Granny’s Garden: Our new fabric and wallpaper collection

Granny’s Garden: Our new fabric and wallpaper collection

With spring breathing new life into us after what felt like an eternal winter, we thought this would be the perfect time to release our Granny’s Garden collection. Featuring a variety of roses, tulips, zinnias, and the happiest stripe design you ever did see, this collection is exactly what our souls needed to finally de-winterize.

As we designed Granny’s Garden, we knew we wanted to incorporate the floral, Laura Ashely-esque grandma-style that has recently been trending but with a fun modern twist. Throughout the design process, we found ourselves reminiscing on our own grandmas’ styles and letting their memory inspire the designs that became the Granny’s Garden collection.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and as we prepared this collection it was so fun to think about the incredible women that have helped shape us. We are reminded of them in so many of the beautiful things around us, especially flowers.

Why Spoonflower?

What we love about having our collections on Spoonflower is that we can do all sorts of fabric and wallpaper types. Gone are the days of having to choose between a pattern you love and the fabric you want. Each pattern is offered in a variety of fabrics, giving you the freedom to make exactly what you want.

You can also choose finished products like pillows, duvets, curtains, dining linens, and tablecloths. Spoonflower helps your creative vision come to life in exactly the way you want it to both look and feel, and we are so excited to have Granny’s Garden available for purchase on their platform!

On top of that, you can order just the amount of fabric you need so there’s no waste. We’ve been working with Spoonflower for years so it was really a no brainer!

The inspiration behind our granny collection

Granny’s Garden was inspired by the many amazing grannies of our Lars team. It’s funny isn’t it, how we come to attach the people we love to different items and places? As we were designing this collection, our team discovered we each had different flowers associated with our grandmothers.

Incorporating these flowers into the collection was such a special way for us to pay homage to the women who have helped shape us into the creators we are. Granny’s Garden is dedicated to Grandma Annie, Grandma Gloria, Grandma Nora, Grandma Twiss, and Grandma Dorothy and we made scarves in their remembrance. Keep reading to learn more about their individual stories and you’ll probably fall in love with these amazing women and designs as much as we have.

Grandma Annie’s Tulips

My grandma’s name is Annie. Both she and my grandpa always cherished their garden and spent hours working in it, even into their late 80s. Growing up, I loved going into my grandparents’ orchard to pick raspberries and peaches, see all the fun flowers, and lay in the tall grass. I remember when I was little my grandpa would get all of the cousins amped to attack the “invaders” of the garden (AKA the weeds). We would all grab our tools and go to battle to help Grandpa with his weeding!

They made our time cultivating flowers, fruits, and vegetables memorable and exciting. Grandma Annie would always have flowers from the garden on the table when we had dinner together and would consistently think of others before herself. I love how simple it is to add flowers to your kitchen decor, yet it feels so impactful. One of my favorite nights I remember spending with her and my grandpa, I brought over a bouquet of tulips and we chatted about how they had built their life together and the things they loved. My Grandma Annie passed away in 2022, so now flowers are a special way for me to remember her.

– Jenny, Brand Manager

Grandma ​​Gloria’s Zinnias

Roses are classic and romantic. French parrot tulips are elegant and striking. To build on this collection, I needed a happy, round flower with a lot of petals. I ended up choosing one of my favorites: the zinnia.


The collection’s oversized zinnias are named after my grandmother, Gloria. She recently passed away and in going through her things I happened upon a bunch of photos of her that I’ve never seen before. One of my favorites is a candid photo of her in her early 20s wearing a summer dress with the biggest, beaming smile. It’s the same smile you’d have if someone gave you an overflowing bouquet of bright, colorful flowers.

– Garet, Designer & Illustrator

Grandma Nora’s Mini Zinnies

This pattern is named after our photographer Jane’s grandmother. When I asked Jane which grandmother she wanted to name a floral pattern after she said, “I never knew my Japanese grandmother but I can’t wait to meet her one day. Her name was Noriko Kobiyashi, but I know she went by Nora for short. I hope to name my daughter after her one day.”

So in honor of Nora, I designed mini zinnias. I love how sweet and cheerful this pattern turned out! The way the zinnias are distributed and rotated in the pattern makes it feel like they are dancing. Honestly, it might be my favorite pattern of the bunch. With so many oversized florals, Nora’s mini zinnies really complete the collection.

