Today we’d like to introduce you to Darlene Serrano.
Hi Darlene, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am an LA native and I am the product of immigrant parents from Mexico who instilled the importance of DIY home renovations as a means of independence, knowledge and financial necessity. It all started for me at 8 years old when I spent my summer vacation in tow with my parents as they renovated their first home into a rental property. I was handed a paintbrush and taught the difference between a flat head and Phillips screwdriver and helped my parents update their 1950s home for new tenants.
In high school, while my parents renovated our home, my mom brought me to every stone warehouse to pick out slabs for countertops, every fabricator negotiation and every blueprint submission to the city. She asked me my opinions. Porcelain or Ceramic? Matching or contrasting grout? Single hole or regular faucets? This was the moment I knew I started loving the DIY process. I loved designing it altogether but I also loved taking measurements, item hunting and installation. It was like piecing together a puzzle.
I always assumed this was normal. Didn’t every kid have to learn how to fix and update their own house? One day while watching HGTV, I asked my parents why we never hired contractors. To which my parents replied, “We ARE the contractors. We would have to pay thousands of dollars more if we hired someone else to do it and we can’t afford that. Plus, what’s the fun if someone else does it?”. They were right. It was fun. In this weird, tiring, rewarding kind of way.
DIY continued to be a constant in my life but it was never really the main attraction. After graduating college, I settled into my career in disability accessibility in higher education. I loved what I did 9-5 but I was hungry to create and build things too. During this time, my mom was building custom cabinetry to create her own outdoor kitchen. I was so amazed and told her that I wanted to learn woodworking as well. Without hesitation, she signed me up for the woodshop class she went to. In the class, I learned all the fundamentals, machine function and safety but found the male-dominated environment wasn’t for me. The shop teacher blatantly told me that girls shouldn’t use saws alone. I was never allowed to use any of the machines and always required one of the men to make the cuts for me. I hated it. So I quit. I bought my own tools and machines and found women woodworkers on the internet that I could learn from.
Experiencing first-hand what it was like being a woman who wanted to learn to use power tools in a male-dominated space, I felt motivated to show what I had learned from my mom over the years. Women can build too! So I started sharing my woodworking creations on Instagram and then I began filming myself as I DIYed my 100-year-old rental home to make it feel more authentic to me. I felt myself going back to my roots and realized that so much of what I know so far is what I learned while tagging along with my parents. I wanted to create that same feeling for my Instagram community. I want my community to tag along with me while I figure things out and learn from my trial and error just as I did with my parents.
Today, I get the best of both worlds. I work at a university in downtown LA by day but by night and weekends, I dedicate my time to creating educational DIY, woodworking and thrifting and lifestyle content.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
A big challenge being in the online world of DIY and home renovation is not fitting the look or design mold. It can be tough being Mexican-American, plus-sized, a renter and have an alternative and dark style when so much of what is commonly represented is the opposite of that. Many times, I found myself worrying if what I was physically creating, painting or building was not relatable or palatable enough. Ultimately, this has been a cornerstone of what my content and community is all about. Having the confidence to create and build a home that feels authentic to its dweller and diversifying the home and lifestyle online world.
Being an LA native, I know so many of us are renters. But so much of what is represented in the online home space are large, already beautiful, owned homes. There is a gap where rented spaces are not represented and are expected to be bland and lifeless. It can be tough to want to create a space that feels like home if the only inspiration and ideas you can find are spaces that don’t reflect your budget, square footage, and ability to make permanent changes. At several points, I have been told it’s stupid and a waste of time and money to make reversible changes to my rented home. But I don’t regret it one bit because I wake up every day feeling cozy and in my element in my safe space. I want everyone to feel that for their home too, whether they rent or own.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a DIY and woodworking online creator that shows others how to create a home that feels authentic to them whether they rent or own. I show my community how to plan out a project, whether its painting or building something or an entire room makeover and see out the creative process.
My community knows they can always expect authenticity and unconventional designs from me and doing it on a budget. Whether it’s a black kitchen, a psychedelic mural in my dining room or a thrift or oddity find, I celebrate being unapologetic about design choices and interests.
One of my proudest moments is being Home Depot’s featured creator for Dia De Los Muertos. I had the opportunity to create my ofrenda and share about this cultural celebration with their 1 million + audience. Being a first-generation Mexican-American, it was such an honor and a surreal moment to represent my parents and my culture, especially in an online space where people of color are not regularly represented.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
My favorite part about living here is the diversity. There is so much vibrancy, whether in the city or suburbs. I know I can turn in any direction and within 15 minutes be able to discover new, delicious foods, cultures, styles and colors. It is so easy to draw a design or personal inspiration from a place where there are so many types of people who live authentically as themselves.
However, I do wish it was easier to pop over from town to town and really get to experience different neighborhoods in one day. I think it would be really magical to be able to easily hit all my favorite spots in Pasadena, the beach, downtown and make it back home to the South Bay for dinner with my other creative friends.
Contact Info:
- Website: deardarlenee.com
- Instagram: @deardarlenee
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@deardarlenee
Image Credits
Anthony Ibarra
