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    5 ways to bring your family history into your home

    Brittany
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    5 ways to bring your family history into your home

    5 ways to bring your family history into your home

    If you don’t follow along on Instagram, I shared about how I got to attend Roots Tech conference in March after I had spent some time talking about how our family heritage influenced the design of our home here on the blog, which was then featured here and here. I’ve been hearing some requests about how to do it in your own home so I’m sharing 5 ways to bring your family history into your home.

     

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    A post shared by Brittany Jepsen (@houselarsbuilt)

     

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Brittany Jepsen (@houselarsbuilt)

    I realized I haven’t shared it with you here.

    Why bring your family history into your home

    Let’s start with the why. Now, of course you don’t have to bring your family heritage into your home in order to love and honor your family. You don’t even have to do anything big. For me, my grandparent’s home was so crucial to my aesthetic development that I have always hearkened back to it and wished to bring it in.

    My grandparents built their home in Los Angeles in 1951 and were known for their hospitality and hosted showers, weddings, out of town visitors. My grandmother had a small sewing room behind the laundry room with a cabinet full of fabrics that she had collected from all around the world. She taught me to sew all sorts of things. That room was magic.

    The kitchen was French-inspired. It had hand-painted tile with delicate flourishes and little toile scenes. It was placed on the counters, on the kitchen hood along with beautiful accessories. The family room had a high cup rack around the ceiling of the room where mugs were displayed. It was covered in a beautiful wood treatment. All around the house was furniture and paintings that my artist uncle had designed and painted.

    By hearkening back to this time, I feel like I am able to capture my grandparent’s essence. Like they still live on through me. They were the loveliest.

    I know we do always know those who came before us or have great relationships with them, and I’ll get to that, but they do inform who we are and finding a way to honor it can get us in touch with our soul.

    1. Look back to your family history origins

    If you don’t have a specific idea of how to bring your family heritage into your home, look back to where you came from. Here in the States we all came from somewhere else and so there’s quite a bit to look to.

    Growing up, I was told stories about my Irish and Danish ancestry and grew up really interested in learning more about it. And in school, I always selected Denmark if given the choice, for a country project. Denmark always made its way into the stories I wrote. I was fascinated! So learning about the aesthetic history of the country was something that I was always interested in and it happened to align with what I naturally gravitated to.

    On a trip to Denmark to visit Paul’s family, I snuck away to the National Museum of Denmark and stumbled across this cabinet below middle. I loved it so much that I used it as the inspiration for our fridge in the kitchen. You can see how I used all three traditional Danish wedding cabinets to inform it.

     

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    A post shared by Brittany Jepsen (@houselarsbuilt)

    Of course, you don’t have to actually go to the country in order to be inspired by it. Look at books, videos, movies. There are more resources than ever to help you get familiar with your heritage.

    You can read more about the fridge in this post about the kitchen.

    2. Identify the people in your family tree

    A large storyline in our episode of In With the Old was my ancestor, Patty Sessions, a Mormon midwife who delivered babies along the plains as they came over to Utah in the 1840s. I grew up on stories about her and learned to love her for her grit, business acumen, and strength. Being able to talk about her on the show was very special and we found ways to honor her throughout the house.

    The staircase is one place where we honored her. I was inspired by traditional flat sawn balusters in Scandinavia, then had my friend, Jill DeHaan carve our flowers onto a few of them. We used the birth flowers of our family members along with the birth flower of Patty Sessions on them. Hers was the rose (June) so we featured it here on the balusters and on fabrics throughout the house.

    Learn about them, find things out about them, make them your own!

    You can read more about the staircase in this post here.

    3. Work in the family heirlooms into your home

    We don’t always get to inherit the things that we were really hoping for or the things that matter most to us. In fact, when my grandmother died, I inherited her globe. I LOVE the globe, but there were so many other things that reminded me of her and that I was really hoping to have. Slowly, family members have been giving us some things that didn’t fit into their own homes and I’ve been treasuring them.

    One of them is this painting of my grandparent’s house. It’s actually my mom’s that she received as a wedding present and it’s just on loan, but I placed it in the kitchen where I think about my grandparent’s every single day. It’s a beautiful memento. You can see it better here:

     

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    A post shared by Brittany Jepsen (@houselarsbuilt)

    This coo-coo clock was also my grandparent’s that they got in Germany. It’s also on loan, but I will cherish it while I have it!

    That

    I know not everyone has the same style as their grandparent’s mementos and that’s fine! Work it in a place where it can be read as an heirloom and not necessarily the focus of your design.

    You can see more of the kitchen renovation here.

    4. Blend in your heritage with your personal tastes

    Jasper’s bed was inspired by traditional Scandinavian built-in alcove beds, but I didn’t want it to read too historical. I wanted it to be slightly modern so we removed some of the decoration and left a few details here and there. We added in that mural and wanted it to shine.

    We also painted in yellow as an homage to the traditional color of Danish homes, but also one of my favorite colors and the color that I use for Jasper. (I’ve more or less assigned the boys an unofficial color).

    in with the old Brittany Jepsen room reveal

    You can see more about Jasper’s bedroom here.

    5. Create what you don’t have with your family history

    I know it can be hard to secure items of importance like family heirlooms. In that case, create what you don’t have. My great grandmother’s favorite flowers were fuchsias so I always make sure to have at least one pot of fuchsias in the garden. And without fail, I think of her every time I walk by. It can be simple and cheap!

    You can read more about our drought tolerant cottage garden here.

    Bringing your family history into your home

    Weaving in your family heritage into the design of your home can seem daunting, but with a bit of research it can be simple to add in some mementos of those who have based on before us. I LOVE having these reminders because it fills my soul. I actually feel things inside of me stirring.

    I’d love to hear if you’ve done anything special to bring your family heritage in. Tell me in the comments! 

    How to play with patterns

    Brittany
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    How to play with patterns

    How to do play with patterns

    I knew I needed to start fresh with Jasper’s room in order to transform it into something that felt new. So, I began looking into peel and stick wallpapers that I could put over the existing wallpaper. Maybe you know by now, but I’m a huge fan of Spoonflower. If you’ve used their products in the past, they’ve really focused on the quality of their products and their their peel and stick and it’s better than ever. I found a number of great options that would make it feel a bit more feminine and aligned with the look I was going for. Here are all the ones I was considering.

    Peel and stick pattern wallpaper

    I had done a thin blue and white stripe in our old bedroom from our old house and LOVED the feel, but wanted to try a different scale so I went with a bigger stripe from Danika Herrick.

    The peel and stick could have stuck to the previous wallpaper so Pat adhered it to the carpet to take off some of the stick, before applying it to the walls. It worked beautifully! It stuck well enough and was a breeze to take off too (video forthcoming!).

    Pattern Play florals

    I wanted to play a bit with patterns so I scoured the Lucas du Tetre shop. They have amazing bright florals and they block print in India so it’s a really great look. Of course I went bananas trying to figure out how to get it to work with our Clementine print and ultimately, I decided to use their blue flowers print as curtains for the bed. Because they didn’t have curtains ready made so I used two table cloths, one for each side and they worked beautifully! All to show that a little creativity can go a long way! I added in their orange and green striped pillow too and somehow it works well with a lot of prints.

    I knew I didn’t want to go too crazy with all the patterns–I still wanted our Clementine print to shine, so I toned down some other things like adding in more neutral pillows.

    These green floral sheets were a great find in a smaller scale from the curtains and I love how they played together.

    In fact, I found a ton of really great ditsy patterns that would work with the look. I’ll share them here:

    Clementine Kids Floral Artwork

    The artwork from the collection stood out beautifully on the blue and white stripes. I especially love the goose on that dark green. It is great mixed with all the other colors. Here I got it in the 18×24″ frame in the alder wood. 

    And the daffodil is such a great pop of color and simplicity. I got it in the 24×36″ size in the white frame.

    I adore the mixed bouquet piece. Here it’s in the 18×24″ in the alder frame.

    Sol used to live down the street from us and play with Jasper and Felix at the park every day. We miss her, but thankfully she still lives down the street. She’s the best!

    How to achieve pattern play in your own space

    1. Bring in patterns in different scales–big, medium, small
    2. Look for patterns with different colored backgrounds and business.
    3. Make one pattern a hero and let the other ones support. Here the hero is blanket (yay!) and curtains support it as well as the stripes.

    Share your pattern play with us!

