Our Team

Staff Member - Lovisa Lovisa - Sales + Maileg Superstar

Lovisa has been our core team member for a couple of years now. She is originally from Sweden but has called Christchurch her home for over 8 years now. Lovisa is an absolute sweetheart and naturally bubbly co-worker. Her love for Maileg mice can be contagious and you might just become a collector 😉. If ever in doubt with your Maileg enquiries or interior designing your Maileg house - Lovisa is your go to 💗

I am passionate about…

Art, nature, philosophy and creative thought in general. I love reading a good book in steamy hot pools, stargazing and tramping in the New Zealand wilderness, or eating a succulent meal accompanied with a game of chess. Swedish fika* is great too. Oh...and Maileg mice and bunnies make my heart beat a little bit faster!

*Usually a coffee with something sweet like a cinnamon scroll or a Swedish chocolate ball.

What is your favourite season…

Autumn. I love the crisp purity of Autumn air, the way nature lets go of summer's pressuring heat and begins to move slowly and mindfully into winter's rest. I believe this can be mirrored in people too, as we are invited to savour the steadily diminishing light, enjoy the small things and keep ourselves and each-other warm (perhaps with the help of beautiful woollen throws and cozy Scandinavian socks).

What makes you happy?

I am filled with a deep sense of happiness every time I get to sit down in my garden, wrapped up in a blanket and with my orange Glerups on and simply overlook the Pacific Ocean and the Southern Alps. To let my eyes rest on nature's beauty and allow my mind to wonder...that is joy. Sharing such moments with loved ones does naturally add a golden hue to the experience.

What are you reading/watching/listening to at the moment?

I am currently reading Philosophical Investigations by Ludwig Wittgenstein alongside the third book in Lucinda Riley's series about the Seven Sisters. I do also watch a lot of homemaking videos on Youtube.

If I were a Moomin character, I would be…

I would be the Mymble's Daugther, sometimes simply referred to as Mymble. Green-eyed and full of awe at the wondrous things in life, whether it be precious items, intriguing people or a glorious sunset, we both fall (too) easily in love with the world around us every day. I think we both move between playfulness and seriousness on a daily basis, and hopefully somewhere in between those places are able to find a space of peace and calm.

Pia - Customer Service / Multitasker

Pia is our ultimate Nordic Chill mum, she just does not look after our customers but all of us staff members too, yet not forgetting her own three sons. Pia is originally trained as a nurse and left her home country Finland many years ago first to live in Jersey, then back to Finland and back and forth to Qatar and Dubai until making home in New Zealand five years ago with her husband and boys. This fearless Finn can tackle whatever challenge is thrown at her.

I am passionate about…my Finnish roots and my family. My grandfather made wood furniture and my father followed his footsteps by building his house and then helped build our house. My grandmother was, and my mother is, wonderful bakers. I like baking big blueberry pies, cinnamon rolls and sourdough bread, but I also get very excited about helping my husband build our log house by a Finnish lake. My wishlist has included new power tools as well as a quality cake mixer.

What is your favourite season…My favourite season is winter. My favourite sport is cross country skiing in a snowy forest. I enjoy hygge evenings with friends, hot drinks, salmon sandwiches and candle lights.

What makes you happy? Spending time with my family and friends makes me happy. The best memories are skiing in the European Alps with my cousins and Father Christmas visiting us in a dark, snowy evening reading his little book about how everyone’s year has been.

What are you reading/watching/listening to at the moment? In the evenings I like to watch Scandinavian crime series, there is one in TVNZ at the moment called Man in Room 301. My favourites are the Boardertown (filmed in Lappeenranta where some of my family is from), Deadwind and Arctic Circle (Ivalo).

If I were a Moomin character, I would be…I would be definitely Mrs. Fillyjonk. She likes order, keeping her home spotlessly clean and has a long list of chores. Even though cleaning isn’t my favourite chore I do love a clean and tidy home and enjoy creating a cozy, hyggelig home. Mrs. Fillyjonk also has 3 children just like I have 3 beautiful boys who give me plenty of jobs.

Rebecca - Store Manager

Rebecca is the new store manager, here to make sure that all of the practical daily activities of the store run smoothly. She brings a wealth of knowledge in burger-making, stock-takes and managing teenagers with her. Rebecca is always willing to lend a helping hand and to learn something new - so if you spot her in the shop feel free to tell her a fun fact :)

I am passionate about…Reading! I’m quite the reader - so far this year I have read 152 books - and I’ve got two on the go at the moment. My favouritething is curling up on a rainy day with a good book and hot drink, and hopefully a cat one day too.

What is your favourite season…Oh that’s a tough toss up between autumn and spring for me, it’s not too cold, but not too warm either. And I really enjoy the variety of colours that come out during these times of the year, from pale pink cherry blossoms in spring to the beautiful rich colours in autumn.

What makes you happy? I love my family and friends - I’m pretty cruisy about what we do, but a dip in the hot pools followed by a hot chocolate is pretty unbeatable. I also really love to bake with my mum, it’s our weekend tradition, our favourites to make are chocolate cake and gingernuts.

What are you reading/watching/listening to at the moment? I recently finished Pretty Little Mistake by Micalea Smeltz, and I would give it a solid 4 stars. It was a good book, with a bit of drama - and lots of romance :)

If I were a Moomin character, I would be…Too-ticky - both practical and warm-hearted. Too-ticky enjoys her own company but also is always there to help others. She doesn’t let things get to her and can be relied upon to bring her practical problem-solving skills to bear on any dilemma.

