Yes, i will using shield. Smith will be a secondary perk i think.
About a Nord ideal... i don't know, i always believed heavy armors were the most ideal, i don't know why.
It depends. I mean Nords are quite heavily based upon Viking and Scandinavia. The heaviest armour which the Vikings used tended to be chainmaile and furs. There is of course no chainmail in Skyrim...
You'll notice that the Skyrim promotional images showed a nord in Hide armour, but with and Iron and Steel Shield. A mix CAN work out just fine, especially if you Smith. You won't really benefit from any more than the first perk in either Light or Heavy Armour, but the cominations look pretty good.