In The Mood For: Frida Kahlo Inspired Interior Design

Brittany

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July 21, 2021

In The Mood For: Frida Kahlo Inspired Interior Design

Home Decor Inspired by Frida Kahlo

How to use decor like Frida would

Consider Color

Casa Azul is aptly named, as the exterior of the house is painted this fantastic cobalt blue. It’s the kind of blue that if you saw it and weren’t expecting it, you’d whip your head around for a second look and say something profound like, “that house is blue!” Or, perhaps the color puts you speechless! It certainly does that for me. Rather than use a ton of neutrals to ground one pop of color, Kahlo did the opposite in her home and it totally works! She employed blue, citron yellow, kelly green, and terracotta red liberally with just a pinch of neutrals thrown in. The neutrals that are used are all natural. One section of the house has greyish walls because the walls are made of volcanic rock and shells!

Image source

For more inspiration on decorating your home with the bright colors of Frida’s hometown, check out my trip to Mexico City here!

Embrace your surroundings

With the use of volcanic rock and seashells, Casa Azul perfectly illustrates how to bring the outside in. This creative yet ancient way of using natural resources works beautifully in juxtaposition to her wild colors and more modern stylings. If you live in a wooded area, use beautiful wood! Same goes for those of you who live in rocky areas or sandy areas or wherever areas! Get outside to get inspired. Another way Frida Kahlo brought the outside in is by adding house plants. She used plants all the time in her paintings, and had plenty to study in her home! Yes, the trick is old as time but never gets old. Bringing in natural elements to balance the color will help you nail Frida Kahlo inspired interior design.

Image source

Embracing one’s surroundings goes beyond the literal outside – you should try and bring a bit of your culture and community within your doors. Embracing culture is essential in a Frida Kahlo inspired home. Kahlo has tons of traditional Mexican tiles and Indigenous pottery throughout her house and it gives a sense of identity to both the woman who lived there and the space itself. Frida’s celebration of her heritage is a wonderful thing, but I know many people who feel like they don’t have a heritage to celebrate. That’s just silly! Do a little research on your family, your community, and any other places your family line has been. Then, use interior decorating to remind you of where you and your ancestors have been. That sort of thing is really grounding, and who doesn’t need that right now??

Persevere

So, I intentionally haven’t talked much about the messier parts of Kahlo’s life. She will probably haunt me for watering down her deeply complex life into interior design tips, but hey! We’re keeping her legacy going! Frida Kahlo experienced a lot of tragedy that included abuse, tragic accidents, chronic illness, mental health problems, and infidelity. At eighteen, she was seriously wounded in a bus accident and was laid up in the hospital for months unable to move her body. She knew that this accident would prevent her from studying medicine as she had planned, so she took to painting from her hospital bed. Her mother had a special easel made that she could use in bed, and a mirror was placed above her bed. There she painted a slew of self portraits, pictures of her visitors and view.

In fact, this is one of Frida’s major life events that inspired one of the activities in our Great Artists! course. During week 1, the kids will have a chance to grab a mirror, climb into bed, and see what it feels like to draw a self-portrait exactly the way Frida Kahlo herself started. These kinds of activities are what make history come alive, and teach the children about the lives of artists like Frida in way appropriate for their age.

What Frida did about it

She took inventory of what she could do and what her literal setting allowed, and then did it. Kudos to Frida for transforming a space with limitations into a space where she could create! As an interior design nut, I just love that. In the midst of one of the toughest periods of her life, Frida Kahlo redefined herself as an artist. Rather than allowing herself to be defined by tragedy, she molded it into therapy, self expression, and a new career.

Towards the end of her life, Kahlo was finally receiving widespread recognition for her innovative work. She was to have her first solo exhibition in 1953, but right before the opening night, Frida was put on bedrest for a chronic illness. Rather than miss her big moment, Frida Kahlo had an ambulance deliver her from Casa Azul to the museum on a stretcher. Once in the museum, she was moved to her own four-poster bed that was brought there earlier that day. Much to the surprise of everyone there, she laid in her own bed at her own exhibition opening. You’ve got to love a girl who just won’t quit, much less miss her own party.

In your life & home

If you’re needing a little help translating all of this, check out our Great Artists! Course for kids that includes some wonderful crafts/projects cooked special for you by our Lars team. There you’ll find the perfect Frida Kahlo and Casa Azul inspired pieces to perk up your home. Also, we’ve scoured the internet and have found some wonderful pieces that look like something straight out of her paintings (and wardrobe!)

I hope that by reading about Frida and looking at photographs of her home and work, you feel inspired to play a little, especially if life is hard right now. She’d like that. Let your home be both the subject and object of your playing! (I believe that’s called interior design.)

Image source: 1 | 2

Fashion Inspired by Frida Kahlo

Accessories

This post is a part of our In the mood for series where we show you how to recreate interior design styles and fashion inspired by people we admire! Click any of the links below to check out the past posts in this series!

