Inside Katie Lowes’ Ranch-Style Home Where She Even Records Her Podcast — From Her Closet!
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Katie Lowes is welcoming fans inside her crib!
The Scandal actress and Katie's Crib podcast host, 39, recently took PEOPLE on an in-depth tour, above, of her Studio City, Calif., home, which she shares with her husband, actor Adam Shapiro, and their two kids, son Albee, 3, and daughter Vera, almost six months. And don't forget their 10-year-old dog Roger, who tags along the entire way!
Though Lowes and Shapiro, who married in 2012, are both self-described East Coasters (Lowes was born in Queens, NY and Shapiro in Abinton, PA), they've settled their family into the West Coast with ease — and have incorporated the relaxed California lifestyle into their decor.
Albee's "big boy room," the first one Lowes brings viewers into on the tour, is full of coastal flair — and plenty of Paw Patrol merch!
"My husband and I are from the east coast, but we were like, 'he's a California boy,' so there's palm trees and skateboarding as the vibe," she says, pointing out a favorite framed photograph of skateboarders in Santa Barbara, whom she says Albee loves to watch when they're in the neighborhood.
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Albee's old room, right down the hall, is now their daughter Vera's nursery.
"The only thing I changed up was I got her a new, more feminine crib. We added a different rug and we brought in some pale pinks to go with the blue to make it a little bit more feminine," Lowes says.
One feature has a sweet origin story. "I had a baby shower and everyone just brought a book to start a library," she says, pointing out a rainbow-organized bookshelf at the back of the room. "And they were all my son's books. And now they're all my daughter's books. And I just absolutely love that so much."
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The room is also decorated with animal figurines that Lowes and Shapiro brought back from their travels in Africa prior to having kids. "I love all the animals, because we got to go on a safari in Africa," she says. "Otherwise, I wanted to keep a really chill sort of beach vibe, just praying and hoping that it would make her sleep, really."
Another special piece of decor: "A beautiful cross stitch that her mom-mom made, which is my husband Adam's mom, her grandma," Lowes says. "This used to be in Adam's room when he was a baby, and now it's in her room."
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In the main bedroom, which also has a dedicated play space for Vera, the couple has also displayed some treasures from their past travels, including a colorful tapestry from Morocco.
"My favorite thing to do when we travel is to pick up one thing that can then be used for decor in the house because I just feel like everything is made more special by bringing experiences from around the world into your own home," Lowes says.
Interestingly, the walk-in closet in the bedroom is where Lowes says she spends "all her time" — especially throughout the pandemic — because it doubles as her office.
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"This is where I recorded Katie's Crib season four and season three in the pandemic," she says, joking that there are two doors Albee has to get through before he can get in and bother her there. The new season of the podcast has Lowes chatting with Katherine McPhee Foster, Michelle Buteau, Caterina Scorsone and more moms about their busy lives, which she says she is "so excited" about.
"It just became like our safe haven and an extra room," Lowes says of her makeshift recording studio. "We're all just trying to survive and get away from our children and still hold down jobs!"
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Elsewhere in the home — which is set up as a one-level ranch ("I don't have to do steps, it's the best," Lowes says) — is their formal living room and dining room, their kitchen, and their "hangout living room where all baby stuff goes to die," Lowes jokes.
The family spends most of their time in their hangout living room, Lowes shares, as well as the cozy kitchen.
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"Of course, in anyone's house, most people hang out in the kitchen all the time," she says, showing off the bright and airy space. "And I love this kitchen because of all of the light and these crazy old floors that are just so beat up and it doesn't matter."
Lowes shares that, while they loved the bones of the kitchen, they made a few minor improvements — like changing out the glass in the cupboards and switching some of the knobs — to make it feel right for their family.
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One of the big changes they made was tearing down the shelving on the back wall, which previously was backlit and full of wine glasses. "It was absolutely hideous," Lowes jokes. "We took it down and we were like, 'what's an inexpensive way to make this cool?'"
They decided to make the entire wall a corkboard, which is now covered with some of the family's most precious momentos — like the lock of hair and certificate from Albee's first haircut, a caricature of Lowes and Shapiro from his sister's wedding, Polaroid photos and more.
"The wall is the big feature that everyone loves the most when we come through in the kitchen," she says.
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Much like the corkboard wall, Lowes notes that the house is constantly changing with their growing family — and family always comes first.
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In fact, she notes that the formal dining room and living room, which they rarely use, may soon be changed to be more family-friendly.
"We might get rid of this entire formal dining room and make it a playroom. I can't even believe I'm saying that, but this might be RIP," Lowes says, closing out the tour. "I mean, I love this dining room… But I sort of have this hippie vibe where I'm just like, are we just going to put down cushions and paint and let the kids go nuts? Have we gotten to that place?"
She laughs, adding, "So come back in a year and maybe it'll be a ball pit and Albee's art shack."
