. Apple. Apple.”. Then one day, at the age of 14 months, Hazel uttered her first word “A-PO,” marking a significant milestone filled with joy, laughter, tears and relief.I’m a strong typographer (that’s someone who designs fonts) and to aid Hazel’s ongoing speech therapy, I conceptualised a simple idea of combining images and letters to make the alphabet more engaging and memorable. Knowing Hazel was a visual learner, I aimed for simplicity in design, drawing from my graphic design education and the timeless essence of 'La Mela'. I’m not an expert in deaf education, but when I reflect, this project was my way of showing Hazel my unwavering commitment to her development.That was it. The very first moment that would eventually become V.Happy Co. Unlike most business owners, I didn’t see a gap in the market, my motivation was to help my daughter along her literacy journey. It took five years to share the Alphabet with the world. When I finally launched the business, after my 2nd child, Winter (yes, that’s her name) was born, it began with greeting cards, as the Alphabet remained too personal to release until later. Now that I am comfortable, V.Happy Co is working on something exciting to help others and give back. Stay tuned… Shop the new kids + baby range here. Shop the Musk Stick Stool here. How do you get inspired for new artwork? And when do you feel most creative? I find inspiration everywhere, from the world around me to my own life experiences and even the funny things my kids say, do and draw. I enjoy elevating simple ideas into something extraordinary—like who would've guessed that putting a face on a sun would become our biggest hit? I love to laugh. Humour inspires me to think differently. It makes V.Happy.As a designer, I'm constantly collecting visual references. I have folders full of stuff! I’m a regular at galleries and discovering contemporary artists is a passion of mine. My bookcase is a work in progress, filled with design books I've been collecting for over two decades. These have been a constant source of inspiration. Whether I'm working on a project for V.Happy Co or a client, I strive to create concepts that are effective rather than trendy. I’ll never design something that just looks pretty, it needs to have an idea— that 'a-ha moment', where people wonder,