Anne of Green Gables, Emma Woodhouse, Iris Apfel, Wes Anderson, the Royal Family, Little Women, Monet, Josef Albers, Alma Thomas, and Alexander Girard

Moodboard image sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

NEW! Jungalow for Opalhouse by Target

Brittany

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July 1, 2021

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Justina is truly the most go-gettery of all go-getters. I’ve always admired her commitment to her art (she paints every morning to warm up! I’ve been wanting to do this for ages!), and focus on getting better and better. She’s created a beautiful brand with commitment to the environment and providing resources for people to capture her look. I’m so proud of you Justina!

Find Justina here:

Felix’s New Nursery

Brittany

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May 17, 2021

27

Colorful baby nursery

Before my first son, Jasper, arrived we raced to get his nursery done and it paid off (you can see it here. I had such a wonderful experience having a fully designated space for him–it felt almost magical. Just him and me having our special place together nursing and me admiring him. We were certainly in a little newborn bubble. I think I even heard choruses of angels around us.

Setting up a baby nursery

With Felix, because of all the new home renovations and normal, if not over, work load, I didn’t get his nursery done, not even close. And I felt the toll! For a while I slept on a mattress downstairs next to his bassinet before transferring up to our bedroom and then we were constantly moving because we’ve been renovating the closet, bathroom, putting baseboards, etc. It’s been wild, uncomfortable…chaotic. Not conducive to a magical experience.

Nursing section in a nursery

And then we partnered with our friends at Pottery Barn Kids and life got so much better as you might expect when you, well, partner with Pottery Barn Kids.

Most important to me when creating a space for a baby is figuring out the immediate needs. Number one, especially in the early stages, is nursing. Life kind of revolves around it at this point (you too?): schedules, meals, outings (or lack there of right now, right?!). Everything! I nursed exclusively with Jasper and I’ve done the same with Felix (though I seriously reconsidered that this weekend after my first bout with mastitis–YIKES!).

Rocking chair in nursery

Because of my bad back, I like to have a great chair set up in place so I know it will be comfortable and I don’t have to scramble to make something up last minute. Jasper’s rocking chair has almost become a member of our family based on how much we use it. Though I no longer nurse him, we gather around it for stories every day. I knew I needed another one for Felix so we could create the same tradition in his room.

Features on baby gliders

Have you searched on Pottery Barn Kids recently? Look at all their nursery chair and ottoman options. I’ll wait….There’s a TON of styles and features. I looked for one that had a shallow back so that it wouldn’t have to strain while nursing. I also wanted one that felt both classic yet modern. I arrived at the Modern Wingback Slipcovered Glider and Ottoman. I got it in their classic white linen, which on first glance seems crazy, but because it’s a slipcover, you can easily take it on and off (velcro!) and wash it.

Baby nursery chair options

It may seem like a funny thing to get excited about, but I need my nursing conditions to be, well, perfect, and their ottoman is the perfect height so I can prop Felix up and be super comfortable. I’m so pleased with my new arrangement I can’t even express it. The magical feelings are starting to reemerge again and none too soon!

Baby nursery furniture

But there’s more. Have you seen their collection of cribs and changing stations? There are so many beautiful options. I went all white with Jasper, but I wanted something different for Felix so I got an all wood collection–something to feel deeper. I chose the Dawson Convertible Crib, which is somehow even more beautiful in person than it is on a screen. It will grow with Felix into a toddler bed too so it’s worth the investment (two beds in one!). It’s also GREENGUARD Gold Certified, meaning it meets or exceeds stringent chemical emissions standards and it’s made in a Fair Trade Certified facility. I feel really good about their manufacturing processes and love being able to align myself with them.

Baby nursery dresser

Then for the changing table/dresser I went with the Dawson dresser. Again, it’s a beautiful blend of traditional and modern with the clean lines and fine detailing on the drawers. It comes in a lovely acorn color with the same ethical standards. Again, even more beautiful and illuminating in person. It looks so good against the green walls! Which brings me to my next point.

Colorful baby nursery

Jasper’s nursery at our old house was more light and airy and again, I wanted something where we played with color more. The room is also acting as Paul’s office so I wanted to take his preferences into consideration. Paul loves BRIGHT colors. I’m talking saturated, BRIGHT colors. We settled on a agreen, but what green was the question! He LOVES a classic Jaguar green but then I got this lovely checkerboard pink/magenta rug (used from Hannah Carpenter as spotted by Meta Coleman) and wanted to merge the two colors together somehow.

Finding the perfect shade of a green for a baby nursery

I figured out that the green needed to be a bit more blue so we went with this Palm Frond color. I thought it was going to be too much for me but with the gorgeous wood furniture, it’s MAGICAL. I tried out a contrasting trim in a light blue, the same color we’ll be using for our bathroom, and I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about it…I like it sometimes and other times I’m not sure. I’m not sure you can see it too well in these photos so maybe you can speak to that quite yet.

Nursery bedding

I accessorized with the cutest bed sheet/comforter set. The sheets are dreamy soft and play well with the green of the walls. I love the chambray look always. It tends to go with most things.