    I’d love to see how you’re styling your Clementine pieces. Tag us with #LarsXClementine so we can all see your spaces!

    Would love to hear your thoughts about the room. Would you ever try and do some pattern play? It can be a little much for some folks, but pure happiness for others.

    You can find out Clementine Kids collection here.

    Becoming Danika Herrick

    Brittany
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    Becoming Danika Herrick

    Becoming Danika Herrick

    My company is Danika Herrick, Inc., I’m a Surface Pattern Designer located north of Boston, MA and I create and design fabric and wallpaper.

    What do you consider yourself? Example: Artist, designer, illustrator, maker, business person, educator, etc.?

    Designer seems to be the “umbrella” that covers everything I do.  I’ve worn a lot of hats from Interior Designer, Decorative Artist, to Surface Pattern Designer.  I am always “designing” something!

    Where did you grow up? Were there aspects of your childhood that have influenced what you do now?

    I grew up in a little town called Highland Mills, NY.  It was about an hour north of NYC.

    My parents always encouraged my sisters and I to be creative. This was during the 70’s and 80’s- so we would use whatever resources we had and put on neighborhood plays, had fashion shows (our entire line was made from Shop-Rite paper bags, staples and tape) and had plenty of entrepreneurial endeavors like selling grapevine wreaths and painted rocks to the neighbors.  I think our neighbors hid when we would come knocking!

    Our house was always under construction, and my love of  DIY stemmed from this. My Mom would come up with the design and My Dad would build it. In 1st grade I asked my teacher if I could go home because my Dad was digging a foundation and I would much rather be doing that.

    We also took lots of art classes.  To this day I am so grateful my Mom encouraged us to do this because it really helped to build my confidence. It also fostered my love of learning.  When I find myself stuck or not knowing how to do something I will seek out answers on Google or Skillshare.

    Oh, one more thing that shaped me was that my parents would drag us to antique stores, flea markets, and the family trips were more Colonial Williamsburg than Disneyland.  While we weren’t thrilled as kids they definitely made an impression.  I find my patterns have a nod to the past and timeless design, and all the years of staring at shelves and shelves of Flo-blue plates and ginger jars can be seen in my work. Thanks Mom and Dad!

    What did you dream of becoming when you were younger?

    A Nun! I went through a phase when I was about 3 or 4. I would dress up in rosary beads and shrouds of lace doilies.  My Mom had a bag of big of vintage crocheted table runners she bought at a yard sale and I would wrap myself in them and make my own habit.  She was a great sport, and I went everywhere dressed in my elaborate headdresses and beads for a while.

    What is your educational background and how has it shaped or changed your current career?

    So despite having a really creative childhood and always taking art classes, I went to college for Biology.  I loved AP Bio in highschool and thought “I’m good at this.  Maybe this is what I am supposed to do”.  Fast forward to the end of my sophomore year. I had lasted one day as a Biology major. The long 5 hour labs killed it for me. I bounced from Communications to Psychology, and finally took a required elective art class. It felt natural.  I was plugged into my creative side, but also terrified!  How was I going to make a career out of this?  The stereotype of being a starving artist haunted me. I called my Mom in tears one day, afraid of failing and that I had no idea what I was doing.  All my friends seemed to know what they wanted to do.  She was so supportive and calmly told me that I have always been creative and what works for one person isn’t going to work for me. If I was passionate about something, I needed to pursue it.

    Have you ever made a big career switch? If so, what prompted that? Are there aspects of a prior career that you incorporate into what you do now?

    My career feels like a long road full of forks… I have had several career changes but they felt really fluid and natural. One would lead me to the next.  My first job was working as a Decorative Artist in New York.  I got to work on so many beautiful spaces and I really became bitten by the world of interiors.  I wanted to do more than just paint the walls and floors, and I went back to school in Boston to study Interior Design.

    While in school I had a few internships with fabric companies and fell in love with patterns- but it would be a while until that seed would sprout.  I worked as an Interior Designer for two decades and during that time I met so many inspiring people and had lots of little side projects from blogging and starting a fretwork company.  I discovered Spoonflower while I was blogging and was instantly smitten.  I had always wanted to create a fabric collection, and here was this platform that allowed me to design, print and sell my own patterns.

    I had to brush up on my Photoshop skills and learn how to put my artwork into seamless repeats, but I would spend all my free time from 2011-2014 doing this.  I began creating collections and designs were selling.  I slowly added more and more designs and it suddenly became my full time business. I retired from interior Design in 2012 and gave it my full attention.

    How do you make social connections in the creative realm?

    I have made so many great friends through Instagram and Zoom.  I am an introverted-extrovert, and very content to be alone and work, but when I find like minded creatives I am so excited! Quite often I will be DM-ing with someone and it will lead to a Zoom chat with drinks.

    What is your workspace like? Has it changed at all since the beginning of the pandemic last year?

    I work from home and have slowly taken over several rooms in our house.  I have a main office on the first floor where I do my painting and computer editing, and I took over half of our guest room as a studio space where I store all my art and sewing supplies. Designing patterns requires testing out scale and color, so the surfaces of our home are my constantly changing canvas. 

    Describe some habits that keep you motivated and productive. How do you climb out of a creative slump?

    Do one thing and do it well.  I have a highly distracted ADD brain, and I love to multitask and do ALL the things, but it’s usually at my own demise. I would always find myself with so many unfinished projects and just feeling overwhelmed as many creatives do.  I looked at my strengths and weaknesses and realized I was great at hyperfocusing on things I enjoyed. I did a little experiment and decided I would just focus on fabric design for a month.  I drew, took classes, expanded my website- and almost immediately I saw so much growth!  I also felt less chaotic.  I realized that while I was good at doing several things at once, I was great at doing just one.  To this day, I really try to map out that one thing I want to accomplish- and if I get in a slump I take a class and learn something new. That almost always triggers new ideas.

    What is a typical day like for you?

    Monday- Friday are all business and then I try to go off the grid Saturday and Sunday. The weekends are when I am my most creative because there are less distractions- it’s when I paint and create the artwork fo my designs.

    My average day starts with a pot of coffee and getting my emails and custom design requests organized and prioritized. I am a paper list maker so I like to plan my day and cross things off as I go.  Once I get through that I will Photoshop and work on digitizing my artwork.  Working from home is great, and I love what I do, but I can easily get lost in it.  Quite often I sit down with my coffee and suddenly I’m like “how is it already dinner time?”

    What is one skill you wished you learned when you were younger?

    Delegating and time management. I am just the worst, but I am trying!

    Nobody likes to talk about it, but can you share any advice regarding financing your business?

    Grow slowly and organically if you can.  I hate debt and try to avoid taking loans or racking up my credit card if it’s not absolutely necessary.  As I’ve grown and made extra money I reinvest in myself.  Start with what you need, you will always have wants (for me its art supplies and better computers or software)- just don’t put yourself into debt if you don’t need to.  I set yearly financial goals for myself and when I hit them and have the extra money, I treat myself to that “want” as a reward.

    What do you hope to accomplish within the next 10 years?

    My goals include collaborations with a few of my favorite designers as well as creating a resort wear collection.  Besides feeling like I work 24/7, I also have a husband, 2 teenage sons and a dog.  My goal is to get better with my time management and be able to spend more quality time with them.  Both boys are both really creative. The older one produces music and has had songs on Billboard and the younger one is an amazing artist/ entrepreneur so I am really excited to see what the future holds for them and the paths they take!

    You can see read about Danika Herrick

    On her website
    On Instagram
    On Spoonflower

    How to make an alcove bed

    Brittany
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    How to make an alcove bed

    How to make an alcove bed

    I wanted this bed to happen so much, but when I encountered person after person backing out due to timelines I was willing to go to plan b or plan c or even plan z. THANKFULLY, Handy Nanny Pat came to the rescue and said her magical words “to every job that must be done there is an element of fun. You find the job and *snap* the job’s a game”. Wait…that’s not it… “I can figure it out.” There, that’s more like it.

    SO, I asked Pat if she’d be willing to share how she did it and she agreed. Before we get to how to make it, I wanted to share more insight into the design process.

    Designing an alcove bed

    I shared some inspo yesterday about what I was going for. I wanted a look that would feel Scandinavian, but knowing our time contraints I knew we would be able to go all out on it. That said, I didn’t necessarily want to. I wanted it to feel modern too. Here was my initial sketch:

    An alcove bed with custom seating under the two windows in the corner.

