How To Decorate Your Home Like Lara Jean's Room In To All The Boys I've Loved Before
Netflix's 2018 hit film "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" is based on Jenny Han's 2014 novel of the same name. The movie rocketed young star Lana Condor, as Lara Jean Covey, to fame and spawned two other films, making it a certified franchise. According to We Got This Covered, there is even an upcoming spin-off TV series following the adventures of the youngest Covey sister, Kitty.
Fans of the movie related to Lara Jean's deep emotions, shyness, and willingness to put herself out there in the fallout from Kitty mailing the letters she wrote to each of her five former crushes. Most of all, fans related to Lara Jean's super cute bedroom. As the movie is an inside look into Lara Jean's coming-of-age story, a large part of the film happens in her personal space. Her whimsical and creative bedroom design is one to envy, but the best part is that it's not all that hard to recreate the whole thing, or at least your favorite aspects of it, at home. Keep reading to find out how.
Set up a creative space to work
Lara Jean has a desk where she wrote the infamous love letters in her room. If you want to recreate her room, for better or worse, you should have a desk, too. As a junior in high school, Lara Jean probably uses her desk for schoolwork. Whether for homework or working from home, having a bedroom writing desk is really beneficial.
According to Apartment Therapy, having a designated space in your room to either work or be creative inspires you to do more of both. We can train our brains to associate that area with getting things done, so when we sit down, we do just that. It is okay, however, if the uses of your desk overlap just a little bit — just like Lara Jean. She does homework but also pens creative love notes. If you need space to draft a business email and paint miniatures, double up and use your desk for both.
Consider creative seating options
When working at her desk, Lara Jean chooses to sit on a stool rather than a more traditional desk chair. In some cases, creative seating options might be better for your back in the long term. According to Athlete Desk, if you sit on a stool with no back, it's harder to slouch because it's entirely up to you to support yourself. You might end up sitting up straighter when working and causing less overall strain.
However, stools like Lara Jeans also provide other benefits, namely their aesthetics. If you are going for an overall ethereal look like Lara Jean, then a clunky, black, ergonomic office chair will not pair well with the room's vibe. Choosing a stool keeps things on a smaller scale and more cohesive. There are plenty of cute stools to choose from online at places like Wayfair, and you can also check out local flea markets and thrift stores for some unique finds.
Purchase a brass bed frame
Lara Jean's brass bed is a classic style that adds to the fun, delicate theme of her bedroom. According to HomeQuestionsAnswered, brass beds feature a traditional style with many benefits. The first is their overall appearance. Brass beds have been popular for over a century, so if you want to create a storied, classic look in your room that serves as a callback to the glamour of past eras, a beautiful brass bed is a way to go.
In addition, of all the metal bed frames available, brass tends to be one of the most resistant to tarnishing, meaning that it can last and look great for years and requires little to no maintenance. As brass is a softer metal, sometimes manufacturers only make the headboard with brass and use steel or iron for the rest of the frame. When purchasing, pay attention to the material, as mixed metal beds can sometimes be more expensive as they are considered a sturdier option.
Paint a mural on your walls
Lara Jean has a gorgeous floral mural on her bedroom wall, which might as well be the star of the movie. It turns out that Lara Jean actually painted it herself. The movie's production designer Paul Joyal told Film and Furniture, "We decided that she would have painted the magical wall mural herself and surrounded herself with furniture and items that all made an emotional impression on her and brought beauty to her world."
If you aren't as artistic as Lara Jean, that's okay. Get inspired by these wall painting ideas. You can always hire a contractor to come in and paint the mural of your dreams or purchase a wall vinyl that sticks directly onto the sheetrock to create a giant picture. However, if you want to roll up your sleeves and try, the key is to stencil your work onto the wall before painting. You can make corrections before anything is permanent (via The Spruce). A final pro tip is to use a projector to project your design onto the wall and then simply copy over it.
Decorate with floral prints
When Kitty Covey comes in to annoy Lara Jean, we get our best glimpse of the floral prints she uses to line the walls near her door frame. The florals here complement the mural on the wall behind her bed, and we can see a theme forming here. It's clear that Lara Jean really likes flowers. According to Society6, incorporating floral design into your decor as an adult has never been easier.
You can decorate the home with flowers in a few simple steps. The first step is to branch out from floral prints alone. Instead, consider adding paintings, photographs, and even dried versions of the real thing to the frames on your walls. You can add depth to your design by playing with texture and composition in this way. Additionally, think about the overall color scheme of your room. In this case, Lara Jean has a blue accent wall, so the deeper colors of the floral prints here complement it well. When you are selecting accessories, make sure they do the same.
Design a photo wall
Lara Jean is a creative spirit with a disciplined and organized side. Due to her personality, we can see that she likes to keep track of all her dreams, plans, and memories in one place. Her photo wall features destinations she wants to visit, like the Sphinx in Egypt and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. There's also a calendar and, of course, more floral prints. Whether you want to put together an entire wall or just a small bulletin board, having what's near and dear to your heart accessible like this can be inspiring.
According to House Beautiful, if you are looking for a more organized version of Lara Jean's photo wall, you might want to consider putting together a framed gallery wall. The nice thing is there isn't a right or wrong way to create the perfect gallery wall. You can use frames of all different colors and sizes to create variety, or you can choose to use uniform prints for a sleeker look. Although, organized chaos seems like the best way to go if you want to recreate Lara Jean's style.
Choose a funky lamp
Lara Jean has multiple funky lamps throughout her room which is a great way to make a mark. Here, she has a silk lampshade with delicate floral elements and some chunky fringe, adding a bit of tactile interest to the piece. You can easily recreate this look, as lamps with this combination of stylistic elements are not too hard to come by at thrift stores or antique shops.
