Better Homes & Gardens presents our Outdoor Entertaining Issue.
Host your best summer gatherings yet with our tips and inspiration.
Heres a glimpse into life at home for Americas favorite self-proclaimed nerd turned style icon.
Credit:Andrew Eccles
And in many ways, Mindy Kaling has grown up before our eyes.
Q: First, I want to ask you about your home in Los Angeles.
How would you describe the decorating?
Its vibrant, feminine, and colorful.
And I had so much fun doing that.
I love color and pattern, and I love to dress up.
Credit:Andrew Eccles
I foundinterior designer Katie Ridderon Instagram, and she has such beautiful, specific, colorful taste.
It was a great match.
The more I do it, the more I realize I want to do it more.
Q: Do you think growing up near Boston influenced your taste for more traditional home decor?
My late mom, who was a gynecologist, always took so much pride in our home.
It was a mix of pieces she brought from India and Africa when my parents lived there.
Then shed go to flea markets and antiques shops and collect furniture.
I watched her do it with fascination.
We didnt have an interior designer or anything.
There wasnt money for that.
In L.A., the prevailing aesthetic everywhere is neutral with a pop of color.
I was always drawn to more dramatic color because of my childhood home.
Credit:Andrew Eccles
There were times when I would seea gorgeous midcentury house and think thats what I wanted.
But it doesnt stick.
I love print and pattern, teal and coral, and carnation yellow.
Im always going back to that.
Q: How has your Indian heritage influenced your personal style?
People dress up there.
Maybe you tuck it in?
And in some ways thats a great thing, how casual and egalitarian it is.
But when youre in India, you get dressed.
I dressed up every single day when I was there.
Everyone is so put-together.
I really like that.
I always felt more comfortable dressed up.
I noticed it in Indiaeveryone just brings it all the time, and I love it.
Q: How has becoming a parent enriched the way you live at home?
Its nice that you say enriched [laughs].
You know, when you have little kids, making the home safe for them is a thing.
Ive had white plastic childproofing gates up in the house for about five years.
My son is 2, so Ill probably have them for another year and a half.
These aesthetic sacrifices you make when you have children are necessary.
Those are not my favorite.
But I do like that my home doesnt feel too precious.
Its not like my children cant go into any room.
Theres a lot of piling the nicer things up high.
Theres not, like, a priceless ottoman on the ground anymore.
The truth is that I dont have a priceless anything.
Q: Which of the recipes youve shared on Instagram sparked the most feedback?
Any Indian dish I make gets a lot of attention.
I dont know whether thats just because its anthropologically interesting or not.
I sourced that recipe online and made it, and it was actually amazing.
People really liked that because it was tied to a popular show.
What people love is any recipe that has a story to it.
Chefs will frown on that, but I dont.
Q: Whats your approach to cooking for your family, and what do they like to eat?
The trickiest thing for me is portion size.
I have a small family, and all of these recipes I find are for a ton of eaters.
Im not the biggest fan of leftovers.
Its one of my worst qualities.
The minute I put it away in the fridge it becomes 90% less interesting to me.
Im trying to change that in 2023 and get into leftovers.
My son eats anything, which is such a refreshing quality.
My daughter is very picky.
I love cooking for my friends too.
Almost all of my friends love Indian food.
Its kind of a prerequisite for friendship with me.
Q: What does summer entertaining look like for you?
There are so many different styles of entertaining Im really drawn to.
I like having everyone come over, and we get a little dressed up.
There was no meal more satisfying than the one youd have after being in the pool all day.
That is such a summertime feelingthe unfancy, unfussy, yummy ingredients.
Youre wearing your swimsuit and eating corn on the cob smothered in butter, Indian spices, and lime.
Q: You have a publishing project aimed at shining a light on underrepresented voices.
Can you tell us about that?
I have an imprint with Amazon, which has been so fun.
I have so much respect for people who can write fiction.
Its something I could never do.
Writing dialogue for TV shows is very different.
I love finding authors who write in a way that appeals to my very specific tastes.
I love reading; I love very juicy stories of romance and murder mysteries.
Do you feel a responsibility to fans who have grown up with you?
Representation is something I think about all the time, even more so now that Im producing shows.
I love writing about that and writing whats personal to me.
Id feel like I really was successful.
Credit:Andrew Eccles
