THE PERSON BEHIND NORDIC STORIES
Hello,
I’m Merilin.
Photographer, graphic designer and translator. Three parts of my work, connected by a love of stories and my roots in the Nordic world.
I’m Merilin Kaustel-Lehemets, the founder of Nordic Stories. Originally from western Estonia, I now live on Sweden’s west coast, near Gothenburg and Marstrand.
Merilin Kaustel-Lehemets
Two coasts.
One story.
After secondary school, I explored music, political science and law. My creative direction became clearer when I moved with my family to the countryside in Noarootsi, also known as Nuckö, and began to focus on photography and graphic design.
Noarootsi had also been home to my Estonian Swedish ancestors. My grandmother’s native language was Swedish, and she spoke the local Nuckö dialect. An interest in this heritage led me towards Scandinavian languages, history and culture.
I studied Scandinavian studies at the University of Tartu, focusing on Swedish language and literature and also learning Danish and Norwegian. In 2026, I completed my master’s studies at Tartu; I have also studied at the University of Gothenburg.
Images, form
and language.
Through graphic design, I have created visual identities and communication materials for Estonian and international businesses and organisations, from websites to printed publications.
My photographs have been published in Estonian newspapers and magazines. I have captured weddings and families, and created food and product photography. The cookbook Våra smaker av Nuckö, featuring my photographs, was presented as a gift to the King of Sweden.
My translations from Scandinavian languages into Estonian have received the Estonian Writers’ Union’s Best Young Translator Award in two consecutive years.
Nordic Stories brings these experiences together. It is a place where a photograph, a visual identity or a carefully chosen word can become part of the same story — yours.