April 26, 2010
Making a House a Home, Carl Larsson Style
“Nor need we power or splendour, wide hall or lordly dome; the good, the true, the tender, these form the wealth of home.” — Sarah J. Hale
Hi there! My name’s Sarah, and I write about delicious meals, simple pleasures, and finding meaning in the small stuff. Make yourself comfy and stay awhile!
Karen: Lovely images!1 year ago
Pauline: How exciting to see Carl Larsson mentioned here! I’m Swedish so I’ve kind of grown up surrounded by his paintings. They feel so warm and familiar.1 year ago
Pauline, It’s funny, because they feel familiar to me, too. They remind me so much of the work of Peter Spier that I loved growing up. I still so love those cozy interiors, red cheeks, rumpled couches sleeping dogs…1 year ago
Brooke: Nothing is cuter than a sleeping dog. Thanks for posting these!1 year ago
Gretchen: i have two of these framed in my wee house, love the simple designs and sense of family and place, think i was switched at birth with a swedish twin…1 year ago
Deelish Dish: The bathtub illustration is my favorite. That’s me right there.1 year ago
Suzy: I was obsessed with Carl Larsson when I was 10 or so! (A rather strange obsession for a 10-year-old, but…)1 year ago
beth: oh my, i could get lost in any one of these — reminds me of spending hours staring at chris van allsburg books as a kid. now that i think of it, what a luxury!1 year ago
molly: Ahhh…. good old Carl Larsson. I grew up surrounded by his intimate, sweet, domestic images. And still, I love them so.1 year ago
Ellen: These pictures are beautiful! I am now a new fan of Carl Larsson!1 year ago
Suzanne F.: Thank you for the beautiful pictures. My family is Swedish & I grew up with these images. Funny, I just realized that I’ve unknowingly created a similar feel in my own home.1 year ago
It’s so hard to pick one favorite! I love the woman by the bathtub and the woman reading (that pose! I love that pose). But then I also love the first image with the deep sill filled with geraniums. Makes me think of every house I lived in with my mom.1 year ago
Karen: I just love the first picture. I want to be that girl watering the plants! The room is exquisite. The little details…. amazing!1 year ago
Ruth@GraceLaced: I wish picture number 3 had audio. I’d love to listen in on all the conversations, laughter, and stories being told.1 year ago
Anna: I love that you posted about Carl Larsson. I agree, all of the beautiful details of his interiors are so inspiring. I’ve always thought it would be fun to do some wall stencils based on some of the ones from his paintings.
If you read French (I don’t know if it’s been translated), you might enjoy Philippe Delerm’s book based on the community of painters Larsson belonged to for some time called, “Sundborn ou les jours de lumière.” It’s a fun summer read.1 year ago
WriteGal: I heart these pictures so much, my heart might burst!1 year ago
Libbie: I just found you from Martha’s blog—okay, how cool is that to be in her circle! That is so cool! And from what I see I understand why! Beautiful blog & these pictures you shared are soooo amazing! Thanks for posting them I just wanted to stare at each one & soak up all the details! I feel so dumb I never even heard of this artist…maybe I totally shouldn’t have aditted that
1 year ago
CarrieK: I, too, grew up looking at these pictures. My great aunt decorated our family’s little mountain cabin based on Carl Larsson’s work. I don’t get to the cabin often enough and I miss it’s comfort and beauty. I’m am thinking about redoing my kid’s playroom (they are growing up so fast!) into a cozy den for the whole family. Thank you for posting these pictures, they are great inspiration!1 year ago