Then I added in some green gingham curtains to play with the color too.

Phase one baby nursery

With all the other bright color accessories we own, the color works so well and it’s now one of the few rooms in the house that feels GOOD! I’m still calling it a phase one design because we might adjust some things, but in the meantime, I’m spending all my time in there.

Thank you Pottery Barn Kids for making our nursery dreams come true and for sponsoring this post!

Meet Brittany’s new rainbow office

Brittany

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March 24, 2021

3

The Before Photos

As you recall, we moved into our new home in September. The house had no floors, bathrooms, showers, etc. There’s a general lack of storage and design features so one by one we’ll be turning each room into a work of art. While I take my time contemplating how I want to design each room along with the custom built features I have in mind, I couldn’t wait to get my office “done” for now and it feels SO good.

Here are the before photos:

Pretty sad, right?!

It starts with a plain white room.
Started adding on the calendars
added in the new Mr. Kate sofa and chair and replaced lighting fixture

My new rainbow office

It all started with this rainbow calendar. I bought it ages ago and intended to put it in my office in the old studio. I never got around to designing the space and there it sat in its box. FINALLY, I took it out a few weeks ago and thought it would look perfect along the wall and I was right. It was meant to be.

The requirements

Now, the thing about my office is that it sits right next to the front door so I knew it would act like a reception area–a welcome space to the house, but also welcome to my company. As I’ve mentioned, in November we moved The House That Lars Built into the basement of our house. While it might seem like a downgrade (I’ve seen some of your comments 😉 it’s been the plan for a long time–it just took awhile to get to the point where we could do it because 1) we needed to buy a house and 2) we needed a house that was large enough to do it.

What I envisioned

I’ve loved having an outside office to go to–I get a lot down and I’m able to focus more. However, with COVID and a new baby, we wanted to keep things more insular. My company is an extension of my life, for better or for worse, and having something that I could invest time and money into and show how our projects fit into my lifestyle was something that felt more natural and authentic, rather than something that fit into a blank work space. Plus, putting money into fixing up our studio space turned into something I started to resent as it was something that was getting more love than my actual house.

The Furniture

My office is also intended to act as a guest room so when DHP reached out with their new Mr. Kate collection I knew just what to do. If you recall, DHP has a lot of great clever futon selections. I say clever, because they’ve nailed the art of conserving space in their furniture. I selected the Mr. Kate teal Stella (it’s more of a beautiful robin’s egg blue!) velvet futon. The side arms pack up snuggly into the bottom of the futon (so snuggly that I had to write in to complain that they didn’t send me the arms! Nope, they were in there the whole time!). And when you extend the back down, the legs for the futon zip out of the back. So clever. It makes it easy to turn it into a bed and then back into the sofa.

I then selected the black and white Mr. Kate Effie accent chair because the room needed something to weigh it down a bit more than all the rainbow colors going on. I love it! The legs are also upholstered, which is a nice feature. The chair is great for both meetings AND nursing, because you bet I’m very much doing both. It comes in a mustard color too, which also would have been super pretty.

The quirks

While the studio is downstairs my office is on the main floor and we do a lot of shooting on the main floor so the office also serves as a photography space. I keep a lot of our backgrounds in here so we don’t have to lug them up and down the stairs all the time. Some of them are super heavy. It’s north facing so the lighting is super even and great for our videos, which we have been loving.

Having a place to work that’s in order has already been so uplifting for my soul. It’s only been a few days so far, but we’ve been spending so much more time in here already because it feels so good! Jasper and I have been reading books on the sofa as well as playing on his own. I’ve been nursing Felix there too. I’ve never had such a functional, yet uplifting room and I’m reveling in it!

Mr. Kate Furniture Collection

Effie black and white upholstered accent chair
Stella Convertible Sofa

Other items in the office:

Ombre Rug, Chandelier, Rainbow calendar, hand desk lamp, purple and white pitcher from Pomelo, cardboard house boxes,

This post was sponsored by DHP’s Mr. Kate. Thanks to our great partners who allow us to create beautiful content for you!

If you liked this post you might also like
Mary’s new leather sofa
Designing a soulful kitchen with Eva Jorgensen
#WFH How to Design Your Perfect Home Office

We’re moving!

Brittany

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November 12, 2020

6

We’re Moving Studios!

In our house looking we intentionally looked at houses where we could potentially put Lars in the basement. It’s very common here in Utah to have a basement and to put renters in the basement. A majority of our neighborhood does that. In fact, our previous apartment was one such arrangement. So when our dream house showed the potential to be for sale (it wasn’t for sale when I knocked on the door!), the large basement was definitely a plus. With three floors at about 1500 square feet each-ish, it would have been WAY too large for just the three almost four of us.

