Kat Von D is known for her imagery as a world-renowned tattoo artist with deep roots in Los Angeles, the founder of a multi-million dollar beauty empire, and a vocalist with her first studio album released in 2021.
She amassed millions of fans after starring on “Miami Ink” and then earned her own reality show based on the West Coast and her High Voltage shop, “LA Ink,” but admitted that some of her perspectives have changed since she became a mother to four-year-old son, Leafar, with her gothic rock star husband Rafael Reyes.
One thing that’s definitely changing for the family is their home base. Kat and her husband placed their historic, 1890’s Victorian mansion up for sale for $11 million, and are leaving California.
“We’re planning on getting out of LA 100%,” Kat exclusively told Fox News Digital.
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Kat Von D releases first children’s book and makes plans to leave Los Angeles for Indiana.
(Getty Images/ Kat Von D)
In December 2020, Von D announced she purchased a home in Vevay, Indiana. That abode turned out to be the 12,000-square-foot, 35-room Schenck Mansion, which was built in 1874 and is rumored to be haunted.
“The house itself is one of the historical houses in America list, and I always had my eye on it, but it was operating as a bed and breakfast for a long time,” Von D said. “When it went on the market, I told my husband, ‘Let’s go see it. I’ve never spent any time in Indiana, but it wouldn’t hurt to check it out.'”
She added, “We just fell in love with it. We fell in love with the town and the nature.”
KAT VON D DITCHES SWANKY LA TATTOO SHOP FOR SMALL TOWN INDIANA: ‘GOODBYE CALIFORNIA’
Kat, who was born in Mexico and raised in Southern California, wasn’t worried about missing anything between her old home in LA or new home in the middle of the states. “I’ve traveled around the world,” she said.
Von D, whose full name is Katherine von Drachenberg, was also recently inspired to put pen to paper and released her first children’s book after taking note of her own bedtime storytelling routine with her baby boy.
Kat Von D released “Leafar and the Magical Treasure Chest” based on her own chats with her son.
(Kat Von D)
“So our bedtime routine happens daily, and I found myself kind of making up a lot of stories, especially ones that were a little bit repetitive to kind of get him to wind down,” she said. “The treasure chest story was one that kind of naturally happened. My husband was like, ‘Oh, you know, you should further develop that because I think it’s a good story.’ And that’s kind of the beginning of “Leafar and the Magical Treasure Chest.”
Her debut children’s book follows the adventures of a young boy who is gifted a magical treasure chest by his mom. The art-driven book was designed for children to use their imaginations with Leafar as he changes into a different animal with each turn of the page.
“He always gravitated toward like the creepy and the crawly, and I’m sure a lot of other boys do too. He was always more curious than scared,” Von D said. “We have a ton of books – that’s something that we were always very intentional about was building Leafar’s little library, and so we read a lot of great books,and a lot of crappy books.”
She enlisted the help of her friend and fine art painter Kevin Llewellyn to collaborate with on the artwork, which also includes a page of temporary tattoos for kids to continue engaging with the book and as an homage to Kat’s work.
Rafael Reyes and Kat Von D were married in true goth fashion at the Beverly Hills Hotel on June 2, 2018.
(Michael Kovac)
“I pay attention to what he responds to, and anything that had a lot of detail-driven artwork, we found ourselves getting lost in the artwork of books more than the actual narration,” Kat said of her son. “That was important and that’s why I teamed up with one of my fellow artist friends to really spend time on illustrating and make it an artful-minded book.”
When asked what motherhood was like for Kat, she admitted she’s embraced every moment.
“It’s something I never imagined I would fall so deeply in love with,” she said. “You know, all the clich?s about being a mother are very true. It is an amazing journey. It’s one of my favorite things on the planet.”
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She’s certainly now focused on pursuing passions.
At the beginning of 2020, Von D sold her shares of her self-titled beauty brand after 11 years at the helm of the multi-million dollar company.
“This was not an easy decision, but after careful consideration, I decided I wanted the makeup line to continue to thrive and grow, and I believe Kendo is primed to do just that,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “In order to avoid any confusion with such a big change, Kat Von D Beauty will take a moment to rebrand itself, so you will start noticing the change from KatVonD Beauty to KvD Vegan Beauty.”
Kat Von D is pursuing her passion with music after releasing her first solo album in 2021.
(Vivien Killilea)
Von D first launched a few products through luxury conglomerate LVMH at Sephora in 2008, and quickly added a full line of makeup, including eyelashes, highlighters, and foundation.
While the line wasn’t without some controversies (Sephora pulled lipstick shades from shelves due to their names’ offensive nature), Kat’s now completely moved her attention from makeup to music.
She released her first solo album, “Love Made Me Do It” in 2021, and has worked with Heaven Process, Prayers (her husband’s group), and IAMX.
Von D recently received criticism for an Instagram post about working on “a special project” with her longtime friend Marilyn Manson. Manson faces multiple civil lawsuits claiming sexual assault and domestic violence allegations. He’s denied all allegations and sued former fiancee Evan Rachel Wood for defamation following her sexual abuse claims.
It’s unclear what their collaboration entails, but Kat is staying true to herself and making time for her next adventure.
“I’m working on my second album now, and we’re almost done with production, so we’re releasing that in the beginning of next year,” she said. “And then, we’ll go on tour. We’re making music the next focus.”