    I went through various details to arrive at the final including some with drawers, fancy decorative edges, some more in the scallop/wave direction, which I think would be so so fun still

    I also played around with what the decorative detail would look like based on Northern  European antique beds (kind of like Knosen Antique’s amazing sleigh bed collection). At one point I had even bought a sleigh bed for Jasper from Nee Nee Twig and it was so so gorgeous. Had I not found anyone to create the bed for me, I probably would have kept going in this direction.

    Eventually, I settled on this simple shape based on this inspiration on the right:

    I figured I could bring in patterns to liven it up. And this shape was totally doable for Pat. Ha! Or maybe I should let her answer that.

    Speaking of, let’s have her answer that! Pat, how do we make the bed?!

    How we built the alcove bed by Handy Nanny Pat

    Brittany had several photos of alcove beds to draw inspiration from as seen above. Once we decided on a basic design, we chose to make it a full (standard double) size. We envisioned snuggle time with the family for now, and more room for Jasper, the soon to be Nordic giant, as he grows. We also wanted to include a bookshelf inside the alcove.

    1. The basic framework of 2×4’s is attached to the studs in the walls, and the rafters in the ceiling, for stability. We also reinforced the interior joints with these brackets from Home Depot.
    2. From the dimensions of a full size mattress (75”x54”), we added twelve inches to the length, for the bookshelf, as we determined the size. The actual platform for the mattress has an extra couple of inches around it to accommodate bedding and make changing sheets easier.
    3. We knew we wanted to add the substantial step to the entrance of the alcove, so that determined the height of the platform. Our step is approx 12” high, and the mattress top is about 20” high. The mattress platform is about three inches lower than the main opening, so that the bedding tucks in out of site. Brittany’s idea to add a playful window to the end of the alcove turned out fantastic. The kids utilize it in so many ways. Daydreaming, climbing, hanging toys out of it, puppet shows, the whole bit. Plus, it added another side to add curtains to, making the interior view looking out quite the showstopper.
    4. We used this  ¾” plywood from Home Depot for the outside of the alcove and the platform for the bed.
    5. For the trim at the bottom of the entrance and top of the window, we used a jigsaw to cut out the shape that Brittany designed on the faceplates, and then glued another two ¾” plywood pieces of the same shape to back them. They’re a substantial 2 1/4” thick. As you can see from the progress photos, there is wood filler in the cracks, and we took care to sand them nice and smooth, and round out the edges. We added a bit of definition trim to the exterior, and crown molding to the top of the frame. Also, beadboard to the interior ceiling and end walls, for added appeal. The supports for the shelf were bought at Lowes. You can find them here.
    6. Building the step was fun. It’s built like a Mack Truck, and is not going anywhere, anytime soon. The frame is built from 2×4’s and covered with the same ¾” plywood. You’d be surprised how much it weighs! The boys are up and down it a dozen times a day, as expected.
    7. A bit about finishing work. It took a full week to do the trim, add the interior beadboard, and sand smooth the whole bed. The end result is a piece of furniture that will not only stand the test of time, but has a great base for whatever future paint options may be coming its way. It’s important to do a base coat of oil based primer when you’re working with raw wood. This keeps the tannins from seeping through and discoloring the paint. We used this one here.
    9. We used foam rollers for the paint, to keep the finish smooth. Our final coat of paint is California Hills by Benjamin Moore.
    10. We used standard curtain rods on the inside as the last part of the construction.
    11. The wallpaper mural inside is truly a magical touch. The whole room became the stuff of childhood dreams once it was installed.
    12. Bedding and curtains from Spoonflower finished the transformation, making this corner of the room an inspirational place of comfort.

    It’s worth mentioning, again, that all of this was done on timelines to meet shooting schedules of the production company for In With The Old. I laugh when I think about the late night painting and early morning wallpaper hanging we did, just for the show! Nothing like a deadline to keep the pace moving right along.

    Would I do it all over again? One Hundred times yes. Even though my initial guess was about two weeks to make it, and it turned out to be five weeks, a house full of sawdust and some late nights! 

    Thank you, Pat, for sharing your wisdom with us. I’m waiting for your own show to come out ;).

    A sunny nautical-inspired children’s bedroom

    Brittany
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    6
    A sunny nautical-inspired children’s bedroom

    A sunny nautical-inspired children’s bedroom

    Perhaps unconsciously I’ve assigned colors to my children–yellow for Jasper and blue for Felix. They just sort of came out as time has gone by and I’ve gotten to know them–it’s one of the perks of being a designer I suppose. So when I imagined Jasper’s room I envisioned sunshine. I didn’t know how that was going to play out, but I knew I wanted some sort of built-in alcove bed for sure and it just kind of came out from there.

    Thankfully, the room has quite a bit of room so we didn’t have to worry too much about the lack of space so all ideas were on the table.

    Before photos of the bedroom

    To remind you (from this post), here are some of the photos from before it became Jasper’s room. It’s been quite the journey in the short 2 years we’ve lived here.

    This is a photo of the room on the day we first looked at the house. The owners were in the process of renovating the home so doors were being painted, window trim was getting installed. Flooring was non-existent.

    As you saw from the show, we actually had Jasper in a different bedroom, the one right next to where he ended up. It’s basically a mirror of this one. Here are all the glamorous photos.

    Please note the fancy black out paper shades we used as “temporary” window coverings.

    These are the photos I provided to our production company when we were discussing the possibility of doing the show. Because again, I AM FANCY. In full transparency, I didn’t want to take the time to clean up because I assumed this whole thing wasn’t going to pan out.

    As you can see, we were in the midst of doing a phase 1 renovation to his space and I was considering lots of wallpaper options (I LOVED these ones from Marie-Clare).

    And his fancy tent to keep him in place! It worked until it didn’t. 

    Then we DIY’d this circus tent-inspired bed for like a Phase 1a design? Ha! I didn’t really have a plan but I got this idea for a shape and wanted to see it through.

    Meanwhile, over on the other side of the wall was Felix’s nursery, which then became Paul’s study, which then became a storage room while we worked on other rooms.

    Jasper’s room transformation

    Here it was in all its glory as Felix’s nursery.

    Interior shot of a green nursery. In the foreground is a white rocking chair with a few pillows, toys, and books on it and in the background is a wooden dresser.

    And then as the dumping ground while we worked on other rooms.

    Basically, because of the layout of the two rooms, we couldn’t put in an alcove bed in Jasper’s former room because the closet door was too close to the wall. The mattress would have blocked the door by a few inches. The adjoining room had a closet that fit better so we switched Paul’s office with Jasper’s room to remedy it.

    Inspiration for alcove bed

    I looked to a number of inspiration images for direction and ultimately I narrowed it down to these ones.

    I had reached out to a number of people to see if they could make the bed for me, but our timeline was so tight and people were so backed up with work that it wasn’t looking feasible. Finally, Handy Nanny Pat stepped in and said “I can figure it out.”

    And that’s just what she did, folks. She found something like this photo, which, to me, looks way easier than it probably is. But thankfully for me, it got her to say yes!

    Constructing the alcove bed

    I’m going to talk all about the actual construction of the bed tomorrow, but here’s one photo to give you some insight into the process.

    Nautical Mural in alcove bed

    Once the bed was starting to take shape, Paul had the idea to put a mural in it. It hadn’t occurred to me and I loved the idea so I set off finding the perfect one. I found so many amazing options but ultimately narrowed it down to this nautical themed one from Rebel Walls, a Swedish mural and wallpaper company.

    in with the old Brittany Jepsen room reveal

    It was absolutely perfect. And the best part is that you can put in the dimensions and the artwork can adjust to it. We cropped in on the best part of the mural and I love how it turned out. It adds so much character to the room.

    I don’t really love a super obvious theme or one that goes too hard, but I loved how this was working out and decided to add in some nautical touches here and there to tie it in. And turns out I already had quite a few things that tied in perfectly. I love a kismet moment.

    Wallpaper

    For example, I chose a star patterned wallpaper by Danika Herrick on Spoonflower. I thought it was subtle enough but also pretty fun. PLUS, she was able to change the color to brown because I love how yellow plays with brown.

    Spoonflower

    In fact, all the patterns you see in this space are from Spoonflower. We’ve worked with Spoonflower a ton in the past and they have become such a wonderful partner and I’ve become familiar with some really amazing options. I know it can seem overwhelming to choose from their vast collection, but if you know how to search you can find some great ones.