Here’s how the basement was when we first looked at it and basically still is now:

And yes, doors still haven’t gone up! You probably can’t tell with all the blockades, but there is about 1500 square feet, 3 bedrooms, one larger work room and a storage room along with two bathrooms. One bathroom, in fact, that gave us a sewage flood when we first moved in. How welcoming. I’d share a pic but I don’t want to make you barf. We finally got new walls done there (they had to take them out because the poop hit all the walls) and now we’re working on the flooring.

Pros and Cons to working from home

Of course there are pros and cons to having your work place in your house, but overall, I am STOKED! Especially since I’ll be with a newborn soon and wouldn’t be able to get to the studio much. Our current studio, we were all commuting from the same city to about 20 minutes away, which is fine, but it didn’t make any sense.

Plus, this blog is such a part of my personal life and it was oftentimes SO tricky to work between the two. Sometimes we’d need to shoot at my house and sometimes here at the studio. Being in the same spot will alleviate so much confusion.

Another plus is that all my materials are here at the studio and so I was finding that I wasn’t making anything in my spare time because it was so much planning and execution to bring what I needed home. I’m so stoked to have it all in one place.

I’ve worked from home in the past but that’s when I didn’t really have a designated space for it so it was ALWAYS a mess. Now, the mess will hopefully be contained!

Flooring for our basement

Speaking of flooring, I’ve looked into all types of flooring options for basement apartments that are prone to flooding. We know the sewage flood we had was not the only flood this house has had–we’re hoping it’s the last though. With that in mind, we are wanting a flooring that is waterproof and/or easy to maintain in case of water damage.

We looked at LVP, waterproof tiles, painting concrete, and epoxy. I had looked into epoxy when we first moved in because my friend, Eva, has it on her concrete floors and it’s amazing (you can see it here). It came out this wonderfully shiny texture that I LOVE! But her guy quoted me a crazy high price and I was determined to find something else. THEN, I got a hold of another guy who was MUCH less expensive. He comes on Saturday so I can’t comment on his services yet. We’ll see.

What color should we paint our floor?

That leaves the question…what COLOR do we do for the epoxy?! And that’s the beauty of it. You can pretty much customize your epoxy to ANY color you’d like. Most epoxy installers do garage floors and that typically means any variation of grey, but I shared a couple of images with him and he said he could do it. I asked him about MINT/SAGE:

And about a blush pink:

So…what would YOU do???

Green OR Pink?

You’ll have to wait and see what we chose!

Investing into a rental

As for the rest of the basement studio, the idea of it being in my permanent house is SUCH a relief and bonus for many reasons. One, I’m realizing that I have a REALLY hard time with permanence. For example, I had a hard time investing time and money in both studios I’ve rented. I know that your environment plays a crucial role in the overall vibe and well-being, but for some reason, I just couldn’t get behind fixing our current one. We painted a couple of rooms white because we needed them for shooting and changed out some lighting fixtures, but besides that, not much.

SO, I’m excited to DIG in and get the vibe for our studio that it finally deserves! And I’m wanting to go CRAZY on it. LOTS of color and experimenting. I’m talking color on floors and maybe carpeting up the staircase. Maybe something fun with walls and definitely furniture!

Inspiration for the new studio

You can see the inspiration for the new studio up in the first two photos, but I’ll expound here.

I LOVE this restaurant in Moscow by Studio Shoo. I think it’s an incredible blend of playful, patterns, vintage, and color. Check out more of the restaurant here. It’s so good! Love the green drinking fountain. Could you imagine?!

2LG Studio in London is another major inspiration source. They have SO MUCH FUN with their interiors. I love the way they use pattern and color together while adding unexpected details here and there.

This one, below, is a study in careful placement of color for big impact. That staircase is just paint! It’s the studio of @ZilverblauW in The Netherlands. You should check out her account. It’s so good!

And lastly, this one. I found it here, but don’t know who the designer is. Anyone know? Such a great palette and play on shapes and color.

With these inspiration images in mind, here’s what I have in mind:

COLOR everywhere in unexpected places
Clever use of paint to create frames and shapes
Mix of vintage and new
Functional but also aesthetically pleasing
A place to shoot and video easily
An inspirational place to work

Some places will have to be WAY more functional, like the stock room and storage room, but that means we can really play wit the playful rooms.

Anywhoo, I and we are SO excited about the move. The lame thing is that it’s RIGHT in the middle of our busiest time of the year so we’re going a bit nuts. That sounds par for course this year, no? Wish us luck!

And let me know what flooring you’d choose. Would love to hear why!

If you liked this post, you might also like:

She Shed Craft Retreat
One Room Challenge at our old studio
One Room Challenge at Mary’s house

In the Mood For: Andy Warhol Inspired Home Decor

Brittany

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November 4, 2020

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In the Mood For: Andy Warhol Inspired Home Decor

Who Was Andy Warhol?

Andy Warhol was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 6, 1928. Aside from being an influential artist, Andy also delved into film making, producing, and photography.

At first, his career aspirations were to be a commercial illustrator in advertising. When some of his art pieces gained traction, he began to establish himself as a well-known artist. His art gallery, known as The Factory, attracted a wide range of people, from celebrities to bohemians and everything in between. Did you know that Andy actually invented the phrase “15 minutes of fame”?

