Inside Interior Decorator Dani Klaric's Playful Apartment

Welcome to The Makers. Each week, we’re celebrating innovators, artisans, and crafters of all types, taking you on a private tour of their creative spaces. For this instalment, we tour the colourful Miami apartment of interior decorator and creative director, Dani Klaric.

With over 800k TikTok followers and 46 million likes, Dani Klaric has cemented her position as a highly influential figure in the world of interior design. She has become admired for her bubbly personality and signature eclectic style that draws on post-modern, mid-century modern, art deco, and vintage design elements.

Dani started out as a filmmaker before reevaluating her career path during the pandemic. Taking time off to explore different passions led her to realise her affinity for decorating and creating. Designing concepts for commercial stores and other people's social media led her to decorate her first store and now, she has a growing portfolio of clients that call upon her to inject design flair into residential and commercial properties.

"Social media has really helped me showcase my style to the world and because of that, it’s a bit easier for my clients to understand how I work and what I’m capable of doing as a decorator," she shares with Bed Threads Journal.

Even though Dani is renting her apartment in Miami, she has decorated it to be her own by injecting her signature style throughout. "I decided I wanted my house to feel like a museum," she says. The art-filled home features an eye-catching gallery wall that adds impact to the dining area. This salon-style wall can be a difficult look to achieve but Dani has done so to perfection, using a variety of proportions, colour palettes, and frame styles. "On that wall, there’s art I’ve been collecting over the years travelling and pieces I’ve found along the way when sourcing for clients." She is a big believer in thrifting and each art piece within the home is secondhand or vintage.

Throughout the main living area, Dani has mixed and matched colours, patterns, and materials. Here, a kaleidoscopic range of hues from the purple geometric rug to the rainbow collection of Assouline travel books make it feel vibrant and playful.

The primary bedroom is more pared-back as Dani has selected a colour palette that brings her a sense of calm and comfort. The sophisticated space is clad in Terracotta, Rosewater, and Turmeric linen paired with a plush rug and gold accents. The overall aesthetic is welcoming and makes for a cosy spot to start and end her day.

We spoke to Dani about her social media life, her top tips for a well-styled home, and what she has in store for the future.

Shop Dani's Home Edit.

Tell us about your career journey to date. Did you always know you wanted to pursue this line of work?

It’s definitely been a very crazy process to get where I am today. I always knew my end goal was to find a way to make a living out of my passions because that’s truly how I believed I would reach true and genuine happiness in my life. At first, I thought I wanted to be an acrylic painter, I went to an art high school because of those dreams, but that school led me to become a filmmaker. I didn’t even end up going to college because I decided to pursue my filmmaker dreams. But a few years later, life happened, the pandemic hit and I realized that I wasn’t truly happy doing what I was doing. So I took some time off, explored my different passions and realised decorating and creating were what I loved doing. So I started creating concepts for commercial stores and people's social media, which basically led me to decorate my first store ever and then it became my full-time job. I definitely also benefited from my years as a filmmaker because now I use my storytelling and editing skills to create content and share it with the world!

What’s been the single most crucial tool or strategy you’ve used to further your career?

Knowing my personal branding and how to market myself on social media! I can't express enough how much TikTok changed my life and how social media can change other people's lives if used correctly. Most people have different opinions on social media, good and bad, but if you view social media as a way to grow your small business or as a freelancer, your life will absolutely change. Social media is so powerful!!! I love it!

What’s been the most challenging lesson learnt so far in your career?

There's definitely been a few but I think the biggest challenge I’ve had to face is selling my ideas. It’s sometimes hard to sell and get your ideas across when designing a space because it doesn’t physically exist. Social media has really helped me showcase my style to the world and because of that, it’s a bit easier for my clients to understand how I work and what I’m capable of doing as a decorator. I think this is something almost every creative or designer goes through but it’s definitely a process that teaches you how to adjust and overcome obstacles.

Do you have a single piece of advice you’d give to your younger self or someone looking to pursue a similar line of work?

If I could tell my younger self one thing, it would be to stop doubting yourself. I would tell her to stop making herself small. I spent a lot of my time thinking that everyone knew more than me, was smarter than me and had everything figured out. Once I finally realised that everything is up to me — who I am, what I accomplish, my moods and what I have — I started being more confident about myself. I wasted a lot of time comparing and worrying about what others thought. So I guess I would just tell her to stop caring so much about others and to start believing in yourself so you can figure out what you truly want from life and to just go get it! Life is a lot more fun that way.

Now, the home stuff. How long have you lived in your home?

I’ve lived here for one year and 4 months. We actually just recently signed a second year here!

How did you initially know this was the space for you?

I honestly didn’t think it was! I’ve always dreamt of living in a pre-war space, something old, something with moulding and personality and I mean if you’ve seen pictures… my current apartment is the quite opposite. I’m not mad about it! I’m honestly so happy I got the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and decorate something I never have before. I definitely learned a lot about myself and my style because of this apartment.

Did you do any renovations or make any big changes after moving in?

No – I didn’t make any changes or renovations because we are renting!

What was the thought process behind the way you’ve styled the interior?

I didn’t know how I was going to decorate it until I moved in. I remember it was day one of move day, I was sitting in the middle of the empty, cold, modern floor in the living room. All I could think about was that warm feeling you get while standing in a huge empty museum while staring at the most beautiful piece of art you’ve ever come across. Museums to me are so beautiful because it’s such a cold and empty environment, yet somehow you don’t feel cold. You feel warm and surrounded by art and creativity. So at that moment, I decided I wanted my house to feel like a museum. Definitely something functional, something homelike but something beautiful and fun to stare at. And of course, while incorporating all of my favourite styles like post-modern, mid-century modern, art deco, and vintage eclectic.

What are your favourite pieces in the home?

It’s not a piece but more like an entire wall. I definitely hold a huge love for my gallery wall just because I’ve always loved art and have been collecting it ever since I was young. On that wall, there’s art I’ve been collecting over the years travelling and pieces I’ve found along the way when sourcing for clients. Each piece has its own personality and its own value to me. They’re also all vintage and secondhand which I really take pride in because I love buying secondhand! And if I had to choose a second item, it would definitely be my limited edition 77 lb David Hockney book. David Hockney was the first artist I ever felt a huge creative connection with. And I can easily say my interior decor style is very influenced by his artwork.

What are your top tips for a well-styled bedroom, and home generally?

One of the first things you should think about is the paint colour for your bedroom. It’s crazy how much a painted wall can change in a room. It's an easy way to change the entire vibe and make a room feel complete. And always choose from colours that bring you a sense of calm and comfort. My best tip for styling an eclectic room is to try mixing and matching colours, patterns, and materials throughout the room to incorporate different textures. Give your bedroom some dimension and personality by using different textures like velvet or fuzzy throws with crocheted pillows or fringe rugs. You can also incorporate it with bigger pieces like a velvet headboard, texture lamps or a bamboo nightstand.

Do you have any projects coming up you want to talk about?

I'm designing a vintage store in San Francisco with my design partner Tay Beep Boop! We’re still in the early stages of designing, and creating concepts and renders but I’m extremely excited about this project especially because commercial spaces tend to be a little bit more extravagant and funky. Also - I'm just excited to see what Tay and I are capable of creating together! We should be decorating in the next coming weeks so stay tuned because I’ll definitely be posting lots of new content on this!

For more from Dani follow her Instagram @daniklaric and TikTok @daniklaric

Photography by Kris Tamburello. Styling by Jeanne Canto.