    Gingham curtains

    Included in that are the goldenrod gingham curtains. I’ve always loved the feel of gingham to reflect that of a Swedish interiors and wanted to get it in somehow. Meta Coleman had introduced me to a beautiful woven gingham that would be perfect but I knew I couldn’t get it in time, so I turned to Spoonflower once again. They make ready made curtain panels, but I actually used a sheet on these and thankfully there was enough!

    I also used Spoonflower for the subtle yellow stripe sheet set as seen here and the gingham Euro shams. I collected loads of options for Jasper’s room to help me inform my decisions. If you’re interested, you can see all of them here.

    Pat put in a bookcase into the inside of the bed, which is an amazing feature for a book lover like Jasper. It really is so practical and cozy and more “scope for the imagination” a la Anne Shirley.

    Funky Dresser

    I had spotted this dresser at an antique shop in Salt Lake, loved it immediately, and knew it would be perfect for this space in between the windows.

    Felix loved it too so I took it as a sign.

    The details are all a bit weird and I love that about it.

    Personal details throughout

    We tucked in a lot of personal details into the space too, which add so much meaning.

    For example, this rack below was one that my mom had in her shop in the 90s. It was made by my uncle. He made French country furniture and she sold it in her shop in Corona del Mar. It was called En Provence and it was the most beautiful shop in the entire world. I dream about it.

    I REALLY wanted this lamp that you see in this mock up below. It’s vintage from the 50s by Audoux-Minet. It was more than I wanted to pay and I was hoping that they’d accept my lower offer, but no go. I will still dream about it. Maybe one day I’ll find something similar in that French rope style. Or maybe DIY it!

    In the meantime, I used a rice paper lantern from here. I love the oversized scale of it.

    Rugs

    I looked at a LOT of rug options to go in the space and really had my eye on this one, but didn’t want to spend that much. I ended up using the rug that he already had in his room and it worked great. It’s no longer in stock at Annie Selke, but while I was looking I saved a bunch of amazing options here so if you’re looking for something similar, there are tons to choose from.

    I added in some funny details like this hand door knob. I had originally bought it for my book, Craft the Rainbow, and finally got to use it in real life.

    But warning: I had to take out the hand knob because my kids kept on hitting their heads on it and it ruined the wall in the closet. Ha! The wall is a mess!

    There’s a  hook for all of his costumes. It’s high, but he figures out how to get up there being the climber that he is. 

    Nautical Decor

    I bought a few things off of Etsy to bring in the nautical theme a bit more like some plates and artwork. I even made a whole Etsy collection so I could keep track of everything. If you’re interested here’s the list.

    Peek a boo window

    One of my favorite parts of the built-in bed is the side window. I definitely wanted a window on the side because we put in a full-size bed and the windows are to the side of the bed and it would have been so dark with no window. It’s perfect for puppet shows!

    Window Coverings

    We were planning out our partnership with Blinds.com at this time and I didn’t know what I would want so in the mean time, I ordered these balloon curtains and installed these tensions rods in antique brass. I wish I would have done this right when we moved in rather than the temporary paper shades that made me feel like we were living in a shack. The tension rods don’t ruin the walls and they look great.

    Cordless wood blinds

    You can see the cordless wood blinds that we put in afterward. I love them so much! We got the ones in Montego Bark.

    And here I had a little too much fun:

    This globe below was given to me by my grandmother. It fits in perfectly!

    Colors we used

    For the bed, I was super inspired by this cabinet below and set out to find something similar. After testing out a lot of Benjamin Moore colors, I settled on California Hills and made it 50% lighter. I think the colors in the photograph might make it seem a bit more golden than it actually is and I think it is pretty close to the photo below.

    For the window trim, I used a contrasting green color from, what do you know, the Magnolia line. It’s called Well-Watered.

    I left the bed pretty plain, just the solid color you see, but I’m considering adding more to it. Maybe a contrasting detail here and there. Maybe some decorative trim work on the side against the wall–TBD!

    in with the old Brittany Jepsen room reveal

    Ok! I think that’s it for now. If I’m missing anything, let me know! Happy to answer your questions!

    Resources:

    Benjamin Moore yellow paint  |  green trim paint  |  seascape mural * |  paper lantern  |  star wallpaper * |  gingham curtains * |  yellow striped sheet set * |  gingham shams * |  mattress*  |  Bench fabric*   |  Curtains  |  Tension rods  |  Cordless wood blinds*

    *gifted items

    Other articles:

    You can find all the before and afters in this post
    You can read all about the kitchen here
    Read about our kitchen cabinets here
    Read about our oven here
    Read about the staircase here
    Read about the fridge that looks like a cabinet here

    Before and afters of our home renovation

    Brittany
    -
    4
    Before and afters of our home renovation

    Before and afters of our home renovation

    There’s so much to say about the experience of doing a TV show not to mention the experiencing of renovating and the natural conflicts of each. I’ll get to all of that eventually, BUT, we are going to start with the specific rooms we worked on and some basic info about each one along with all the before and afters of our home renovation.

    Like I mentioned, I’ll be addressing each room in greater depth in subsequent posts along with our experience of working on the show. I’ll also get into more detail about some of the themes we talk about on the show. If you have anything you’d like me to address, please let me know! I’m doing a Q and A on Instagram tomorrow so if you have specific questions, find me there!

    Specs:

    • Built in 1992
    • 4550 sq foot
    • Federalist Revival home
    • 8 bedrooms/5 bathrooms
    • .25 acres (I think? Ha! Can’t remember)

    Details:

    • We filmed from February 2022 – July 2022
    • We moved in September of 2020

    Brittany and Paul’s Checklist:

    1. Exterior. Improve the exterior with a Scandinavian-inspired plaster-effect to cover the brick and new landscaping
    2. Kitchen. Take our phase 1 kitchen to the next level by honoring Paul’s Scandinavian background and my family history
    3. Bedroom. Make a cozy Scandinavian folk-inspired bedroom for Jasper, my 4 year old son
    4. Staircase. Add a nod to my family history and our Scandinavian roots with a new staircase
    5. Kitchenette. Create a whimsical kitchenette to our studio in the basement

    The exterior

    First up, the exterior. It was actually the last thing we worked on and possibly the most intensive, although that is very debatable depending on who you ask. To be honest, I wasn’t sure we were going to do anything at all to it because it was too much for my overwhelmed brain to handle with so many other big things going on (and that’s including running a business and two kids). Here’s what we started with:

    Before and afters of the exterior renovation

    Door makeover

    In the fall of 2021 we gave the front door a little makeover (you can see the full post here–it didn’t go according to plan ;/), which you can see here (still my favorite fall display to date!).

    The exterior plan

    The house is stately but plain and I’d like it to be more true to the historical style of a Federalist Revival home although we are still considering taking it in a more Danish or English direction–still haven’t decided. In my dream world and budget, I would be doing SO much more to the exterior including raising the pitch of the roof along with a new roof, adding dormer windows, replacing the windows, adding in a portico, new lighting, a new garage door, a beautiful garden, but we had to go with what we had time and budget for, which was the following:

    1. Paint the facade
    2. Switch out the address numbers
    3. Add in some more landscaping to the front and walkway
    4. Expand the width of the walkway
    5. New mailbox

    After photos of the exterior of our house

    Ta da! Of course, these photos represent so much more than a simple ta-da, but a ta-da will have to do for now until I go into more detail about it.

    Landscaping for our drought conditions

    Utah is a desert climate and we’re in a huge drought so I chose a landscaping plan that was more drought tolerant than what we currently have. The house had existing grass and the existing sycamore trees and some fir and apple trees in the back. While we’d eventually like to move away from grass because it requires so much water (SO MUCH WATER!!!), we had to work with it for now until we can do more with it at some point. We worked with Monrovia on the new plan and they were wonderful! I’ll get to what we did and how we came up with our plan in a follow-up post about our garden (you can read this post for now!)

    brick house painted white

    Painting our red brick white

    I’m going to guess that painting our brick house might be controversial choice. As you might see in your own city, it is super trendy right now to go white because of the Farmhouse trend though it is not why we chose it. I certainly think there can be beauty in red brick, but our red/yellow brick was 90s, not historic, and had funny “worms” in them as –a funny added texture probably made with nails or something. The colors weren’t great (but maybe they photograph ok?). We really wanted to take it in a more old Danish or even old English direction.

