Whimsical design has never looked so good! Dabito, designer, Mitzi Tastemaker, and author of Old Brand New: Colorful Homes for Maximal Living, has recently built his dream home in New Orleans. Filled with color and patterns, his maximalist aesthetic earned him a feature in Architectural Digest. We caught up with Dabito to talk about the process of building and designing his forever home.
Where do you find inspiration most?
It’s an inspiring combination of things. Sometimes it’s as simple as taking a stroll around my vibrant neighborhood in New Orleans. Other times, it’s visiting a museum and absorbing the work of an artist like Salman Toor, or traveling to different cities and discovering fresh artists, like Gallery Medium in Ho Chi Minh City. Inspiration can also spark from a fashion designer's color palette, like Dries Van Noten’s latest collection, or from experiencing transportive hospitality design, like the Hotel Chelsea in NYC.
Perilla Table Lamp
Design & Photo throughout: Dabito
When did you first know you wanted to become an interior designer?
I studied printmaking and graphic design, and for a long time, I thought graphic design was the definitive path I would live out. It wasn’t until about four years into running my blog, Old Brand New, that I realized my true passion lay in interior design. The defining moment happened when I designed a living room for my boyfriend at the time; seeing the transformation made me realize just how meaningful the process was, and how much I absolutely loved it.
What are your first steps when approaching a new project?
I always begin by establishing the hierarchy of design. In many ways, I approach it like graphic design. I look at what we are creating, how the space needs to function, and how it will ultimately serve the people living in it. From there, I focus on the narrative: the story, the color palette, the focal point, and the scale.
How did lighting shape the atmosphere you were hoping to create in this project?
Because this was my first ground-up and our forever home, the planning required a lot of deep intention. I wanted the spaces to feel vibrant and lively, while still serving as an ode to history. Most importantly, I wanted a welcoming environment where family and friends could gather and hang out. Lighting played a massive role, especially in terms of establishing scale and making bold statements. Moving from Los Angeles, I was used to eight-foot ceilings, so working with nearly twelve-foot ceilings in this home was an absolute treat.
How do you strike a balance between visual impact and everyday functionality in your designs?
Lighting is actually the perfect medium for striking that balance. Because fixtures live overhead, they don't take up functional real estate in a room. That vertical freedom allows you to truly splurge, take risks, and deliver a major visual impact without compromising the usability of the space.
What design trends are you personally drawn to right now?
Right now, I am loving the rich mix of materiality and bold color pairings dominating design. I fully embraced that direction here. I wrote a book about it in Old Brand New!
What was the biggest challenge you faced in this project, and what did it teach you moving forward?
Designing a ground-up meant tackling every single space simultaneously, which quickly brought on design fatigue. To manage the overwhelming feeling, I learned to treat the process like packing and moving out. I focused on one room at a time, finishing it completely before moving to the next. Staying sequential kept me grounded, rather than bouncing around and feeling like nothing was getting fully completed.
What advice would you give to someone designing a space today—especially those working with limited budgets or just starting out in the industry?
I honestly thrive when working with a limited budget. Having constraints forces you to get really creative and think outside the box to deliver those memorable, high-impact moments. For anyone starting out, I would say: always ask design questions, stay intensely curious, and look for opportunities to break standard rules and practices.
Feeling inspired? Shop all the Mitzi fixtures in Dabito’s eclectic home here.