Joanie O’Connor, a Phoenix-based interior designer, decided to take her eye for design and 40+ years of experience to a new level by opening a wallpaper company featuring unique designs, with family members helping out.
Years ago, Joanie’s grandfather-in-law, Harry “DA” Day, would invite his children back to the Lazy B Ranch each Spring to see his beloved desert poppies in bloom on the hillsides. His daughter, Sandra, always accepted those invitations. As Joanie's kids grew up, with Grandma Sandra at the wheel, pulling over on the side of the road to admire desert poppies was not uncommon. They would hear their grandma say, “Hot dog! Would you just look at those desert poppies! Aren’t they just divine?”
Grandma Sandra grew up on the 300 square mile Lazy B Ranch in Southeastern Arizona on the south bank of the Gila River, straddling the border with New Mexico. She later became the first woman justice on the US Supreme Court.
As a symbol of Arizona and a role model to her children, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, Sandra was a major inspiration to Joanie in starting the family wallpaper company.
The O’Connors have combined a little bit of family history, a bevy of fun designs, and a whole lot of love to introduce Desert Poppy Paper Co to those who also have enthusiasm for the beautiful southwest, Arizona, and, of course, desert poppies.