    We found this great German company that has a US presence called Keim. They make mineral silicate paint that is meant for masonry. We also used their amazing primer that has a rough texture to it that gives a very authentic European feel. I’m in LOVE with it. Again, I’ll do a follow-up post about it along with a tutorial. I’ve already received many people asking about the product who see it in person.

    The Kitchen

    Ok! Onto the kitchen, which you can read about it more detail here. I had already begun a direction on the kitchen before we agreed to do the show so I decided to keep on going with it even though I knew there could be problems with the supply chain (spoiler: there was!).

    Here’s what the kitchen was like when we first moved into the house. The kitchen is everything past the doors on the left and right side.

    Before photos of the kitchen

    before and after kitchen

    If it wasn’t obvious: there was no kitchen. FUN!!!!!! (sarcasm).

    Phase 1 kitchen

    We put in a VERY basic kitchen when we moved in so we could take our time on the design afterwards. The previous owners had left a refrigerator and oven range in the garage so we had our basic needs met there. We put in unfinished wood lower cabinets from Home Depot and two Ikea islands together and voila! Ha! You can read more about this phase 1 kitchen here. I didn’t ever bother finishing it up because I was hoping to get to Phase 2 pretty quickly.

    At one point we painted the cabinets to add a little bit more interest.

    Brittany is wearing a blue dress and holding a baby. She's standing in front of a yellow

    But as you can see, we didn’t even finish!

    The Kitchen Plan

    I wanted our kitchen to have an old world quality to it–like it was original to an old European kitchen, but also have color and a nod to our Scandinavian heritage. Here’s what we set out to do to achieve that:

    1. Replace the cabinets
    2. New appliances
    3. New lighting
    4. More storage
    5. Make it a gathering place

    After photos of our Kitchen

    Here it is!

    We worked with Cliq Studios on the cabinets. I wanted it to feel like a it was working kitchen in a stately manor so we planned on utilizing the whole room by placing cabinets on each wall. We took advantage of the window wall by placing a floor to ceiling pantry, a bench, and some desk top drawers. I love how it feels like it uses the full space completely while also maintaining sufficient room for passing into the next rooms, which are the laundry and pantry and access to the garage.

    With another budget and time, I would want to switch the whole kitchen layout around by placing the sink by the window, but I wasn’t ready to spend the additional money so we worked with the existing layout.

    Custom work table by Beck and Cap

    Do you see that amazing work table/kitchen island? Oh, it’s a beauty! We worked with Janna and Tanner of Beck and Cap on it and it’s unbelievable. It’s completely custom and they are a dream to work with. They even surprised us with that wood carving on the end as a nod to our Scandinavian heritage! More details about that soon along with an interview with this powerhouse duo.

    Bringing in antique items

    My friend, Meta Coleman is an amazing interior designer and friend (you can read more about her here and here). I consulted with her on our kitchen and she found some old pieces for us to use in our kitchen like this plate rack, which I think ties in that Old World quality we were going for.

    We worked with Signature Hardware on the beautiful polished brass faucet, clay farmhouse sink, and hardware and I love them all! I’ll be talking more about it all soon!

    We also worked with Forte on a panel-ready dishwasher. I thought the price point is great for panel-ready and it works great!

    Kitchen refrigerator to look like an old cabinet

    Meta also gave me the idea to transform a panel-ready fridge into an old Scandinavian wedding cabinet. And you’ll never guess who built it…OUR NANNY! Pat becomes Handy Nanny on the show and saves the day multiple times. She built this by herself–she’s incredible. I’ll be talking a lot about her!

    Wood kitchen hood

    I was looking for a ready made hood and I found a great company that ONLY does hoods called Hoodsly. They just happened to have the perfect size hood for our space in stock, which was so so helpful. I love the sloped shape and how it tones down the wallpaper. I think we might be doing a glow-up to it soon so stay tuned!

    Kitchen tile/wallpaper

    The kitchen wallpaper/tile situation was a major situation. It went through various plans, but ultimately I had to go with something that I could get done in the short amount of time that we had. I originally wanted a custom tile, but that turned into a lot of money AND time and plus the sample came back not as expected.

    I ended up finding an antique tile I loved from Portugal. Jane took a picture of it and Garet turned it into a wallpaper on Spoonflower. It’s got a sheen on it which makes it easy to clean up as a backsplash.

    Marble Countertops

    However, before the tile/wallpaper was settled on, I had already chosen the veiny marble countertops. I don’t like the way the two work together, but there was no time to change either of them so here they are with plans for a different blacksplash.

    Vintage lighting

    Meta is a big proponent of vintage lighting for its uniqueness and patina. She directed us to these beautiful French opaline fixtures, which are dainty and gorgeous. I got mine from here, but you have to check back to see what she has in stock.

    Antique Looking Kitchen Appliances

    We had a great 48″ oven range before our renovation, but I knew we didn’t need something so big and commercial. Instead, I wanted something that would feel and look antique. We worked with Ilve on a duel oven range. The Graphite Matte was in stock so that’s the one we went with in order to make sure we got it in time. But even though we did it out of necessity, I still would have chosen it (a la Claude Monet’s oven range!). It’s a beauty with all those brass details and we love how it works.

    before and after kitchen

    Notes:

    You will probably notice some things ostensibly missing like hardware on the cabinets and that’s because I’m planning on changing a few things and I didn’t want to drill holes into the cabinets before I knew what handles I was going to use. More soon!

    In another budget and time, I would want to switch the whole kitchen around completely by placing the sink by the window, but I wasn’t ready to spend that so we worked with the existing layout.

    If you want to read more about the kitchen, you can read about it here.

    Jasper’s Bedroom

    Moving onto Jasper’s bedroom. It’s so funny because as I type I’m remembering all the drama for each room and it’s giving me a bit of PTSD…Thankfully now I only remember the end results!

    This is what Jasper’s room looked like when we moved in. Much like the rest of the rooms, right? Nothing in it!

    Before photos of Jasper’s Bedroom

    A game of Musical Chairs

    The secret is that Jasper’s room was actually in the room next door but because of where the closet door was situated, the bed we had in mind wouldn’t fit so we had to switch rooms with Paul’s office. A few months prior, we had made him this upholstered circus-inspired bed, which I still love, but you can see it was completely white. 

    Paul’s office on the other hand, had already acted as Felix’s nursery so it was painted green. This is the room that we were moving Jasper’s bedroom into.

    Jasper’s bedroom plan

    • Switch Paul’s office and Jasper’s bedroom
    • Build a built-in Scandinavian-inspired bed
    • Wallpaper the room and paint
    • Replace lighting

    After photos of Jasper’s Bedroom

    Honestly, this is my favorite room in the house right now. I nap in it 100% of the time when I can and will continue to do so. It’s THE coziest place in the whole world. We may start renting it out ;).

    Wanna hear another secret? Handy Nanny Pat strikes again on the bed! Now, mind you, I was actively seeking people out to make these custom projects for me, but there was a labor shortage in construction (not sure if there still is because I have taken a LONG break from all home projects) and I couldn’t find anyone in the time frame that I needed. Pat took a look at it and said “I can do it”. Ha! Honestly, I didn’t even doubt it even though she hadn’t made anything like it before.

    in with the old Brittany Jepsen room reveal

    Custom built-in niche bed

    It turned out to be a more intense project than we were both anticipating (6 weeks!) but she completely NAILED it! She even created that adorable puppet-theater style side window along with the custom details because she is from another planet–unreal. in with the old Brittany Jepsen room reveal

    Built in bedroom furniture

    I found a wood bench on Facebook Marketplace that we painted the same color so it felt like it was built-in too. We added on a pad with this fabric from Spoonflower. It was perfect for the maritime theme that we settled on.

    in with the old Brittany Jepsen room reveal

    I found this drawer at an antique warehouse in Salt Lake City and I love how beautiful that wood if not a little bit weird with the adornment.

    Wallpaper and fabrics

    We worked with Spoonflower on ALL the wallpaper and fabrics in Jasper’s room and I’m in love with it all! The wallpaper is by Danika Herrick, who was kind enough to put her star design into a new color for me (that’s one good bonus to Spoonflower–a lot of artists will take on custom work!). in with the old Brittany Jepsen room reveal

    Custom curtains for the bed

    I wanted the bed to have a Swedish quality and a big gingham brought some whimsy and fulfilled the job. Meta had introduced me to a similar woven but it was going to cost me thousands of dollars. I ended up finding a very similar color and size on Spoonflower, hallelujah so Carrie on our team DIY’d some curtains.