– Garet & Jane, Photographer

Grandma Twiss’s Stripes

​​My Grandmother, Twiss Roper Nielson, was a gardener extraordinaire. She grew a bounty of vegetables for survival but flowers were her passion. Her acre-sized kitchen garden was filled with flowers and her petunias were so abundant they literally grew like weeds. They came back every year and she would have to dig up petunias to make room for the vegetables. You could smell the flowers in her yard nearly a block away! I won several flower show competitions as an elementary student with her exotic “Cockscomb” (Celosia).

– Kerry, Accountant

Grandma Dorothy’s Roses

My grandparents built their Los Angeles home in 1951. They developed a lovely garden with lush grass, a mossy area, and tons of flowers, of course. They were the most gracious hosts to weddings, showers, and tons of guests. Everyone who knew them called them angels on earth and I will support that statement. Flowers will always remind me of my them, and especially my grandmother. She had a sewing room off to the side of their house where she taught me how to sew. She collected fabrics from all over the world from her adventures and housed them in an overflowing cabinet. I dream about that cabinet!

– Brittany, Founder & Creative Director

Granny’s Garden: wallpapers and fabrics

These spring patterns are sure to blossom in any home, project (try this envelope pillow!), or garden and remind you of your happiest, floweriest memories. We hope you can use them to create something as bright, inviting, and timeless as the women who inspired them. As we leave winter hibernation and say hello to the land of warmth and sun (and flowers!), we’re excited to see all that you do with our Granny’s Garden! And remember, you reap what you sew!

We can’t wait to see what you come up with! Show us what you’re making with #LarsFabrics

Happy Mother’s Day and happy spring!

 

Laundry Room Makeover with Delta Faucet

Laundry Room Makeover

There were a lot of details to work out for our laundry room makeover with regards to storage and organization. It was the one room in the house that actually had flooring when we moved in. While it wasn’t my favorite flooring–it is some sort of dark LVP–we decided to keep it in rather than put in the hardwood flooring like the rest of the house because I knew I’d want to do something fun to it at some point so I’d want to remove it some day. While we didn’t change it for this makeover, I thought it would help to provide a visual picture of where we started.

Here’s what it looked like before:

For this phase of the renovation, I wanted a laundry room makeover that wouldn’t cost a lot of money, that could be the destination for the sink from our kitchen that we’re currently renovating (more on that soon!). Basically, I want the space to be a beautiful work horse. Moving the sink into the laundry room, we’ve already changed how we use these two rooms. Anything that is remotely dirty goes into the laundry and not the kitchen (think all things kid-related).  

We didn’t have a basin or faucet in the laundry room before, but again, thinking of transferring all potentially dirty tasks here, I wanted something that would hold up well. That’s where Delta Faucet came into the picture.

Delta Faucet Touch2O® Technology Faucet

If you recall, I was thrilled when I discovered Delta Faucet’s Touch2O® Technology Faucet back when we first moved in (you can read about it here). If you haven’t heard of this technology, allow me the pleasure. Instead of having to reach for the faucet handle with wet and/or messy hands, all you have to do is touch the faucet. It’s so cool! Not to mention a dream when dealing with a toddler. No more dealing with slippery hands and handles, all Jasper has to do to turn this faucet on and off is give it a quick touch. And umm, I should mention, too, that Jasper and Felix honestly love just turning it on and off repeatedly.

Oh, and did I mention there’s a kid friendly fail safe feature? If Jasper accidentally leaves the water on, the water will automatically turn off after 4 minutes. And we all know with this Utah heat and dire drought situation, we could all do our part to waste a little less water.

Last thing about this amazing faucet: there’s a light that tells you how hot or cold the water is! Again, a dream when dealing with tiny baby and toddler hands. This is perhaps my favorite feature.

Delta Faucet Glass Rinser

The next thing I’m absolutely jazzed about with this laundry room remodel is the Delta Faucet Glass Rinser. What a genius invention! Just stick the glass on top of it and a jet of water shoots out and cleans it instantly. It makes cleaning glasses, baby bottles, thermoses, and anything else that’s tough to get into with a brush easier. It turns out kids are creative and Jasper fills bottles and jars with all kinds of mystery substances, so I am loving this glass rinser.

