Concordia/MIAD alum on second Whitefish Bay house flip
Sohpie Zang’s “Sophomore House”
Successful blogger and promising interior designer Sophie Zang ’20, who majored in Interior Architecture & Design at MIAD and concurrently studied Marketing at Concordia University of Wisconsin, used her degrees to purchase, renovate, and resell a Whitefish Bay home for $1.1 million in September 2022. Last week, she announced the purchase of her second Whitefish Bay house for $580,000, this time on North Ardmore Avenue.
Zang, who maintains the popular blog and social media brand By Sophia Lee, recently launched her new interior design firm, BSL Studios. The renovation of the first house functioned as a marketing campaign for the new studio. Zang documented the process on her brand’s social media and the results went viral, resulting in numerous new clients for BSL Studios.
Sophie Zang’s first flipped house
“The Sophomore House,” as the BSL Studios team nicknamed their second endeavor, will involve mainly cosmetic updates rather than the larger-scale renovation they completed on the first house in fall of 2022. They plan to update tile, wallpaper and paint, as well as add a children’s bathroom on the second floor and widen access to the kitchen, according to videos on the By Sophia Lee Instagram page.
As a student at both Concordia and MIAD, Zang combined a minor in Marketing from Concordia with a major from MIAD in Interior Architecture & Design. “My time at MIAD gave me the confidence to go against the grain on the ‘normal’ way to start a career,” says Zang. She says MIAD “taught me the technical skills to thrive in the industry, but more importantly… taught me how to communicate with others, ask questions, and never be afraid of hearing the word ‘no.’” Concordia students are eligible to enroll in coursework at MIAD to study Graphic Design, Illustration or Interior Architecture & Design.
Check out more information for MIAD students on cross-registration, read more about Sophie’s work on house number one, and keep up with Sophie on Instagram @bysophialee, her blog, or BSL Studios.
News
MIAD Task Award: Alum pays it forward with generous mentoring
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) alum Amy Cannestra ’06 (Communication Design) believes in giving back, in mentoring and in the supportive nature of the Milwaukee art and design community. By founding Task Creative and the MIAD Task Graduate Award, the incredibly busy creative exemplifies all three beliefs. The Task awardee, Ashley Osorio ’26 (Fine Art + New Studio Practice), will receive five consecutive days to use the Task Creative space for a project of their choosing this summer.
Meet Michaela Prischman and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Cloth
Michaela Prischman ’26 (Communication Design) is a President’s (Honor) List student from Tinley Park, Ill. She created “Cloth,” a tool to help guide young professional women to find and organize alternative work attire through a personalized style subscription box.
Flagship Madison museum features exhibition by FYE faculty
The First-Year Experience (FYE) at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) blends contemporary and traditional techniques, an approach embraced by FYE faculty David R. Harper in Good Morning Sweetheart, a solo exhibition on view at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) through August 30, 2026.
Illustration seniors land NASA and Disney internships
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design seniors Grace Weisner ’26 and Allison Stras ’26 have landed the internship of their dreams: Weisner at NASA and Stras at Disney. Both are Illustration majors with minors in Communication Design.
Meet Kas Cook and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Mcallaster’s Special
Cas Kook ’26 (Animation Track in Illustration) is a Dean’s List student from the Greater Chicago area and a recipient of a 2026 Alumni Thesis Award. “Project Calvin Sazerac” is about Calvin Sazerac, a seasoned barkeep, who creates new cocktails for his favorite regulars. When he is challenged to meet the demands of a picky saloon patron, he creates something life changing.