According to Home Thangs, most people might think that you can only show personality through a lamp with its shade, but there are plenty of unique bases out there, too. We can see this design idea with Lara Jean's light, which features two loops in the middle of the stand and what appears to be another flower on the top. Look for quirky bases made of driftwood, colorful glass, or abstract shapes to spice up your living space.
Use fairy lights to brighten up the space
Lara Jean knows how to keep things soft and romantic, so it makes sense she wants a relaxed ambiance in her room. In addition to her many lamps, she also has fairy lights strung across her longest wall to create a relaxing atmosphere. According to Flowerglow, it's best to opt for LED lightbulbs instead of traditional string lights. They are a better purchase because they are eco-friendly and do not emit heat. If you touch them, you won't burn your hands.
More importantly, they can rest on fabric and paper in your room, and you don't have to worry about them overheating and causing a fire. In addition, the bulbs themselves last longer as they don't have the filament inside of the bulb that can burn out like more traditional string light options. You can purchase LED fairy lights in many different colors and lengths to help you achieve your desired look, no matter what.
Display your books in creative ways
Lara Jean is a creative girl with a big imagination. After all, would someone who isn't a dreamer want to write long, romantic letters to each of her serious crushes? It makes sense that she's a big reader, too. She has lots of books in her room and displays them in cute and creative ways. Instead of a classic shelf, Lara Jean seems to have transformed a ladder shelf into a bookshelf, painting it the same robin's egg blue as the wall.
According to HGTV, transforming an old ladder into a bookshelf is an easy DIY project that you can complete over a weekend. Ensure that the old ladder you're working with is wooden and not metal, so it takes the paint okay. You can use both sides and place boards through the slats to connect them, or as Lara Jean seems to have done, use one side of the ladder and lean it up against your wall in a balancing act.
Color your room blue
Lara Jean's room is a comforting shade of blue. The jury is still out on whether the room is robin's egg or cerulean, but we know that Lara Jean chose the color and painted it herself, as reported by Film and Furniture. However, when the camera pans out, you'll notice that Lara Jean's room isn't entirely blue. The wall next to her doorway is a stark white, making the trademark blue an accent wall.
Keeping the rest of the room neutral when you have an accent wall is essential (via The Spruce). This way, the complementary ones are not competing for attention. Instead, all the colors in the room work together to create a united effect. You don't have to go for white like Lara Jean. Sometimes, designers even use accent walls the same color as the anchor walls, but the anchor wall always needs to be a lighter, less loud hue to allow the accent wall to shine.
Invest in a hanging chair
There is no shortage of places to sit in Lara Jean's room. The high schooler also has a hanging chair, which is a great place to sit and relax. According to Limbo Imports, wicker hanging chairs like Lara Jean's are a variation of hammocks. The Mayans first used the hammock to relax. It was later picked up by Spanish colonists when they arrived. Hammocks have since grown in popularity worldwide.
Nowadays, they make the perfect place to read a good book or write a love letter to your older sister's boyfriend. If you plan on installing a hanging chair in your room, you need to ensure your ceiling is in tip-top condition. In addition, check the chair's weight capacity carefully, or you might end up with an expensive repair bill and a couple of injuries when it comes crashing down out of the ceiling (via Treehouse).
Incorporate monochromatic vibes
Lara Jean tends to favor just one color in her room. While she does have small neutral accents placed around, like white walls, a yellow desk, and colorful bedding, for the most part, everything is blue. The walls, bookshelf, mirror, and armoire are all shades of blue. According to Modsy, monochrome is a decorating style that is nearly always on-trend. The key is not to be overwhelmed by your lack of choices because you can use one color and build a room based on a shade you love.
The best place to start is with the wall color, whether blue like Lara Jean or your favorite shade. Then, you can expand into bed linens that are a variation of that shade and maybe even a pillow or two. The key to monochromatic color schemes is that it doesn't look too matchy-matchy. The best way to avoid this is to ensure you have different textures throughout the space since you can't have any variation in color. Adding texture could be as simple as placing a velvet pillow alongside a canvas one or adding a blue wooden bed frame and blue metal picture frames on the wall.
Hang up funky wall art
In addition to Lara Jean's love of florals, she is a fan of funky abstract paintings. There are a couple of pictures hanging on the wall next to her bedroom door. She is the creative type, and her room reflects this. Choosing art for your living spaces can be overwhelming. Most people don't know where to begin, as they have many questions about the best sizes and art styles to use in their space.
However, displaying art in your room is a great way to reflect your interests and keep you happy. After all, who doesn't love looking at pretty pictures first thing in the morning and last thing at night? If you have a wall that's pretty much empty, you can use multiple larger frames to fill the space. To start, go for poster size works. If you already have work displayed or are decorating a smaller room, scale down the frames to match.
Try vintage furniture
Most of Lara Jean's furniture appears to be vintage, which makes sense as the middle daughter in a family of girls. We can assume some of the items are secondhand from her older sister Margot or even from her mother. However, considering that Lara Jean painted the mural on her wall, she likely sourced some of her own furniture.
According to The House Shop, there is a difference between vintage and antique that can impact the quality and price of a particular piece. Vintage is typically more than 30 years old (gulp, which means that things produced in the 1990s are becoming vintage), while antiques are usually at least 100 years old. However, both types of furniture are well worth the investment. Antique furniture tends to be high-quality. By purchasing something secondhand, you are helping the environment and your wallet, as the piece will likely last you for years to come.