    I also found some sheets and a duvet cover in a similar color in a small stripe on Spoonflower, which I thought was nice, though I’m considering switching everything out for the same large yellow plaid.

    in with the old Brittany Jepsen room reveal

    Mural in a built-in Bed

    NOW, let’s talk about that mural, huh? This was Paul’s idea! He thought it would be cool to add one in and I’m so glad he thought of it. I knew exactly where to turn to–Rebel Walls. They are a Swedish company that has a ton of kind of wild wallpapers and murals. I found this one called Safe Haven, which was perfect and added in a deepness to it. I love that it took it in a maritime direction. More about that soon!

    before and after child's bedroom

    The staircase

    Before we ever bought our house, we dreamed about owning it. We would walk by it on walks and I’d dream about what I’d do to it. After awhile I realized that it was vacant so I snapped some pictures from the window. This is what the staircase looked like before we bought it.

    And this is what it looked like once we bought it. 

    Removing the banister

    The banister was removed once we replaced the flooring but I didn’t know what direction I was taking the rest of the house at the time so I didn’t immediately put one in. I knew it was a big hazard for my 2 year old, but somehow, thankfully, we never had a problem with it. Once Felix started crawling we had to act FAST and it coincided with the timing of the show.

    We had worked with Stuga on all the wood floors, which you can read about here. We have loved them!

    The Staircase Plan

    • Add in a banister
    • Add some Scandinavian folk personality!

    After photos of the staircase

    Add this to my list of projects that I make as complicated as possible. Ha! But I LOVE the heart that went into it. You can see it all on the show, but it really was a labor of love with so many people involved.

    flat saw banister

    Flat Sawn Balusters

    I went with traditional flat sawn balusters. The problem was, to my knowledge, you can’t just buy them anywhere, at least not in the shape I wanted. So, my generous and talented brother-in-law, Tanner Boyes of Specter Design, took on the project. He worked with his good friend Quinn Peterson, who is also very handy and talented. Together they cut out all the shapes and made the newel posts. I’ll talk more about this process in a follow-up post.

    But I wanted something a bit more to go with the shape. Cue Jill DeHaan, an amazing artist and illustrator. I noticed some of the wood carvings she was doing on her Instagram  and I knew it was the perfect way to add more meaning and depth into our home. I LOVE how they turned out. Again, more about that soon! There’s a lot to tell!

    flat saw banister

    The office kitchenette

    The kitchenette in the basement for my office was one room that didn’t make it into the edit. Actually, we filmed a whole storyline about my team and some projects we were working on that didn’t make it into the edit, which I’m disappointed about, but I’ll tell you anyway!

    Besides putting epoxy on the floors and dressing up one room with wallpaper, we hadn’t done too much to the office in the basement. I was getting antsy to make the space totally Lars. I started with the kitchenette because everyone really needed a place to put their food.

    Before photos of the kitchenette of our home renovation

    Here are some of the before photos of the kitchenette. It’s a three walled space about 8′ wide that you pass by like a hallway into the main crafting room.

    Please notice the lovely lighting 😉

    The kitchenette plan

    • Add in a kitchenette–sink, fridge, counter, no dishwasher needed
    • Add in shelves to store our props
    • Add in a backsplash
    • Add in seating
    • Replace lighting

    After photos of the office kitchenette

    colorful tile

    Modern kitchen cabinets

    I LOVE how the kitchenette turned out! I was inspired by a retro frosted layered cake with piped icing but in a more modern, playful way. Once again, we worked with Cliq Studios on the cabinets in a more modern silhouette. I didn’t add in hardware because I was hoping to create our own hardware, but I couldn’t get it done in time ;).

    fireclay tile

    Frosting-inspired tile

    We worked with Fireclay Tile to create the frosting-inspired tiled backsplash and added in some frosting/scalloped shelves to complete the look. My friends Julia and Evelyn Bigelow made the matching cake–are you kidding me/! So cute!

    colorful tile

    Kitchen accessories

    We worked with Signature Hardware on the brass bar faucet, which I adore, along with the sink.

    Sitting area

    We didn’t get time for the custom bench that I was hoping to put on the opposite wall so we added in some chairs and table for the time being, but I’m hoping to do it soon!

    colorful tile

    Before and Afters of our home renovation

    OK! That’s all the before and afters of our our home renovation. Like I mentioned, I’ll be sharing more detailed posts of each room so hopefully that will answer some questions, but in the meantime, feel free to leave your questions in the comments section. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

    Sources

    Exterior: Masonry Primer and paint from Keim-USA, address numbers from Drop Cap Studio, all landscaping from Monrovia

    Kitchen: Cliq Studios for cabinets, Tile wallpaper from our wallpaper shop, Ilve USA oven range in graphite and brass, Hood from Hoodsly, Dishwasher by Forte, Fridge by Fisher Paykel, bench cushion fabric from Spoonflower, calacatta viola countertops, sconces from Shiny Things London, Work table by Beck and Cap, Faucet from Signature Hardware, sink from Signature Hardware, fridge hardware from Signature Hardware

    Jasper’s Bedroom: Star wallpaper from Spoonflower, Blue Paint, Yellow Paint is Benjamin Moore, bed duvet and sheets from Spoonflower, Yellow check curtains from Spoonflower, Mattress, bench fabric from Spoonflower, Mural wallpaper from Rebel Walls, Citra rug from Dash and Albert

    Staircase: Floral wallpaper from Sandberg Wallpaper, staircase runner from Textile Trunk, paint by Benjamin Moore

    Kitchenette: Cliq Studios for cabinets, faucet and sink from Signature Hardware, tile from Fireclay Tile, Scallop trim, crown moulding, pink dishes from Year and Day

    Other spaces of the other spaces

    You can read about the kitchen here
    You can read more about our antique-inspired oven range here
    Read more about the kitchen hood here

    In With the Old is on Magnolia Network available to stream on Discovery+ or HBO Max.

    A Lars Girl’s Back to School Guide

    Brittany
    -
    0
    A Lars Girl’s Back to School Guide

    Colorblocked lunch sacks and beeswax snack wraps surrounded by play fruit and blackberries.

    Lars-Approved School Supplies

    If you look at them the right way, school supplies are the educational version of craft supplies. At least I get excited about them as if they were. Here are some of my favorite ones:

    Lars Back to School Shop

    Since I love school supplies so much, we had to include a few in our shop, of course! For example, see these these back to school stickers, designed by my friend Michele Brummer Everett. They’d be the perfect addition to your water bottle, notebook, or laptop. For more back to school supplies on our shop, click here.

    back to school stickers on notebooks

    On the Blog

    It turns out we also have quite a few back to school crafts for you to peruse on the blog! You can start with this versatile and oh so adorable pencil case, featuring our very own Spoonflower fabric. Don’t stop there! Another great addition to your back to school supply list is this DIY beeswax wrap and this reusable lunch sack. Oh, and I also put together a list of my current favorite laptop covers and stickers, which you can see here.

    Favorites from Around the Web

    Here are a whole host of school supplies we love from around the web. This includes notebooks, things to write with, water bottles, desk supplies, and more! We’ve split them up into categories for your convenience:

    Planners, Calendars and Notebooks

    Desk Organization and Supplies

    Things to Write With

    Stay Hydrated

    Dorm Room Design

    In the college town where I live, the end of August means lots of new students being dropped off at dorms for their first-ever foray into living outside their parents’ house. That means that there are LOTS of fresh-faced students moving into drab, depressing dorm rooms and shabby apartments. Check out this post full of rental-friendly interior design hacks to level up your space.

    You also won’t want to miss the custom dorm room transformations we took on! See them here, here, and here. Basically, we applied the advice in the post above to make these formerly dull spaces full of color and life (see my thoughts on the importance of color here). It’s so important to fill your life with things that make you happy, and that starts with your living space! It’s amazing how such simple fixes can transform your mood and overall well-being.

    Here are my favorite additions to any student housing situation:

    Rugs

    It’s amazing how the addition of an amazing rug can transform a room! Here are some options:

    Pillows and Throws

    Again, those pops of color really do the trick to make a room feel more homey and less bland.

    Curtains

    Another great way to add some color, curtains can also be a great statement piece for a room.