In the 1960s, Andy Warhol’s work began to reflect the time period. His most famous pieces were depictions of Campbell’s soup, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley, electric chairs, mushroom clouds, and Coca-Cola.

Learn More About This Great Artist!

Andy Warhol is one of the icons featured in our Great Artists! Course. During this 6 week kid’s course, an entire week is dedicated to hands-on projects designed to instill a love for creative learning while learning about Andy’s life and work! The course includes the Andy Warhol paper dolls shown below + daily videos, lessons, DIY project tutorials, and other fun printables. Click here to learn more about this art course!

You can find home decor inspired by other icons from our Great Artists! Course in our archives! Frida Kahlo here, Alma Thomas here, and Monet here.

What was Andy’s interior design style?

Some sources say Andy Warhol was a hoarder. He would go shopping and then never take things out of bags. Large rooms would turn into big unorganized closets.

In his interior design, he actually had very traditional, understated taste—nothing crazy wild or colorful like his art. He liked antiques, statues, and for different rooms to have different design themes like art deco, American West, traditional American, French, Roman, etc. He didn’t host guests at his home, not even close friends.

Mood board photo sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Andy Warhol Inspired Home Decor

Even if your design style is understated like Andy’s, you can enjoy “pops” of color (see what I did there?) throughout your home. Take a look at our fun Andy Warhol inspired home decor (plus other stuff, like masks of course!) and channel your inner pop artist.

Check out our Great Artists! Course for kids that includes some wonderful projects cooked special for you by our Lars team. During the course your family can create Warhol inspired pieces to perk up your home.

Fun Andy Warhol Gifts

Gift some colorful Andy Warhol inspired gifts paired with access to our Great Artists! Course this Christmas! It makes for a unique present for the little artist your life. Plus you’ll be gifting 6 weeks of fun and creativity!

This post is a part of our In the mood for series. In this series we show you how to recreate interior design styles and fashion inspired by people we admire! Click any of the links below to check out the past posts in this series!

Anne of Green Gables, Emma Woodhouse, Iris Apfel, Wes Anderson, the Royal Family, Little Women, Monet, Frida Kahlo, Alma Thomas, and Alexander Girard

Best Affordable Rugs Under $1000

Ashley Isenhour

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August 4, 2020

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Go Bold or Go Home

You know we love statement pieces, like upholstered headboards, graphic art prints, or throw pillows galore. And a great rug is probably the best place to start when planning a new interior makeover. Rugs instantly cozy up a room, make it feel complete, and sets the tone ALL without taking up any extra space! It’s the dream decor piece! But due to their price tag, we know how easy it is to put a new rug last on your list of priorities.

However, hear us out – A rug can truly make your room, and leaving it out can be a big interior design faux pas. Plus, splurging a little on a rug can allow you to tone down the other purchases without sacrificing your end goal – a thoughtful, specific, and well-curated space. That is truly the power a good rug has! Why? Because a statement rug instantly conveys what look you are going for (vintage, boho, minimal?), sets the main color scheme, and makes everything look more finished. Trust us, don’t skip the rug. And if we still haven’t convinced you, you’ll find even more ways to use a rug to complete the look below!

Of course if you are in a creative mood, we have some DIY rug options for you. Like this Matisse inspired cut out rug above! Or for something even simpler try this DIY “friendship bracelet” inspired rug that will keep your hands busy during your next Netflix binge.

But if you’re more in the mood for some online shopping, we feel you! Explore the links below to find the best affordable rug of your dreams.

Continue

How to make your own colorful glamping experience

Brittany

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July 30, 2020

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How to make your own colorful glamping experience

I’m a bit bummed that we can’t travel this summer. While I’m not too eager to board a plane and jet off somewhere, I am very eager to get out of town! Glampsites have been filling airbnb recently and we are loving it! Whether you want to stay in a canvas tent in a national park, a boho vintage airstream in the desert, or a mini hut in California. That’s right, glamping doesn’t even always have to happen in a tent!

Glamping is the perfect solution for people whose trips were cancelled and might not be down for a major camping trip. A few years back, I made a few camping DIY projects and then glamped overnight in a friend’s treehouse. Yes, it was magical. I’m itching to go again!

Keep reading to learn how you can make your own luxury glampsite anywhere! Up the canyon, or in your own backyard. Trust us, even a stay-cation is worth it right now.

SLEEP WELL

The main reason we never camped much was that none of us could ever fall asleep in a tent. It isn’t really the tent that was the problem though – it was the sleeping arrangements. Typical sleeping camp gear is lightweight, portable, and made out of nylon and polyester. None of that sounds comfortable!! Sorry outdoorsy people, but I’d pick a mattress with sheets and a comforter over a sleeping bag every time. Fancy outdoor retailers sell genuinely comfortable sleeping pads, but I’m looking for real luxury. I’m talking about a folding and portable memory foam mattress pad. I’ve slept on one of these babies before and can confirm that it rocks. Put two together and you’ve literally got a king sized bed.

