My Favorite Room: Colleen Ballinger makes room in her office for Miranda and her YouTube fans
In Colleen Ballinger’s Encino home office, her fans are the interior designers.
Best known for her alter ego and YouTube character, Miranda Sings, Ballinger has designated half of the room as Miranda’s space. The area serves as the backdrop for her YouTube videos and features an entire wall and bookshelf adorned with eccentric fan art and gifts.
“I wouldn’t be in this house if it weren’t for the fans watching my videos and supporting me, so it’s important to have them be a part of the videos and journey,” said Ballinger, 31.
Included in this array of art and memorabilia is a Mona Lisa-inspired drawing of Miranda with awkward bangs, a “huge, terrifying” Miranda puppet and papier-mâché Miranda heads.
“Oftentimes when I’m trying to get inspired,” she said, “I’ll find myself just staring at the wall and let the fans inspire me to get creative.”
Ballinger’s latest Miranda-inspired book, “My Diarrhe,” will be released July 10.
Why is this your favorite room?
Because this is where I’m most creative, and when I’m creative and working is when I’m the happiest. I feel calm and happy when I’m in here, as crazy as it is.
Main use for the non-Miranda side of the room?
That side is my workspace, where I’m either editing a video for my personal channel as me or I’m making a video as Miranda. It’s convenient not to have to go from room to room, or from a studio to my house.
How would you describe your aesthetic style versus Miranda’s?
My brain is a pretty intense, wacky place, and that’s kind of where Miranda lives. But that’s why I like the rest of my life and my stuff to be more clean, white and simple without a lot of clutter. Basically everything that stresses me out and I don’t like is Miranda’s style. Calm and peaceful is more my style, typically.
What attracted you to this home when you purchased it two years ago?
I am a busy girl, so I didn’t want to buy a house that was a fixer-upper. It took me a long time to find this place, but when I finally did, everything was perfect and exactly how I would want it. That was a big selling point for me. I just wanted to put my stuff in and be happy.
Any interesting stories behind the fan art in here?
I got to tour Pixar, and the artist who drew “The Little Mermaid” gave me the framed drawing of a Miranda version of Ariel. I’m a huge Disney fan, so that was one of the coolest things in the world.
What are some of your favorite non-Miranda possessions?
My ukuleles, which I hang on the wall. I love music, and playing ukulele and singing makes me really happy. I have a lot of photos of my grandparents — they’re my heroes, even though they’ve passed away. They were always happy, positive, loving to everyone they met and a huge inspiration to me and the reason I do what I do.