Tarmo – Assembly Dude

Tarmo is part of the Nordic Chill extended overseas family who joined our team late last year. He has acquired many new skills in his stint so far; in-store customer service and storage management, keeping the website fresh with new arrivals and he is also the resident kit assembly guy. Don’t be afraid to ask for more details of his services.

During his free time Tarmo likes to pump iron at the gym. Pretty handy when you need heavy flatpacks loaded in your car. Currently he is enjoying exploring the magnificent nature and outdoors of New Zealand.

I am passionate about….Travelling, nothing better than discovering new places around the world.

What is your favourite season? Spring is the perfect season for me, days become longer and warmer. And I can start wearing shorts at work.

What makes you happy? Pizza-Friday with the family.

What are you reading/watching/listening to at the moment? A lot of 90's rap/hip hop at the gym and Joe Rogan podcast when commuting to work.

If I were a Moomin character, I would be…Snufkin. He is a philosophical vagabond who wanders the world fishing and playing the harmonica. He carries everything he needs in his backpack, as he believes that having too much stuff makes life overly complicated. Snufkin is easygoing and carefree and enjoys thinking about things

Assi, Cam, Emmett & Nico

West-Meltonians Assi and Cam are the innovative owners of Nordic Chill. Assi (a Finn) has hand-grown the business since 2014, starting from a tiny wee pop up shop, combining her skill for visual design as well as love for beautiful items. Taranaki-raised Cam joined the business little later, after working as an engineer designing vegetable processing equipment for a number of years. You’ll be sure to meet him on his delivery runs! Their sweet, cheeky, rubbish-recycling loving Emmett joined the family in early 2018 followed by baby brother Nico in December 2021.

Assi - Owner & Multitasker

I am passionate about….Colourful things, my favourite motto is “Life is too short to blend in”, knitting, anything made out of wool, especially throws and of course Moomin mugs. I self-proclaim to have the largest collection of Moomin mugs in NZ.

What is your favourite season? Winter, hands down. A day over +15 makes me sweat.

What makes you happy? Our two gorgeous boys exploring, growing and learning new things. Their infections laughter.

What are you reading/watching/listening to at the moment? Brand new release, My Hygge Home by Meik Wiking. Absolutely love it! It is so effortlessly written yet full of facts, tips and inspiration.

If I were a Moomin character, I would be…Sniff - He’s very good-natured and sometimes a little cowardly. Sniff loves all valuable things and gets excited whenever he encounters some. Sniff makes many plans to get rich, even though they usually don’t succeed.

Cam - Owner & Delivery Driver

I am passionate about…. Coming from an engineering background and raised on a farm I'm interested in pretty much all machines (cars, tractors, 4wds) as well as spending some time outside (skiing, biking, tramping, camping). I enjoy driving many kilometers in our delivery van and getting to meet some of our happy customers. Nordic Home/House design (the technical aspects) is also a particular interest of mine along with DIY. These skills have been put to good use building our Nordic Village at the Colombo Mall with many hours also spent on our home in West Melton.

What is your favourite season? Hard to choose. I like the winter a lot more now that we have a decent warm home and love visiting the snow. Summer is great for camping, getting on the water and BBQ. The contrast is nice.

What makes you happy? Road trips and adventure. Seeing new places. Also seeing our kids experience new things and places. I once rode a motorcycle the length of Africa, and hope to do something similar again when the kids get a bit older. Completing a DIY project also brings satisfaction.

What are you reading/watching/listening to at the moment? Mainly topics centred around technology. Quite a few Youtube subscriptions featuring people reviewing new tech in future energy and automotive design.

If I were a Moomin character, I would be…Snork - He is good with his hands and sometimes constructs his own complex inventions in his workshop. Snork researches things for himself and then passes on his knowledge and observations to others. When required, Snork rolls up his sleeves and skilfully organises even the most demanding of projects. Precision is crucial to him.

Bernice - Multitasker, Customer Service Legend

Bernice is on maternity leave currently :)

You’ll find Bernice having a cheeky chuckle with anyone she meets! Bernice used to own and run Yumm cafe at the Colombo, before her big move down the corridor to be our customer service extraordinaire.

Bernice is always on the go - whether she’s on the family farm with her partner Hamish (and their dog and cats), with us in-store or doing some odd jobs with her dad here and there. She is a customer service legend, both in person or online - she’ll help you out no matter what pickle you’re in.

I am passionate about….

It would be fair to say that a huge passion of mine is Wool and mainly NZ wool products. They have become big discussions in our house leading to heated talks around how much is too much to pay for a wool band aid and my dairy farmer husband refusing to use (*eye rolls*). I think this passion has been encouraged largely by Assi as we team up to take over NZ with a goal to make wool more affordable for every NZ home. I love it when customers come in store with the same beliefs about wool but also those ones that we manage to talk out of the old myths that can sometimes be tied to wool (it's not all itchy and scratchy like your grandmother used to make you wear!).

What is your favourite season?

I might be one of the few kiwis working here but I too am a big fan of winter. Could be tied to my passion for wool but I much prefer the colder days. Lighting a candle jumping on the couch with the cats and dog (not that our dog is inside if my landlords are reading this) and settling in to watch sport or a really trashy TV show.

What makes you happy?

I am really happy when I spend time with my family and friends and a wee gin and tonic in hand also helps. Bring on late August when I can enjoy them again!

What are you reading/watching/listening to at the moment?

I'm currently reading the Little Book of Happiness and absolutely loving that! I really enjoy listening to podcasts on my commute to and from work one of my favs at the moment is the Toni & Ryan podcast. I'm pretty embarrassed to admit I love a cheeky season of Love Island so happy that it has started back up!