What I changed to my laundry room

So, I had the sink, the faucet, and the glass rinser already and thankfully it fit snuggly into the corner of the laundry room. The yellow color happened to work beautifully with a new wallpaper I made for another project that I happened to have extras of. Basically, I wanted this antique Portuguese tile but it was going to cost more than our car so we turned it into a wallpaper (see here!) and boom. I LOVE how it turned out! And now we have some cabinets for storage–win/win! I love being able to reuse stuff from around the house.

The Takeaway

I’m almost done gushing over our new laundry room makeover with Delta Faucet. Guys, it’s a dream for anyone, but especially anyone with kids! I love how they help create a space to play that can easily be cleaned, as a bonus. Needless to say, I’m in love with our new laundry room (as if you couldn’t tell already). Now please, go get yourself one of those amazing Delta Faucet Touch2O® Technology Faucets and a Glass Rinser while you’re at it.

More Inspiration

Looking for more home renovation content? Here’s everything we did to our house in one year, and an exclusive studio tour. You also won’t want to miss our guest bedroom remodel, bathroom remodel, and new closet system. Oh, and if you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to check out my craft room in the living by design virtual showhouse! Looking to decorate your home? Stop by our shop and see what suits your fancy!

This post is sponsored by Delta Faucet but all opinions are my own.

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

Studio Tour of The House that Lars Built

Where We Started

Remember what the basement looked like when we first bought this house? Totally gutted, and an eyesore, but full of potential. Well, we’ve come a long way since then! We still have a long way to go, but we want to show you our progress. Here‘s a post with the preliminary ideas for the studio. And if you’re interested, here‘s a compilation of everything we did to our house in one year.

How It’s Going

The Space

To kick off the studio tour, we need to explain the space. The entire basement makes up the studio. It’s divided into the following: Jane and Jenny’s office, the main crafting/working space, the kitchenette area, the bathroom, the shipping/packing room, and the archive room. The shipping and archive rooms needed to be more functional than anything, so our choices there have and will be more driven by functionality (with a little Lars flair, of course). But the rest of the space we have had a LOT of fun with thus far! So here’s what we’ve done.

Pink Epoxy Floor

First stop on our studio tour: flooring. The first thing we did to the basement was the floor. Remember our pink epoxy flooring?? Yep, that covers the floor of the entire basement, except for the bathroom. It’s such a fun, eye-catching detail that you notice right when you walk in! I always knew the studio needed a touch of pink to warm things up.

Stairs

The stairs are next on the studio tour. Now we knew we needed a quick and effective solution for the unfinished stairs. What an eyesore!! And did I mention they had carpet on them previously? It took a little extra time to get them prepped for painting. But it was worth it, because the final product (these big, bold, blue and white stripes) was the perfect way to get our guests’ attention and introduce them to the studio. We may end up altering these amidst our newest wave of home renovations, but it was the perfect temporary DIY solution until we could implement a more permanent situation.

Lighting

Speaking of an eye-catching entrance, guess what we just recently got?! Our very own neon Lars sign, courtesy of Neon 87! To say we’re excited would be a severe understatement. Needless to say when visitors come to the studio they’ll know exactly where they are when they see this sign.

We also couldn’t move on without mentioning the recent install of this schoolhouse light fixture. We loved the gold accent with the bold stripes and colorful art we added to the walls!

Office Makeover

The next step in our studio tour is the office. We did an office makeover! Matching the wallpaper in the office to the pink floor turned out to be an interesting challenge, but we loved the result when all was said and done! Here‘s the post where we explain it all.

Here’s Jane’s desk:

A brightly colored office. There's green floral wallpaper, a pink floor, a yellow chair, a white table, pink-painted doorframes, an orange paper house, a blue poster with colorful abstract flowers, and office supplies.

And here’s Jenny’s:

Jenny's desk

The Craft/Work Space

Next up on our studio tour is the craft space! While far from complete, we want to show you what we’ve done so far. It’s getting cozier by the day! You may have seen the initial improvements we made to our craft space here, with our DreamBox. We’re still crazy about it. But to add to the pleasure of being in the studio, we also recently purchased two things: an AMAZING blue velvet couch from Eternity Modern, and a remote control table with a tabletop that moves up and down from Flexispot. You wouldn’t believe how convenient this is for photo and video shoots!!

We now have a more organized, efficient space that opens up the possibilities. We’re finally versatile enough to host meetings. All we have to do is push two of the large craft tables together and we’re set. Speaking of, we had a veeeery important meeting the other day, the subject of which is yet to be revealed (wink, wink).