My next tip for glamping is to bring your own bedding! Bring your sheets, pillows, and a nice quilt to wrap up in. I’m pretty attached to my pillow and know that I’ll sleep better with it than without it. If you aren’t backpacking, there’s no need to worry about space. Bring a fur throw blanket! A body pillow! Get luxe!

TOUCHES OF HOME

Before you head out to glamp, I recommend tossing in a few things from home. These items shouldn’t be entirely frivolous, but they shouldn’t be “necessary.” For example, I practically live in velvet slippers these days. What could be better than waking up somewhere beautiful and pulling on clean, warm slippers? The real trendy glampsites are filled with comfy poufs, plenty of pillows for lounging around eating s’mores, and rugs underfoot. We are all for this kind of glampsite decorating, especially if you only travelled as far as your backyard. But if you would rather leave your textiles at home and opt for a regular sleeping bag, there are still ways to beautify your campsite.

I’d also plan ahead of time what kind of entertainment you’re bringing. If your camping company is musical, toss in a few portable instruments! We added this DIY guitar strap to ours last time we went camping so we could sing campfire songs all night long!

Games are a big hit with my extended family, so that’s a must-have. Cafe lights would be the perfect accessory to make your night outside feel like a scene from the magical play A Midsummer’s Night Dream.

You can even include some DIY touches, for real summer camp vibes. Make some outdoors themed felt banners to hang in your canvas tent, or these DIY camp chair covers. And for a campsite craft everyone can get in on, these DIY yarn “God’s eye”s are classic!

EAT WELL

One time in college I went camping with friends and was in charge of planning dinner for us. Mind you, we didn’t camp as kids, so I didn’t know what was normal camp food. I scoured grocery store aisles for a long time, debating which nonperishable items would be best. By the time I was done, I left with what we would call today a charcuterie board! Truly, I brought cured meats, snacking fruits and veggies, an aged cheese that would be fine in the cool night air, and a beautiful rustic loaf of french bread. Yes, my friends made fun of me, but we ate GOOD. I guess they were expecting dehydrated lasagna from a bag.

If you want to level up your camping cuisine and actually cook, try a tin foil dinner! The only real prep required is slicing, all of it can be done in advance. The tin foil packets can be cooked directly over a flame or grill, so there are no dishes to wash! *Cue the Hallelujah chorus.* My family makes tin-foil dinners like this one on the grill quite often. Pick any combo of veggies, starch, and protein, add some seasoning, and you’ve got a real meal! Before you start cooking, start the fire with this homemade herb firestarter and the whole campsite will smell great all evening long.

Another glamping food tip is to bring sliced produce and herbs to put in your water bottle. Who doesn’t love cucumber water? Load up all your snacks in advance in eco-friendly dishware and go enjoy nature. And of course we didn’t forget the American staple – s’mores! Learn how we make these homemade heart marshmallows here!

Here are some of our favorite colorful camp dining supplies below. Pro tip: For extra cuteness cover your coolers and waterbottles in stickers!

PLAY WELL

Bringing your own hand-painted cornhole set will just the touch of ~homemade fancy~ your glampsite needs, for looks and for entertainment. Or mix crafting and nature with these DIY painted domino rocks! Level up your scary stories with some fitting DIY shadow puppets. Of course card games and friendship bracelets are a must.

DRESS WELL

To wrap it all up, I think traditional camping is filled with unnecessary suffering. Yeah, I said it. Glamping, however, is easy and actually fun! If it’s cold, pack a tent-safe space heater. If it’s hot, bring a battery operated fan! Pack a big bowl to wash your hair in, and use shower wipes often to stay fresh. Oh, and wear clothing you actually like – any washing machine can handle a little dirt. I however, cannot, which is why I glamp.

5 reasons mirrors are essential in decor

Brittany

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July 27, 2020

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5 reasons mirrors are essential in decor

Get lit! Use mirrors to light up your life

Aside from the practical use of mirrors (checking oneself out), mirrors have another excellent purpose – they bounce light beautifully. You can make even the darkest corners, nooks and crannies more luminous by adding a mirror. You probably don’t have the ability to knock out an exterior wall of your house and add a million windows, but you can put a million mirrors in your house. I absolutely love seeing a wall covered in mirrors – it’s been popular since the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, and I don’t think it will ever go out. Pick matching, simple mirrors for a minimal look that maximizes your space. If you like the more eclectic look, mix and match ornate mirrors.

Open up (your mind and your living room)

I kinda spoiled this tip in the previous section, but one magical thing about mirrors is their ability to make a space feel larger. In an old house I lived in, we had a gigantic mirror at the top of the stairs. It always tricked guests into thinking there was another wing of the house! Mind you, this house was no manor – it was a pretty basic tract home. Simple tricks like adding a big mirror can make you feel like you’ve built that add-on you’ve been dreaming about. This made a big difference in my small office makeover.

