22-05-2025
Inside Dylan Mulvaney's Whimsical, Maximalist L.A. Home Filled with Pink, Prints and Personality (Exclusive)
Dylan Mulvaney teamed up with designer Dani Dazey to turn her first L.A. home into a dreamy, cottagecore-inspired sanctuary
Each space blends playful maximalism with cozy charm, from a bubblegum pink couch to a bath bomb-filled bathroom
The design reflects Mulvaney's personal evolution, embracing 'dopamine décor,' vintage finds, and joyful self-expression in every she needed to design her first house, Dylan Mulvaney turned to designer and friend Dani Dazey to transform the empty rooms of her two-bedroom, two-bathroom Los Angeles home into a sophisticated sanctuary.
From an excerpt of her new coffee table design book, The Maximalist: Coloful Interiors for Bold Living, Dazey writes of working with Mulvaney, 28, "With a little innovative design, this basic rental became a true reflection of my client. This project proves that home decor can be both an act of self-expression and self-preservation."
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the social media star and designer share how the private abode became a dreamy, cottagecore escape — beginning with them meeting in the most Hollywood way possible: through their shared management.
'We had the same manager, and we met the day before she posted her first video,' Dazey recalls. 'So I'd been cheering her along since day one.'
The two instantly clicked, bonded by their bubbly, upbeat personalities and love for all things 'very girly, very colorful, cutesy,' according to Dazey. So when it came time to design the Paper Doll author's first home, her agency-mate was the obvious choice.
'It was a very emotional process, more so than other clients,' Dazey recalls. 'She was having this meteoric rise to fame and kind of finding herself as a woman in the public eye.'
Cautious of what some may think of unnecessarily flamboyant decor, Mulvaney wasn't aiming for pointless blasts of feminine touches everywhere. 'Dylan didn't want to go for a super over-the-top girly space,' Dazey remembers. 'She really wanted it to feel like her first phase as a woman.'
Her biggest inspirations? Miss Honey's cottage from the 1996 Matilda and Eloise's room from the 2003 Eloise at the Plaza — references that blend images of dreamy, retro femininity with charm and character. 'A lot of L.A. is new construction — it can feel cold,' Mulvaney says. 'I've always had an affinity for old Hollywood, colorful pops of pink, and pink is my favorite color of all time.'
Ahead, we're taking a tour of the newly-designed cottagecore dream house — complete with decor details, personal touches, and the stories behind each cozy corner.
Before any paint swatches were chosen or furniture was sourced, Mulvaney started with a feeling — and a few handpicked songs to match.
'It was a lot about how I was going to feel in this space,' she tells PEOPLE. 'I travel a lot for work, and I think L.A. and the industry can be kind of negative when it comes to mental health. So I wanted a place that felt like the safest, warmest, coziest vibe that there ever has been.'
To capture that, she created a playlist for Dazey — a musical mood board, of sorts — filled with nostalgic, heartwarming tracks. 'One was 'Our House,' the demo with Graham Nash and Joni Mitchell,' Mulvaney explains. 'It's a song that just sounds like two lovers sitting at a piano in the Hollywood Hills, and it just makes me smile every time.'
Other picks included 'Kiss Me,' 'Dance With Me,' 'Chiquitita,' 'Something Stupid' by Frank Sinatra, and plenty of Sufjan Stevens, creating a collection of throwbacks and soft, tender sounds that grounded the entire design process.
For Mulvaney, the heart of the home begins with one bold choice: a bubblegum pink couch.
'I was really keen on a pink couch,' she says. 'We went to Joybird, and it has storage in the ottoman, which made me so happy — I'm such a hoarder. I like to hide everything under random closets and beds.' The practical-meets-playful piece anchors the living room, a space Dazey says was the trickiest — but ultimately most rewarding — to bring together.
'[The living room] probably took the longest,' Dazey admits. 'There's just a lot going on in there — a bar cart, a chair area, a book stand. And the room itself has kind of an odd shape. But it might be the cutest out of all of them.'
Still, landing on that pink couch wasn't without hesitation. 'Even some of the conversations we had early on were about her fear of going too girly because of what people online might say,' says Dazey. 'She was getting so much hate at the time, and I kept saying, 'You love pink — let's get the pink couch. Don't let outside perceptions stop you from creating your dream space.''
The space strikes a clever balance between fun and functional — a necessity, given that the house is a rental. 'We used peel-and-stick wallpaper, painted a half-wall with an accent, and even did a faux molding effect on the ceiling,' Dazey explains. 'All those little tricks added color and dimension without needing major renovations.'
Across the room, formerly a dining nook now serves as Mulvaney's home office, complete with soft felt wall tiles for pinning her visual project notes. 'I'm super visual,' she says. 'Now I can map everything out right where I see it.'
For Mulvaney, the bathroom had very few negotiables. 'I'm really into bubble baths,' she says. 'So we put a lot of effort into making it special — and the fact that it's a rental and we didn't break the bank feels kind of iconic.'
The standout fixture is a clever three-tier dessert tray she repurposed to display edible-looking bath bombs from Lush Cosmetics — including her own custom scent, Late Bloomer. 'They sent me 100,' she says with a laugh. 'Now I get to pick one out like candy at the end of the day.'
Inspired by Eloise and her time in The Plaza, the room is full of decadent touches that call for relaxation. 'If I'm having a hard day, I throw myself in the bath. I can process things, talk to myself, call a friend. It's my reset button,' she says. 'I really feel like my house puts rose-colored glasses on me — and I don't think that's a bad thing.'
Mulvaney's home is a physical manifestation of her identity — layered, joyful and deeply personal. Dazey calls it 'maximalism with intention.'
'What I love about maximalism is that it's about self-expression,' Dazey says. 'It takes confidence to create a space that reflects who you are — not what's trending.' Her version of maximalist design doesn't mean clutter, though. 'There's still breathing room. You can mix prints and colors and power clash, but keep it strategic. It's about creating joy, not chaos.'
That joy-first philosophy, which Dazey outlines in The Maximalist, aligned with Mulvaney's desire to embrace 'dopamine decor' — the idea that our spaces should literally lift our moods.
'It's harder and harder to find dopamine these days,' she says. 'So much of it comes from quick hits online, but for me, it's things like taking a bath, going to a garden, being with people I love. I wanted my home to feel like that kind of joy — something real and tangible.'
Her bedroom, in contrast to the more energetic common areas, leans into quiet cottagecore. 'Once I transitioned, I finally allowed myself to lean into softer, feminine things,' she says. 'In college, I had this Western vibe because I didn't think I was 'allowed' to do cottagecore. But now, I'm giving myself the space to enjoy the decor I dreamed of as a kid.'
That includes a 'wall of women' in her bedroom — a personal collage of inspirational female icons that Mulvaney handpicked and framed herself. 'Getting to wake up every day and see their faces is so special,' she says.
The guest bedroom features a meaningful piece of art from a home Mulvaney once tried to buy. 'There was this picture above the bed that looked just like me,' she says. 'I didn't get the house, but I tracked down the artist and now it lives here — a little piece I got to bring with me.'
From flea markets to Facebook Marketplace, many pieces were thrifted or upcycled — a testament to both women's creative problem-solving and Dazey's flair for accessible design.
'Dani made it all feel so collaborative,' Mulvaney says. 'There were no egos. Just two friends making something beautiful.'
Excerpt from the new book, The Maximalist: Colorful Interiors for Bold Living (Abrams), by Dani Dazey
Read the original article on People
