About

Katrinka was my childhood nickname. I was terribly shy. My Tiger Beat crush was David Cassidy. I loved animals and we had gobs of them. I loved fashion at the youngest age and lived in a pink faux fur coat and white pleather go-go boots (note my ankle band above). I was scarred by Jaws and aspired to be a Charlie’s Angel. I really had a very stereotypical 70’s childhood. 

I moved from San Francisco to Manhattan in the early 90s. During my years in New York I had a career in publishing with Hearst Magazines. When I moved to the West Coast I founded a marketing company that I still run today. Early on I also created some of the first successful digital city guides that highlighted and supported local indy shops in Portland, Seattle, Austin, Chicago and others (before that was a thing). I was also a very early influencer, writer, speaker, and regular on tv and radio for many years.

For decades I had a very minimalist and safe “taupe” design aesthetic. That is until Covid and quarantine. My marketing jobs dried up and I started painting — and learned art therapy is real. When I started painting I started to look at things in a new way and suddenly I viscerally craved color. I started experimenting with colors and patterns and imagined them on my walls; the wilder and more whimsical the better. I loved the idea of non-committal peel and stick wallpaper to fit my ever changing moods and now current maximalist aesthetic. 

Mental health and wellness have always been a focus, and I really wanted to bring color and design to life that would brighten people’s mental and physical spaces and color their world (vs taupe. Don’t be taupe.) 

I hope we can help create a happy space for you. 

XO, Kathi “Katrinka” O'Neil