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Mitzi, who’s a tropical plant collector and seller under the name Plantmodernist, is also a self-professed design nerd. With a passion for postmodern design, the loft in Atlanta she rented with her husband, Zack, isn’t just unique for the colorful elements she’s incorporated into the space. It’s also a unique building, too. “My loft is two and a half stories in the back of the auditorium of a 1920s schoolhouse in the heart of Atlanta,” Mitzi explains. “Past the old auditorium seating is door in a place that often made people ask, ‘Oh you really live there?’”
There are enviable design details all over the loft’s spaces, but the entryway and two bathrooms Mitzi designed are particularly amazing. The entryway is inspired by Op Art, and features a mind-bending mix of black and white patterns on nearly every surface. The guest bathroom is Mitzi’s love letter to Memphis Milano, and has ’80s-inspired patterns and colors used in unique places. She calls the main bathroom an “homage to my love of the Colony Hotel in Miami and the Stylenada Pool Cafe in Korea designs.” And the most impressive thing? These creative spaces didn’t cost an arm and a leg. “I wanted to instill my love of postmodern design into the space but on a tight, renter-friendly budget,” Mitzi writes, explaining that a lot of the projects were completed thanks to affordable materials and elbow grease.
While Mitzi and her husband have since moved into a new home, their moving out of this one did NOT signal the end of some of these creative designs; the guest bathroom was so beloved Mitzi says the next tenant wrote it in her lease to keep it as-is!
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My Style: Bold, whimsical, postmodernism. ’70s-’90s style. And a tropical plant collector wedged into all of that.
Favorite Element: About the space: The two massive south-facing windows. About the design: The Op Art entryway
Biggest Challenge: The ideas I have versus the money or options to do them.
Proudest DIY: The whole apartment was a proud DIY but my entryway took so many days and most people mistake it for paint or wallpaper.
The crowd favorite is my Memphis Milano bathroom. I did it so over the top I didn’t think anyone would like it, but you would find a crowd during a party just gathered in my small bathroom. You’d often hear “Come into the bathroom” as the first thing friends say to their guests when they’d come into my place.
Biggest Indulgence: My Pilastro stool by Ettore Sottsass. You know you’re a design nerd when you get a stool for Christmas.
What are your favorite products you have bought for your home and why? Washi tape! You’d be amazed what you can do. Killz primer for any furniture remodeling. And Flor carpet tiles; the limit is your imagination and they’re so pet friendly.
Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: Don’t be afraid to put furniture in a bathroom. My towel storage is an old entryway console I found for $50 on Facebook Marketplace. Go for maximum print in a small space; it’s a great way to restrain whimsy.
Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? If you can dream it, you can probably do it. You just need to plan plan plan.
This house tour’s responses were edited for length and clarity.