An Annapolis native, artist and wallpaper designer Victoria Larson pays homage to her hometown and the Chesapeake Bay with the River Story design. Quirky Blue Herons, tall grasses, and sly foxes make up this modern version of a classic toile. Victoria joins us this week to discuss how this design came to life.
Raymond Paul Schneider: When did you first start to develop this design?
Victoria Larson: River Story was first printed around 2020 but the idea came to me much earlier. I’m good at taking my sketchbook with me when I travel, but I’m not as good at taking time to sketch what’s right in front of my nose.
I’ve got lots of quick, figurative sketches in my journals but nothing that’s final design worthy. I spent months trying to capture just the right watercolor sketches to tell the story of the creatures and features that make up my world around our creek. The idea was to create a sort of modern toile; To capture the wonder of the simple things that I find so beautiful and comforting. I didn’t know how exactly, but I knew when I had the right sketches it would work.
The first prints were good, but I wanted something more subtle and moody, like the brackish water and morning mist. I inverted the colors and ground and found that dreamy effect.
I’m revisiting the original blue and green ink version now and it will be launching soon. It’s a different mood than the originals. More playful.
RPS: What was the overall timeline from conception to achieving the final design?
VL: Typically, it takes about 6 months to get a design finalized, into production and out to the market. The trick is the time leading up to that finalized design and that can sometimes take me months or even years. Some designs come out fully formed while others sit in the back of my mind, nagging me until I can get them out and express them on paper.
RPS: What was your initial inspiration, and where did the idea(s) come from?
VL: River Story actually began as a custom design for a designer friend. The prompt was just to create a design that depicted our river life.
I’m lucky to have grown up in and now live in Annapolis and on a little creek. The Chesapeake Bay is a special place, teeming with wildlife and scenic views.
I wanted to tell a visual tale of this place. How it feels, and how it makes me feel. I still feel so at peace when I head out on the creek. I still marvel at the great blue herons on the shore. I still stop to admire the foxes every evening when he runs through my yard or when she watches over her kits playing just at the edge of the woods.
RPS: Please describe your overall creative and design process.
VL: I’m self-taught in terms of textile design and I’d never done a scenic toile style wallpaper before. I studied traditional toile and looked at the rhythms in the repeats. I painted many (many!) scenes of herons, foxes and fauna all separately so I could combine the best in Photoshop to get the effect I wanted,
Once I was happy with the repeat, I got strike-offs from my mill. I liked the design, but I wanted something even more dreamy and moody. So I decided to reverse the ground and motifs.
RPS: Did you have a specific audience or theme that you had in mind?
VL: I guess I keep my community in mind but truly I paint what I feel and like. I loved the challenge of creating something new for me. Something very layered and more complicated than I’d done before. I was really trying to create a visual story more than design for anyone in particular.
I thought this design would resonate with a more traditional client, but it seems to be popular in lots of schemes.
RPS: Did you utilize a new technique or technology to conceptualize this product?
VL: I’m used to painting a whole scene when it comes to art. Wallpaper design works better when you create each motif separately and then combine everything in Photoshop. I learned this lesson the hard way after much trial and error. It’s a lot easier to create separate motifs from the start than to try and carve up sections of watercolor art.
The key to River Story’s dreamy look is a decision to try inverting the whole design. That gave me the softness and misty effect I wanted.
RPS: Please describe any challenges that affected the design and perhaps steered you to an entirely new final design?
VL: Time. The challenge for this design was finding enough time to explore it fully. Many of us joke but the process through design creation is sometimes create, iterate, iterate again, then push the design even farther. I may end up going back a few versions or I may land on something amazing. Either way, I’ll know I explored it fully.
RPS: Describe your overall brand DNA and Ethos.
VL: At the heart of my wallpaper designs lies a commitment to artistry. Each pattern is derived from original artwork, ensuring that every roll of wallpaper is not just a surface covering but a piece of art that brings life and personality to a space. I believe that walls should tell stories and evoke emotions, transforming interiors into reflections of individual style.
My ethos is grounded in the idea that every home deserves a touch of soul, and that we can elevate everyday life with designs that are both unique and timeless.
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