    Lighting

    As mentioned in this post, lighting can change everything.

    Kitchen Essentials

    We can’t post about dorm room decor without some kitchen essentials! You do have to live there, after all.

    Bedding and Towels

    Functional and practical are a must when it comes to bedding and towels, but who says they can’t be cute, too?

    Other Misc. Dorm Room Essentials

    Here are just a few more things to help add some personality to your dorm room:

    Any time you buy something from our affiliate links, we get a small commission at no cost to you! Hooray!

    Are you scared of color?

    Brittany
    -
    1
    Are you scared of color?

    Do you love color? But also terrified of it?!

    As far as I can remember, I’ve always loved color. I even remember sitting around a campfire circle my first week of college sharing the cockles of our hearts with some new friends. What did I share? “I love color, no like you don’t understand, I really love color”. Ha! I guess I had an inkling even then!

    But growing up I didn’t know what color meant to me nor how it could be a part of my life. I mean, how could I? I was still experimenting. Really wish I could find some high school photos to illustrate this story, but here we are:

    Brittany Jepsen on her bed sewing a dress in a colorful room

    Fail: Painting my high school bedroom

    Once, in high school, I really wanted to paint my all-white room. Sound familiar? I had my great grandmother’s antique wood bedroom set that’s very lovely, just dark and rather Victorian looking. There wasn’t too much in there that indicated my personality. My mom was really into periwinkle at the time and I thought it would be a good choice for the walls. I remember nothing about the process of selecting the color or putting it on but on it went and the more it went the more TERRIFIED I got. I couldn’t imagine being surrounded by it all the time.

    We didn’t get too much farther when called it the whole thing off. I was Color Scared! Surely, I would suffocate in all that color! An unfinished painted periwinkle room was left for the rest of my high school experience–didn’t bother to change it back.

    Brittany holding colorful paper in a rainbow dress.

    Color Scared Diagnosis

    In hind sight, the Color Scare Diagnosis was because of the unknown. I didn’t know what it was going to look like in the end and I certainly had no idea what it was going to look like with posters or artwork on the walls. It would have been THE BOMB (in true 90s high school fashion).

    Fast forward about ten years to I’m living in Washington, DC in a small house with 3 roommates after graduating college. My roommate really wanted to paint our kitchen a dark green. I had never done anything so drastic and was SURE that dark green was NOT a good choice. It was going to be too dark and blegh! I had been living in college apartments where we couldn’t do anything to the apartment besides sticky tack and posters and colorful duvet covers. She did one coat of paint and I just about lost it. I was…

    COLOR SCARED!

    But then she put up a poster in lovely reds and yellows and blacks and all of a sudden it looked…well, lovely! She had the foresight (and maybe the experience) to know that it was going to work out.

    Living in a rental with color–don’t be scared!

    Many many years later, when Paul and I were living in our rental apartment together, I said “to heck with it all!” I’m not waiting to own a house before I make this my home. I had no idea how long it would be before we owned a house, but life can’t wait just because of contracts. SO, I cleared it with our landlord and we put up floral wallpaper, pinks walls, and painted murals (remember?! You can see it all here).

    learning to use color in your rental apartment

    Jasper and I have been reading a lot of Aesop’s Fables lately so, the moral of this color-scared story is:

    1. Do not wait to live life for that “one day” when all your conditions are perfect. Warning: conditions will never be perfect!
    2. When in doubt, keep on going! You won’t know what a room will look like if you don’t finish it (but I do have some stories of when you need to stop–ha! Did that just negate that point?!)
    3. The more you experiment, the more comfortable and confident you will become. And paint is one of the cheapest ways to experiment! $40 is worth the risk to see if your life will change (and yes, I contest that color can change your life!).

    Tell me. Do you love color? But also terrified of it? Don’t know how to use it? Tell me everything! 

    Mother’s Day Breakfast in Bed

    Brittany
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    2
    Mother’s Day Breakfast in Bed

    Mother’s Day Breakfast in Bed

    For our Mother’s Day breakfast in bed, we decided to go with something classic and gave it a little twist to make it extra cute for mom. This Mother’s Day breakfast in bed is so simple, but so adorable. Think edible arrangement in bed. Here’s how to recreate it:

    Tray

    To make your Mother’s Day breakfast in bed extra comfy for mom, you’ll want one of these handy trays. We went with a simple white Amazon edition. It was perfect with the colorful fruit and other components, like our retro floral fabric we turned into a bedspread!

    Dishes

    A vase and plate or bowl make a lovely addition to your breakfast in bed arrangement. We chose a simple white vase and pink plate we had on hand, but you can also see this post for many more options that would be beautiful as well!

    Napkins

    We chose our DIY napkins using natural ingredients for this breakfast in bed. We loved the bold colors in contrast with the fruit and that retro floral bedspread.

    Flower fruit

    The real stars (or flowers) of the show were the cookie cutters, which we used to cut out various types of fruit into flowers and arranged them. This part is fun–get creative and make your own edible arrangement for mom. Here’s how you can recreate these edible arrangements:

    1. First, cut out wide, flat slices of fruit (wide enough for various sizes of the flower cookie cutters to fit on).
    2. Cut out various sizes of the cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, and pineapple. We found that the watermelon and pineapple worked best for the larger cookie cutters, while the honeydew and cantaloupe were ideal for the smaller ones.
    3. Next, cut a length of 18 gauge wire that’s slightly longer than a straw. Slide it through the straw and stick a large fruit flower onto the tip. The flower should sit nicely on top of the straw now.
    4. Cut a small piece of wire and use to attach a smaller flower onto the center of the big flower.
    5. Make as many as you’d like for the arrangement!

    Other food ideas

    We went with a very fruit-centric breakfast with edible arrangements, grapes and strawberries (these didn’t work with the cookie cutters but are nonetheless delicious). But we also included some delicious cherry turnovers so mom could indulge. Get creative and add anything to your breakfast you think your mother would like!

    What are you going to do for your Mother’s Day breakfast in bed? Let us know in the comments!

    Our New Guest Bedroom Remodel

    Brittany
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    2
    Our New Guest Bedroom Remodel

    Where We Started

    We knew our guest bedroom needed work. To give you an idea of what we started with, here are some before photos of the space:

    As you can see, it’s fairly small (about 8.5×10’) so it can easily feel overcrowded. We needed simplicity, elegance, and something that would help the room feel more spacious, not to mention cozy for our future guests! The guest bedroom wasn’t at the top of my to-do list until we learned that we’d be having a guest stay with us very soon.

    Our Guest Bedroom Remodel with Mr. Kate

    Because our guest was coming so soon, we knew we needed to get going on a remodel of the guest bedroom if it was going to be done before he arrived. We didn’t have much time! That’s why when Mr. Kate approached us, we were thrilled. The timing was perfect! We were able to use Mr. Kate furniture for so many elements of the guest bedroom, including the desk, bed, and dresser. We went with a lovely deep blue velvet for the Mr. Kate Daphne Bed paired with a Signature Sleep mattress available on RealRooms. We also added in the fun Mr. Kate Winston terrazzo desk and the simple, classy Mr. Kate Stella white dresser. Since the wallpaper is so busy (which we’ll talk more about in a minute!), we wanted pops of solid color to pair with the illustrative details. Those simple, timeless furniture elements paired so nicely with the gorgeous details in the delicate wallpaper.

    Trompe L’oeil Wallpaper

    Now let me talk about that guest bedroom wallpaper. The biggest thing to puzzle through with any space is what to do with the walls. The guest bedroom is fairly small, so we knew we needed something that wasn’t too time consuming but that would still look amazing. And boy, did we find the perfect solution–Curious wallpaper from Bien Fait!

    If you’ve never seen wallpaper like this before, you’re in for a treat. Born in the imagination of Cécile Figuette and beautifully hand-drawn by french illustrator Julie Serre, this classically elegant wallpaper is a surprising and versatile trompe l’oeil.  It’s not only gorgeous and classy, but it also happened to be the perfect solution to our quick wall fix conundrum. It’s so detailed it takes care of all the need for wall decor all in one go! And those little hidden gems are lovely–I mean those little picture frames in the corner, or the painted eyes on the walls?! It’s stunning. Plus the three dimensional nature and open doors peeking into other rooms makes the space feel endlessly spacious and open. And did I mention it’s fully customizable? Doors can be opened or closed, decor elements and even the little kitty can be moved to compose a unique scene, a curious story.