Below is our amazing new remote control table from Flexispot (bamboo tabletop on the right):

Here’s that show-stopping Eternity Modern couch:

Blinds

We were ecstatic to add the blinds to this studio tour. I don’t know if you noticed in the pictures of the office makeover, but for a long time, we were literally using paper as a makeshift version of blinds. NOT ideal. We knew we needed something much better, and that’s where blinds.com came into the picture! They replaced our sad, makeshift paper blinds with some classy new blinds, complete with blackout shades. This was a dream come true for Jane–good lighting makes all the difference in whether or not a photo turns out! We installed the blinds in all the basement rooms–Jane and Jenny’s office, the main crafting space, and the shipping room. Blinds are something that need to be functional as well as pretty, and we loved how our blinds turned out.

Here they are in the craft room:

Here’s the window next to Jane’s desk:

And here’s the shipping room!

Bathroom

Now let me preface this portion of our studio tour with a caveat–the bathroom is far from complete. We still want to add wallpaper and so much more! But we did get the flooring in (white tile with a FUN pop of blue grout!), along with the basic necessities, and a touch of color and pattern with this DIY shower curtain. We can’t wait to show you the rest when it’s ready! Hint: the final result includes our very own custom pattern made into Spoonflower wallpaper and much more. Stay tuned!

curtain with floor

Stay Tuned for Much More

That’s it for the studio tour today! Friends, think about it. The combo of pink epoxy flooring, blue velvet, and fresh new blinds?! There’s a reason we’re excited. It’s already looking soo good and we’re far from done! We are beyond ecstatic about all the plans we have in the works. If you hadn’t noticed, the craft room lacks wallpaper. We’re thinking custom wallpaper designed by The House that Lars Built. And the kitchenette?!?! We have BIG plans. We don’t want to spoil the surprise, but this year is going to be the year where things come together in BIG ways. We’re so excited!! Who’s with us?!

How to Hang Prints

How to Hang Prints

Well, now I’m getting into a deeper conversation about what art is, and while I could easily write a 1,000 word blog post on that topic, today I just want to talk about what to do with your art once you’ve found the ultimate piece. Our post today is all about how to hang prints like the ones you can find in our shop!

To Frame or Not to Frame?

So, it finally happened—you locked eyes with that perfect print, whether in a gallery, online, or in a thrift store, and now you need a frame for it! Or do you? 

Well, first you need to consider the size of the print (or prints). If you thrifted your art, you may want a different frame, or maybe you hit the thrifting jackpot and it came with a beautiful frame, matting, and it fits your style. However, for most of us, half the fun is deciding on a frame that doesn’t just act as a “place” for your art to live, but it complements the piece, too.

Frames aren’t always necessary. In fact, you can “frame” your art using other more budget-friendly, DIY methods, and you know how much we love a good DIY!

Framing Large Art Pieces

Large-scale wall art is on trend, and it’s not hard to see why! A poster-size print above the bed or fireplace mantle anchors the room. In fact, if you’re trying to design the rest of your space, start with a large print! You can gather inspiration from a dynamic piece of art hanging on the wall.

A colorful lamp in a room with wildflower wallpaper and a LACMA exhibition poster

We tend to think that large art needs a frame. Luckily, you don’t have to splurge on a really expensive frame to match the size of your print. We like using the large RIBBA frame from IKEA, with or without the matting. You might even like removing the plastic to prevent a glare, but if the lighting of your room doesn’t affect the glare too much, leave the plastic on to protect the print.

If you looking to print some large art for a crazy price, we recommend engineer prints from Staples. They’re typically no more than $10 (yep, that cheap).

Other Framing Ideas

Need a beautiful frame, but don’t want to spend too much money? Try replacing the cheap art you find at Target or Home Goods with your own prints. They already come with a nice frame (most of the time) and a mat.

Are you trying to put together a gallery wall? Though it may seem like some of the best-looking gallery walls were simply “thrown together,” it actually takes a bit of extra time to create a balanced look. Use a mixture of sizes, and don’t feel limited to hanging prints. Try hanging other art pieces or sentimental items on the wall to add texture, such as fiber art or a small shelf for displaying treasures.

