home hacker

Creative director Dabito used his interiors know-how to treat his 1950s bungalow to a medley of pattern and colour alongside a smattering of clever design tricks

- EMMA J PAGE

I find joy in colour,’ says Dabito, and after a few minutes spent in his company, it’s not hard to see its impact, both in his optimistic outlook and the bright-hued interiors he inhabits. In four years, he’s transformed a box-like 1950s bungalow into a covetable LA pad, also home to his partner Ryan and their menagerie of pets, including two pit bulls and a cat.

Dabito is the founder of Old Brand New, a platform that rose to prominence with Instagrammable interiors hacks – what he can’t tell you about inventive, affordable do-overs probably isn’t worth knowing. Having divided his time between New Orleans and his home turf for the last few years, Dabito was ready to ‘grow roots’ in the South Pasadena district where he grew up with his parents, who emigrated to the US from Vietnam in the 1970s. ‘It’s a lively community, with Asian and Latino influences. Buying here seemed like a homecoming.’