To All the Boys: Always and Forever is available to watch on Netflix now.
And if you've watched any of the films, based on Jenny Han's bestselling novels,
it's likely you've spent some time staring at that perfectly imperfect bedroom
and wondering how you could steal Lara Jean's style.
With that in mind, we caught up with production designer Chris August
to discuss exactly what went into designing the iconic trilogy.
Colour is a huge factor
in not only the design of Lara Jean's bedroom,
but the overall feel of the To All the Boys trilogy.
The colours were picked for the first movie
by director Susan Johnson, cinematographer Michael Fimognari,
and Emmy Award-nominated designer Paul Joyal.
That mix of blues, greens and teals, often contrasted with pink and yellow,
was selected to make Lara Jean's bedroom a warm and welcoming space.
But it also calls back to the 1960s and 70s,
a retro feel present everywhere in the film,
from the cereal bowls to diners
and the design and decoration of her school.
It tells us something about Lara Jean, too.
She's an introverted character who lives a lot in her own head,
and the bold design of her bedroom is a means of expressing herself.
And as we'll see with some of the furniture later on,
it's not just about revering the past.
Lara Jean is taking retro elements and making them her own.
But what about the actual stuff in Lara Jean's bedroom?
As you might have guessed,
everything is hand-picked to have specific resonance.
Production designer Chris August explained how the choices
subtly hint at what kind of person Lara Jean is.
Take the steamer trunk, for example.
Although it's being used as a wardrobe, it symbolises adventure.
It's an item synonymous with international travel
from the Golden Age of Cinema.
And that's something we, as the audience,
subconsciously pick up on.
When the set is being designed,
Chris thinks about what the item might mean to Lara Jean,
and that, in turn, shows us what kind of person she is without ever telling us.
Likewise, her desk is actually an old vanity unit
that has been repainted.
This kind of piece gives the room a history.
Perhaps it came from her grandparents or an aunt or uncle,
and Lara Jean has repurposed it to make it her own.
The bookshelf, too, is important.
We know Lara Jean is an avid reader
and the key positioning of books is a reference to author Jenny Han.
The selection of books also tells us something,
even if it's never explicit.
Serial novels such as Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys
hint at the adventures taking place in Lara Jean's head.
And then we've got the mural itself.
This was painted by Lara Jean's late mother, Eve,
and Chris says it takes on an almost religious significance.
It's the centrepiece of the room,
and things like the metal bed frame serve to frame rather than obscure it.
There are more recent additions, too,
like the snowglobe from P.S. I Still Love You,
which takes an important spot next to her bed.
Production designer, Chris, describes the whole room
as a memory garden,
a place where the icons of Lara Jean's past
can blossom into something new.
Even the mess in Lara Jean's bedroom
is representative of where she is in her life.
As well as the chaos being finely curated to match her style and character,
it's also a big moment when she decides to tidy up.
When she's struggling or conflicted, the room is more of a mess.
And when she makes a big decision and decides to move forward in her life,
that's when we get those satisfying cleanup montages.
Yep, she's cleaning.
But what about other locations?
As you've almost certainly spotted,
that inspiring design aesthetic extends far beyond Lara Jean's house.
The treehouse we see in the second film
has echoes of the same love and attention,
but it's all a bit tired.
It's clearly an important place in the characters' lives,
but it's somewhere they've grown out of that they're only just coming back to now.
The Belleview retirement community, too, was given a distinct but related feel.
Like Lara Jean's room and the treehouse,
it's there to serve the best memories of the elderly residents who reside there.
It's not just a place to see out the rest of their days.
The big connective theme here is memory.
As well as being a big part of the story,
this is a key driver behind many of our actions and emotions,
and that's why it's such an important factor
when designing the sets in To All the Boys.
And finally, we have the bowling alley.
This is a direct homage to The Big Lebowski,
complete with similar shot choices and interior design,
and the team redecorated the entire building for this scene.
Again, we can see Lara Jean's colour choices everywhere,
from the bowling shirts to the choice of snacks,
but you know exactly what movie is being referenced.
When it comes to design, like bowling, there are rules.
Did you just quote The Big Lebowski?
And before we finish up,
Chris told us about one amazing bit of design you might have missed.
Check out the lights on the Empire State Building
during the New York party scene in Always and Forever.
Yep, those are Lara Jean's colours and it's not CG.
The team discovered they could potentially control the lighting
on the Empire State Building,
which was visible from the rooftop they chose for this scene.
The team were midway through shooting
when the lights went off on the Empire State Building,
then came back on in cyan, magenta and yellow, the colours of the film,
signifying Lara Jean's place in her new home.
It's one of those moments that reinforces how much hard work
goes into the design of a series of films like To All the Boys.
What started as a bedroom mural
ended up on the side of the most iconic building in New York.
Do you have a favourite set in To All the Boys?
And have you ever stolen Lara Jean's style for your own bedroom?
Let us know in the comments, and remember to subscribe to Netflix
for more deep dives into the shows and movies you love.