The brief
A first birthday at a villa, on the grass under the palms. The parents wanted the Ghibli forest — Totoro, toadstools, soot sprites — which is a beautiful choice and a demanding one, because it only works if the textures are right. A printed backdrop of Totoro would have looked like a printed backdrop of Totoro.
What we built
So the wall was built in dark moss with everything standing off it in relief: a wooden sign carrying <i>ALVI</i>, clouds outlined in gold, painted monstera leaves, soot sprites with their round white eyes, giant red-and-white toadstools, a tree stump, and Totoro under his umbrella at the end. A tree made entirely of balloons in teal, sage, olive, red and gold, balloon flowers and grasses growing out of the base, and a polka-dot <i>1</i>.
How the day went
A giant green bear came out onto the lawn and — which does not always happen at one year old — he walked straight up to it and put a hand on its leg. Both grandparents got their photograph with it. Then the bubble show, ending with a bubble drawn up and closed over a person standing in a ring on the grass, with him watching from a few feet away, entirely still.
What the parents got
A set with real depth and texture in it, so the photographs read as a scene rather than a backdrop — and everybody in the family, including the grandparents, in front of it.