    Curtains

    For the curtains, we decided to go with a bright pop of golden velvet from West Elm. We paired them with a boho curtain rod from Urban Outfitters. The original one we used is sold out, but this one is similar! We absolutely loved the way they paired with that dreamy blue velvet Mr. Kate Daphne Bed and the detailed wallpaper.

    Lampshade

    As another pop of color and subtle pattern, we also decided to make a custom drum lampshade. This was such a fun and easy DIY project! Here’s a post where you can learn to make one yourself. We used the tutorial for the DIY fabric lampshade. The wallpaper is almost all the pattern you need in a room like our small guest bedroom, but we couldn’t help but add in a little touch of stripe for the lampshade.

    I got the pendant from here and then the fabric from our local fabric shop, Harmony.

    How to get the look

    Bed  |  Desk  |  Dresser  |  Pendant light  |  Curtains  |  Rug is vintage  |  Curtain rod  |  Plaid blanket  |  Sheets  |  Weights  |

     

    What do you think of our guest bedroom remodel? Let us know in the comments!

    More Inspiration

    Loved this guest bedroom remodel and looking for more home renovation inspiration? Here’s everything we did to our house in one year. Also, here’s our interview with Meta Coleman, our go-to for interior design advice. And don’t forget the newly revealed tour of our studio! You can also check out our recent feature in the Living by Design Virtual Showhouse here.

    This post is sponsored by Mr. Kate’s new furniture collection

    Ukrainian Paper Sunflower

    Brittany
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    0
    Ukrainian Paper Sunflower

    Ukrainian Sunflowers

    The sunflower is Ukraine’s national flower. This beautiful flower has a long history with Ukraine, it turns out! Aside from sunflower seeds being a popular snack, Ukraine and Russia are some of the world’s largest suppliers of sunflower oil. Then there’s its historic message of peace, like in 1996 when it was used to celebrate Ukraine giving up nuclear weapons. Currently, as well, it’s become a bright beacon of hope and peace amidst all the turmoil and we want to do our best to show support. It seemed only fitting to make a Ukrainian paper sunflower in honor of the Ukrainian people. If you’re interested, click here to read the full article about Ukraine’s history with sunflowers.

    Ukrainian Paper Sunflower

    Here’s how to make your own Ukrainian paper sunflower:

    Prepping the Paper

    1. First, download the paper sunflower template found here.
    2. Next, cut out the template pieces in crepe paper. We used about 30 yellow petals, 7 green back pieces, and between 2 and 4 green leaves of varying sizes per flower.
    3. Cut each side of the leaves separately. Make sure to cut out the leaves so the grain of the crepe paper angles up slightly on each side (like the veins on the leaves).

    Making the Center

    1. To make the center of your paper sunflower, cut some long strips of crepe paper that are roughly 1″ wide. We used green, pale yellow, and orange.
    2. Cut slits in the strips to make a fringe.
    3. Securing with hot glue, wrap the fringe tightly around the top of a piece of floral wire. Make sure the wire is thick enough to hold the weight of the heavy sunflower blossom. Start with green, then move to yellow, then orange.
    4. Continue wrapping and gluing the fringe until it’s as thick as you’d like. Also, make sure the orange layer is set a bit higher than the rest.
    5. When the center is as thick as you’d like, fluff the orange fringe so it splays out a bit.
    6. Now, gently paint a gradient of green to yellow on the center you just made. See step photos for reference. Alternate option: You can use black or brown for the center, too, if you’d like! The center of most sunflowers varies in color.

    Assembling the Sunflower

    Now you’re ready to add the petals and back greenery to your paper sunflower!

    1. Gently shape the petals (see step photos for reference), then glue one around the center. We spaced them roughly 1/4-1/2″ apart.
    2. Next, add in a second row, this time staggering the petals behind the first row.
    3. Now you can add the back pieces. For this, shape the green pieces according to the step photos, then hot glue them around the stem. They should fan evenly around the back.

    Leaves and Stem

    The last steps of your paper sunflower are the leaves and stem!

    1. For the stem, cut a piece of crepe paper that’s roughly the length of your wire piece and 2-3″ wide, depending on how big your sunflower is.
    2. Securing with hot glue, wrap the crepe paper strip around the wire stem to thicken it.
    3. Next, start at the top just overlapping the back greenery of the sunflower. Wind floral tape all the way down to cover up the crepe paper.
    4. For the leaves, glue the two sides together, making sure the grain angles up slightly on each side to mimic the leaves’ veins.
    5. Now flip the leaves over and hot glue a thin piece of floral wire to the back. Make sure the floral wire extends a few inches past the stem of the leaves. Once the hot glue is dry, you can shape the leaves however you’d like.
    6. To attach the leaves to the stem, simply wrap floral tape around the wire.

    Styling Your Paper Sunflowers

    We varied the length of our sunflower stems, then arranged them in a pretty vase. We love how they turned out! They would make a bright addition to any room. Set them on a table, counter, mantlepiece, or side table. We also think they’d be a lovely accent for a bathroom or home office.

     

    More Ways to Support Ukraine

    We’re trying to do our part to support Ukraine. One way is through our shop! We currently have three art pieces in our shop made specifically to support Ukraine. We’re donating all the profits to the Ukrainian war effort. Special thanks to Amanda Jane Jones, who donated this print. Another special thanks to Nathalie Lètè, who donated this one and this one.

    More Inspiration

    Loved this paper sunflower tutorial and want more paper flower tutorials? Step right this way. We recently came out with this paper orchid tutorial we think you’ll love. Also, try our DIY Paper Hollyhocks, or these Poppies, Peonies, and Posies. Have a spring or summer wedding coming up? Here, here and here are some beautiful bouquets to choose from. You can also check out this holiday flower roundup if you’re interested!

     

     

    Kid’s Toys: Lars Shop Highlight

    Brittany
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    0
    Kid’s Toys: Lars Shop Highlight

    What is Eeboo?

    We couldn’t tell you about our Eeboo kid’s toys without introducing the company’s incredible background. First of all, women and mothers run this company. I mean, who knows kid’s toys better than mothers? I love how thoughtful these toys are. They make board games, watercolor sets, puzzles, and so much more. (You can find them here!) It just goes to show how the experience of being a mother influences their ability to understand children’s brains and what they need. And need I mention that they have the awards (Oppenheim best toy awards and honors) to prove it?

    kid's toys

    kid's toys

    Encouraging development in children

    One amazing aspect of Eeboo as a company is their focus on developmental learning in kid’s toys. They help kids develop skills like literacy, storytelling, drawing, imaginative play, and basic math. I mean, could I be more impressed? Kid’s toys that help their development while also helping them have fun? I can say from experience that it can definitely be a challenge to get kids to want to settle down when they’re feeling wild. And you can forget concentrating on learning things like math. So to have kid’s toys that are fun, interactive, and help make learning fun is a dream come true.

    kid's toys

    Screen-free

    At Eeboo, the goal with their kid’s toys is to integrate learning and play in a screen-free way. This is so important (and need I say refreshing?) when we all have screens coming out our ears! It’s hard to get away, and these kid’s toys are a really beautiful way to succeed at it.

    Commissioned illustrators

    They also commission all their artwork from well-known and well-loved illustrators. It shows, too! The illustrations make their kid’s toys feel so fresh and original–artwork straight from the source. And friends, these illustrations are beautiful. They are delicate, detailed, and full of personality. Need I add that they are colorful and bright? They’re just what every child needs to stay interested and engaged.

    Look at the illustrations on these watercolors and paper! Incredible, right? They’d make the perfect gift for a rainy afternoon to get those creative juices flowing.

    kid's toyskid's toys

    Care and dedication

    I’d have to say one of my favorite things about these Eeboo kid’s toys is the care and dedication they give to their customers. They even have a booklet that talks about their values and priorities. I mean, come on! They go to great efforts to be sustainable, respect diversity, value design, and so much more.

    I just keep dreaming about the things I would have done if I’d had these toys as a kid. I love how these building blocks promote creativity and imaginative play, for instance.

    kid's toys

    If you haven’t caught on by now, I am in love with these kid’s toys and can’t wait for Jasper (and eventually Felix) to start playing with them! Click here to get to our whole Eeboo shop collection. If you also fell in love while reading this, you’ll probably also love these other favorites: Kid’s art kit, Op art paper mobile, Thanksgiving coloring placemats, and quilted dog book plate.

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