How to create a gallery wall to go with your TVGallery wall above a brown dresser with a cute white dog in front.a gallery wall with images of birds over a bed with a fiddle leaf fig and a lamp in the bottom left corner

How to Hang Prints Without a Nail

One of the best and most cost-effective methods to hang your prints is using Washi tape! We like this method for a more casual look, like on the moodboard above your desk or in your child’s room.

How to make a mood board with Mae Mae Co on The House That Lars Built

Is your art collection bursting at the seams? Try a floating shelf on the wall to lean your art against! Maybe you have a bare mantle in your front room begging for something else to sit on it besides your WiFi router…instead of getting out your hammer, nails, stud finder, and level, just lean the thing! Nothing could be easier.

Day of the Dead OfrendaDay of the Dead OfrendaFlower art prints by Adriana Picker

Feeling inspired? Don’t forget to check our print shop for some beautiful and affordable art! 

November 2018 Desktop Wallpaper

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November 2018 Desktop Wallpaper

“Every Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower,” Albert Camus. I had never thought of autumn like this before, but I love the comparison! I’m in heaven right now–our neck of the woods is currently flooded with changing leaves and the most beautiful colors. I love these leaves with a touch of gold leaf and paint and has me itching to create some sort of DIY project inspired by them! I hope the month of November is filled with plenty of good company, cozy nights in, and ample good eats 😉

Download this wallpaper for your phone or desktop!

October Desktop Download and Print

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Can you believe it’s already October? Summer still seems to be hanging on here, but the nights are so much chillier now! I’m in love with this Autumn desktop calendar because it perfectly captures my ideal fall day: a bite to eat at an outdoor cafe, leaves beginning to fall, and people enjoying the crisp air. Now if only my house looked like this illustration! What are you looking forward to this fall?

Get the October Desktop Download to put you in the mood for fall!  Also check out our Print Shop.

May 2018 Wallpaper Calendar

April 2018 Wallpaper Calendar

I have big dreams for my future garden. You probably know of my strong affinity for flowers. I love to smell them, pick them, buy them, make them, send them, look at them, and even watch them: Secret Garden and Anne of Green Gables are two of my all-time favorite films. Now I haven’t always had the greenest thumb, nor the space to cultivate my dream garden, but I have plans! The April 2018 Wallpaper Calendar by Monica Lynch is the perfect illustration of what I want my garden to look like! And a tree full of pink blossoms? Sign me up!

April 2018 Wallpaper Calendar

Download the May 2018 Wallpaper Calendar for your desktop and phone! And check out our Print Shop!

April 2018 Spring Wallpaper

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April 2018 Spring Wallpaper

April 2018 Spring Wallpaper

I’m absolutely head over heels for this month’s desktop artwork! The April 2018 Spring Wallpaper features the chicest “egg girl” you’ve ever seen walking her two pet bunnies! Honestly, if I could be that girl, I would. Spring is possibly my favorite season with the overwhelming presence of florals and signs of new growth. So let’s celebrate Easter all month long by pretending we’d all look as chic in the shape of an egg 😉

Get the downloads and print after the jump!

March 2018 Wallpaper

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I hope I’m not the only one busting out my florals and sandals since it’s finally March! Sadly, March can often be the snowiest month of the year in my neck of the woods. However, I plan to boycott the weather with a surplus of springy peasant dresses. Who’s with me? This month the March 2018 Wallpaper is the prettiest array of buttons illustrated by our favorite Monica Lynch! This brings me back to my childhood and memories of collecting all sorts of things as a kid. This button collection has such a lovely color palette and will surely brighten your day!

So gift yourself a little nostalgia by downloading the March 2018 Wallpaper after the jump!

December 2017 Desktop Calendar

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December 2017 Desktop Calendar

The month of shopping, singing, sweets, and snow has arrived! And so has our December 2017 Desktop Calendar! I know it’s going to be over before I know it, so I’m trying to take advantage of every magical moment. Does the month of December excite you or stress you out? It can be a bit chaotic for all of us, but let’s just try and enjoy it! Something that doesn’t stress me out? Christmas Shopping! I love trying to find the perfect gift for friends and family and wrapping it up is even better! Make sure to download the December 2017 Desktop Calendar to remind you of the magic!December 2017 Desktop Calendar

Downloads after the jump!

March desktop wallpapers

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March desktop wallpaper

A new month means a new calendar from Monica Lynch! I love these adorable tassels! It comes in both a desktop version and an iPhone version. Download them for free after the jump! Desktop wallpaperMarch iphone wallpaper