Inside her candy-coloured world ~ Katie Mack

Katie Mack is the colour- enthusiast behind @candycoloredhome and we're inviting you into her wildly flamboyant and fruity humble abode, nestled in the heart of LA. Forever swooning over Katie's 'more is more' approach to home styling on her Instagram, we couldn't wait to hear more about what makes her tick, her approach to fossicking for unearthed treasures to blend so perfectly with quality pieces and her larger than life ways of curating the most aesthetically pleasing and down right soul-shining, pink-hued world! ...Can we move in?! 

First and foremost, tell us a little bit about you. Who you are, where are you from and what sets your soul on fire? 

Hi, I’m Katie (Mack) Zamprioli and I am a creative through and through! I’m originally from Maryland, but I’ve been in Los Angeles for 19 years now so it definitely feels like home.  I moved out to LA originally for singing and acting and have always had a passion for fashion and decor as well. It wasn’t until we bought our first home in July 2017 that I really felt comfortable to start fully expressing myself in home design and decor and I started to take pictures and post them on Instagram. It turned out that other people were interested in what I was doing as well, so it very naturally and organically evolved into a career path! It was unexpected but helped me to realise that I need to be creative in some capacity to be happy and fulfilled and it doesn’t necessarily matter what that is. Decor is fun for me because it’s a medium that I can fully control without being reliant on anyone else to succeed. 

Your house is like something plucked from our wildest dreams, tell us about your design process and how your wonderfully colourful abode came to be. 

My home and style is an ever-evolving thing and funnily enough, I started off with more neutrals and earthy tones! As I became more emboldened to truly express my joy, I found that pastels and shapely post modern pieces make me happy, calm and feel like me! I do follow trends and basic design principles, but I don’t obsess over them. I think letting yourself and your process be somewhat uninhibited is truly the way to create a unique space. Gravitate towards the pieces that YOU love and don’t worry about what others think or what’s popular. For me personally, a space without color lacks personality! It’s boring and lacks identity. Don’t get me wrong- there are exceptions to this rule and people like Rosie Case with all white houses that are SO unique, interesting and fun that I adore! I think you can tell the difference when someone is just copying what’s popular and someone is expressing themselves in a unique and creative way.  I usually start with the colour that I want a space to be and the feel that I want it to have and build everything around it. I like to keep things somewhat monochrome so it doesn’t feel too circusy. I’ll usually pick a big focal point piece for each space first, like the couch or bed and then build everything around that. 

Have you also had a creative flare? Where did this stem from in your childhood? 

I have always had a creative flair. My Mom funny enough was always into interior design. We have very different styles, but it was always around me. My parents also definitely created my love of vintage pieces. They go yard sale-ing every weekend - ever since they have been together and continue to do so today! The house I grew up in was from the 1930s and my Mom filled it with beautiful antiques and art. When I was younger, I was jealous of my friends with “Modern” homes but now I truly appreciate how unique and beautiful our house was and what great taste my Mother has. My parents always encouraged us to be creative through painting, singing, dancing and music and I think that definitely influences the way I design. 

Talk us through where you source your inspiration and is thrifting a big part of how you source the pieces in your home? Where are your favourite spots to thrift? 

I find inspiration in so many places! Nature, patterns on plants, Animal patterns, Art, Instagram; I find myself constantly inspired and sometimes my head is swirling with so many ideas that I don’t even have time to execute them all! Thrifting is a huge part of my design. I would say about 60-70% of my home is thrifted. I love 70s and 80s design and the quality of the pieces from that time period are far superior to most of the recreations that you see today. I love the thrill of the treasure hunt and finding a unique one of kind weird, wonky sculpture. I thrift a lot of art as well. I don’t care so much if it’s a known artist, as how the piece makes me feel. Everything that I gravitate towards evokes a strong feeling. Sometimes it’s wonder, or excitement or even disgust. I know that sounds weird, but I’m really drawn to ugly pieces sometimes. There is something beautiful about them to me. I thrift all over Los Angeles. Typically I will head to an area and type “Thrift Stores” into Google Maps and hit up as many as possible in the area. I have a lot of luck in Culver City, the Valley and Burbank. 

How does your space reflect your personality? 

I think my space definitely reflects my personality. A little weird, calm, fun and inviting. I want people to have fun at my house and to feel comfortable. I’m definitely a maximalist and I think it can be fun for my guests to see something new every time they come over and to see something “new” that may have already been there but that they may have missed before. 

What’s your favourite room in the house? 

My favourite room is our open living / dining / office / entryway. It’s one big open space right when you walk in and I’ve broken it up to feel like different spaces that are all still cohesive. It gets excellent light so my plants thrive in this room and there are beautiful stained glass Clerestory windows that the previous owners commissioned Debbie Bean to make. It’s where we all relax together, watch TV, play games and eat. The wallpaper in this space, (it’s called “Cosmic Abstraction” by Photo Wall Sweden), was the first wallpaper that my Husband and I installed in the house. It took us about 7 hours to do but we were so proud of ourselves and I still love it today 2.5 years later! I was so nervous before I put it up because it’s a bold statement but I trusted my intuition on it. I think that was the first step towards really finding my voice in decor and that’s another reason why it’s so special to me. It kicked off my personality in the design world. 

 How would you describe your personal style? 

I call myself “Retro Boho” and say that I’m living in a Desert Sunset.  I love Vintage, Pastels, Plants and Post Modern and I think that sums up my design pretty well. 

Tell us two of your ultimate DIY projects that have transformed your space?

My proudest DIY is my bathroom. I took it from a boring grey and white space to a pink paradise! I hand painted and stenciled the grey cement tiles to a beautiful “Calypso” pattern by Royal Stencils with shades of light and dark pinks. I wallpapered the wall in the “Tawny” mural by Anewall Decor and painted the adjoining wall and built in cabinets. We added a pink claw foot tub by Vintage Tub and Bath after our stand up shower spontaneously exploded in the middle of the night! I was devastated at the time because I was 80% done with painting the stencils and I had to redo it all but it was such a happy accident because that pink tub definitely makes the space! 

The other DIY I just finished and am super excited about is my kitchen! I took it from black and white to a peachy paradise! I painted the cabinets peach and changed out the hardware to gold by spray painting it, I added faux marble contact paper to change the countertops and painted the back wall of the kitchen as well. It was a huge transformation and lightened and brightened the space. It feels so much more like me and makes me so happy now!

If you could go back to any moment in time what would your ultimate fashion & interior era be? 

Ooooh that’s a hard one! I’m really torn between the 70s and 80s. The 70s had such a boho moment that I really love and am drawn to and the 80s was so wildly over the top in a way that makes me jump for joy. Like I’m the weirdo that would totally have a sunken living room, shag everything and also loves glass blocks and all of the shapely furniture. I’m also drawn to the 80s Memphis style that is so quirky, bold and fun. There were some amazing Italian designs happening in those periods so I guess I would pick to be there! 

What's the next creative project you're going to dig your hands into? 

I’m always switching things up in my home because I love expressing my creativity through design! I guess the next big project in my home will be decorating for the holidays. I’m changing out my dining space as well which is exciting! I have also taken on a couple of clients this month that I will be doing e design for so it’s always exciting to be creative in a new space. 

Thanks for bringing us into your world, Katie!