Is that a new window?

Up next is a real trick. I feel like a click bait ad saying that. But this one is pretty genius I think! Have you ever seen a mirror with panes on it like a window? I spied this one on Pinterest and I totally thought it was a window. Brainblast – place a big mirror where you want a window! If you can find one that is similar in size and shape to an actual window in your house, place the mirror next to the window. Boom. extra window. I’m a genius.

Make a mirror the focal point

Mirrors are beautiful on their own. Ones with beautiful frames or funky shapes and detailing truly look like art and should be treated as such!! I am in love with the idea of a mirror as a focal piece, hung on a mantelpiece or in an art niche. I want this mirror from Anthropologie (sorry to be predictable but they are just so good) hung over an end table in my entryway. If you’re needing some styling inspo, check out this picture I found.

Mirrors are simple to update when styles change

Last but not least are my favorite mirror trends. There are a few trends that I keep seeing and truthfully can’t get enough of! One mirror staple over the last few years has been the circle mirror. The shape is simple enough to not be distracting and it gives the eye a break from hard angles. If you’re tired of too many hard angles, check out this scallop mirror from Gustaf Westman that I adore. I even made my own scallop wave pinboard inspired by that mirror and Matilda Goad! Other trends I love are organically shaped mirrors, ornate antiquey ones, and of course, mirrors with color and pattern. The images below are just a few of my favorites for sale right now!

DIY Mirror

Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about all you makers. If you prefer a handmade touch to make your decor unlike any others, check out this DIY rattan mirror!

Trend alert! 65 upholstered headboards that make a statement

Brittany

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July 17, 2020

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Trend alert! 65 upholstered headboards that make a statement

Headboards in my house

In this old post, I shared with you what my bedroom looked like before and after a major makeover. I chose a velvet mustard headboard with a tunnel style, and I absolutely love it. The pop of color is a bit unexpected in a bedroom, but it makes me smile each time I wake up. We also showed our guest bedroom makeover with Crate & Barrel, which has a lovely wooden bed frame.

You need a headboard – trust me.

Do you remember moments where you felt like a real “grown up?” Getting my first headboard was one of those moments for me. It was a time when I finally had enough walking-around money to get one. I wasn’t moving around like crazy anymore, which I did a lot of in those crazy young adult days. I was creating a real home! A headboard and bed frame totally helped me feel like I had made it. Now, I’m not suggesting having bedroom furniture means you have your life together – I surely do not have it all figured out! However, little things like this make me feel more comfortable in the space I’m living, and isn’t that what home is all about?

Current headboard styles and trends

In the past we have eyed rattan headboards, and even painted a rainbow headboard once! But this new trend is something special. Tufted headboards are super trendy right now, but I feel like the only ones I actually see in people’s houses are grey. If you can’t tell by how this entire website is designed, I like color – not grey. (Okay, I’ll admit neutrals are super important, but c’mon! Color is magical.) Because of this dearth of fun headboards, I’ve curated a list of the ones I adore. Featured below are the best of the best. The crème de la crème. La pièce de résistance.

If you are struggling to integrate patterns into your space, try an unexpected floral or striped headboard! Perhaps what your space lacks is a pop of color – we’ve made it easy for you. Whether you like jewel tones or muted primaries, solids or stripes, this list of headboards has got what you need to make any room feel complete.

65 upholstered headboards to make a statement

Patterned headboards

Find your fave and let it inspire the entire room. Or pick a more classic pattern like these stripes to compliment what you already have going on.

Solid color headboard

If you want a statement headboard that echoes what the rest of your decor is already saying, these solid choices might be the best fit. The shapes are bold, the colors are stunning, and there’s no pattern to worry about mixing properly. Nothing feel quite as empowering as a bold design choice. Just like in my master bedroom, choosing a solid color headboard just allows you to use pattern everywhere else!

Kid’s upholstered headboards

I love these kid sized upholstered headboards! They remind me of our Wes Anderson inspired roundup full of kid’s room decor. This is the kind of item you find and base an interior room around. In Lars days past we painted our own rainbow headboard, but these are such a perfect (and less permanent) choice.

Moodboard image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Scallop Wave DIY Pinboard

Brittany

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July 15, 2020

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Inspiration: the moodboard for my pinboard

The scallop/wave trend is hot hot hot right now. Slow undulating lines are visually really peaceful, but since it’s an unusual pattern, it holds your attention. Gustaf Westman is a furniture designer who builds beautiful mirrors that serve as inspiration for my DIY. If you want to buy his beautiful work, check out his page!

Another source of inspo for this project comes from Matilda Goad. This self-described “scallop-loving designer” has a fantastic and playful sense of design and color, and her pieces have a certain je nes sais quoi that make a house feel like home. The images below are from here instagram here.

My final mood-board item is this picture that I saw on @houseandgardenuk’s instagram. They featured a dreamy kitchen designed by Gabby Deeming and Ruth Sleightholme. I love the zigzag variation of scallops on the kitchen cabinets, and the gentle green is so appealing.

