Meet Lily Blattner, Scout Design Studio Design Challenge Winner

We were so inspired by all of the Vizis, and we were lucky to chat with winner Lily Blattner to learn more about her. Scroll through to read about everything from what's on her wishlist to what's inspiring her lately.

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Describe yourself in 3 emojis.

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Briefly tell us about your design journey.

My journey with design began long before I ever knew what to call it. I’ve always been a visual person. Growing up with learning challenges, expressing myself through anything other than creating was a struggle. But my visual imagination was great — If I could envision it, I’d create it. From watching trading spaces growing up to redecorating a doll house, to the latest fashion trends for my Barbies, the foundation of my creativity is rooted in design.  

This is the passion that fuels my photography. Starting in the darkroom, photography taught me to slow down and trust the process. That’s never been an easy skill to master but design has always been my anchor. I used photography to express myself, how I was feeling, who I was and what I wanted to be. After a year of college, I had the opportunity to model in New York City, which felt like the perfect step inside my dream job. I had always wanted to be a fashion photographer, creating the moment that both tells and sells. Throughout my career as a model I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of the most talented photographers, hair and makeup artists and stylists. I have a front row seat to the magic of design, the collaboration between artists to make a vision into reality. After 4 years of modeling full time I decided to go back to school and pursue photography. This May, I graduated from with a degree in photography and related media. I spent my final semester creating a self portrait series where I designed, produced, and styled all of it. When putting together a shoot, I often start with a concept and from there I look through magazines, see what I can find on Pinterest, even finding inspiration from shoots I’ve modeled for.

Finding poses, colors, moods to then present to a client or just as a reference for myself to give an all-around idea of how I want the shoot to turn out. I plan every detail so that when I get on set, all I have to do is focus on creating. This is the exact approach I took to designing my current apartment. I knew I wanted it to be stimulating and peaceful all in one. A friend of mine once said that I live in a world of exclamation points, and I wanted this apartment to feel just like that. I started on Pinterest, then made mood boards, 3D renderings - the whole deal. The day I moved in, I unpacked and began painting. My apartment is now my home, and there's definitely some work to be done but designing is a creative outlet for me, so it never stops. I’m constantly thinking about new ways to add color, functionality and fun. My design journey is never ending, it’s who I am, it’s what I love to do, and fuels me to create work that I’m proud of.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Everywhere. From conversations with friends to a random TikTok, to being on set, to just walking down the street. If I’m open to inspiration it knows how to find me.

Tell us about a designer or artist you love. What about them and their work are you drawn to?

This is a hard one, I have so many. Jonathan Adler is definitely one of my favorite designers. I’m drawn to his designs because of his ability to make anything fun, colorful, quirky whilst still being functional.

What do you do on your time off to recharge creatively?

It depends on the day. Sometimes I recharge through creating more. Recently I’ve been recharging using Spoak, and the challenges. Having set guidelines to then work through creatively often helps me find inspiration for other ideas. Or if I’m feeling really zonked, I’ll probably be curled up on my sofa watching Bravo.

What's the best thing you've consumed recently?

I was in Denver last week and I had the best ice cream I’ve ever had from Happy Cone. I got their New Zealand Style Ice Cream with raspberries. I’ll be dreaming about it till the next time I visit.

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^{Photo Credit: (Left) Lily Blattner}