My Plans

In my head I can visualize you, dear friend, scrolling through until you get to the pictures and instructions for my DIY. Stop scrolling – you made it! First things first, you need a bulletin board. Then, I decided how much of my board I want to cover with paint. Find the full steps below!

How to make your own scallop wave pinboard

Instructions

– Measure the bulletin board & decide how thick you want your scalloped border to be.

– Use a ruler to draw guiding lines showing how far the border will extend, based on the thickness you chose. (Our board’s scalloped border was about 5 inches thick from the edge of the board).

– Measure the space left on the middle of the bulletin board between your guiding lines. Decide how many scallops you want on each side and then divide the length of the available space by the number of scallops. This will tell you how large each scallops should be.

– Use your ruler to measure and mark the desired length of your scallop onto a piece of card-stock paper. Once you have the length drawn, create the scallop shape and cut it out. This will be your stencil. (You could trace something round like a bowl or free hand this. Folding the card stock in half is a good way to check that the sides of your scallop are symmetrical.)

– Follow the guiding lines as you trace the scallop stencil across your bulletin board. This will keep your peaks even across the edges.

– Complete the look by rounding the corners into similar shapes, you can use the same stencil if there’s room or freehand it.

– Fill in the boarder with paint, 1-2 coats depending on the thickness of your paint.

-Let it dry and your DIY scallop wave pinboard is complete! Fill it with inspiration picks for the next project you want to tackle 😉

We would love to see what scalloped creations you come up with! Tag us on Instagram so we can see your works of art!

DIY colorful cornhole and bean bag set

Brittany

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June 25, 2020

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DIY Cornhole Set

Most of the cornhole sets for sale online cost around $80. We were able to make our own DIY painteset for around $40, buying the wood ourself! We already had some of the tools needed on hand.

Instructions:

Used this guide for the measurements
Cut 2 of your 2x4s in half, to create (4) 4 foot long sides for your cornhole set.
Cut (4) 21 inch long pieces out of 1 of your other 2x4s, to create the inside edges of your borders. All of the pieces you have cut so far will create the border shown below, you will have one for each cornhole board. Screw these pieces together.

4. The (2) 2 foot x 4 foot plywood pieces you have are already the perfect size! Screw the plywood boards to the boards you created in steps 1-3.

5. Now to cut out the holes – On each of these boards, use a 6 inch wide bowl to trace the edge of the circle, placing the circle 6 inches away from each edge of the board, as shown on this guide.

6. Use a jigsaw to carefully cut around the circle edge you drew. Once cut, use sandpaper to smooth the edge.

7. Now you just need to add the legs! Cut (4) 10 inch long legs our of your remaining 2×4.

8. Place your board on top of something that raises the top edge 12 inches off the ground.

9. Use a clamp to hold each leg in place while you drill it in place. Complete these steps for the other cornhole board.

Other resources

If you do not have a jigsaw to cut the circle out of your wood, you can also purchase these pre-made cornhole boards here and just add the border and legs yourself.

If you prefer to buy a pre-made set to paint yourself, here are the best options we were able to find:

Paint your own cornhole set

We choose this pattern because it is fun and bold, yet easy to tape off! Choose your paint colors, and get to painting!

We took a nod from one of our favorite design companies, Dusen Dusen and their awesome stripes!

Painting tips

We recommend taping off every other column, painting those blocks your desired colors. Then, once those areas are dry, tape off the reminding columns and finish painting those. Doing it this way will save you time and tape! This way you will only have your change the vertical tape one time, and will only need to move the horizontal tape for each color change. You can see what we mean below – we painted the purple, pale blue, and bright blue columns first, before retaping the vertical lines and adding the other colors.

As you can see above, we painted our cornhole set so that when the 2 boards are next to eachother the pattern is complete!

DIY Cornhole Bean Bag Set

Now that your DIY painted cornhole set is complete, all you need are bean bags before you’re ready to play!

Check out our favorite fabrics for projects like this here! Pick out a fabric that matches your outdoor decor and your painted cornhole set, to complete your yard’s look this summer!

Instructions:

1. Using a tailor’s pencil (you can use a regular pencil too, when finished you won’t see the lines) to trace the outline of bean bag patterns (star, triangle, circle & square).

2. Cut out 2 of your bean bag templates for each shape. We layered our fabric and cut two at once.

3. Once the pieces are cut out pin them together and begin sewing a 1/4” seam around each shape.

4. Start sewing from the bottom (backstitching at the beginning of your sewing and at the end) and once you return around the shape leave 2″-3″ of the seam open so you can flip the pattern inside out.

5. Clip and notch the curves appropriately.

6. Once sewed flip your pattern right side out. You can use a crochet hook or chop stick to push out all the edges.

7. Use an iron to press out any wrinkles.

8. Begin stuffing your bean bag with beans or rice.

9. Once your bean bag is stuffed to your liking, use your need and thread and close the opening using an invisible stitch!