i love following ashley— she is cheeky, honest and FREAKING passionate about candles. like really passionate haha. she has actually taught me a ton about proper candle care and so therefore i am forever indebted to her. following her feels like taking to a friend and i felt like her friend pretty instantaneously! her home is for sure an extension of her fun personality and feels so her. i hope you enjoy it as much as i do! 

tell us about you and what you do!

I’m Ashley, I live in LA with my husband Matty and our dog Mia. For my job I run email and influencer marketing and in my spare time I review candles and decorate my home!

how long have you lived in your home?

We moved in February of 2020. We actually filmed an empty home tour that’s on my IGTV where I walk around talking about all the hosting we’ll do in our home. We have yet to host anyone haha.

how many sq feet is your home?

1700

rent/own?

rent

what would you call your style?

Anytime I describe it I just list adjectives like colorful and cozy. I really want our home to be filled with things we love and reflect us. We are homebodies, even before the pandemic, so being comfortable has always been my top priority but not sure what style I fall in.

what’s your favorite spot in the house?

The chill room. We had big plans of installing a projector and getting a cute SMEG mini fridge to hangout on the deck and in that room but once we realized we wouldn’t be hosting it became a sanctuary. We work downstairs and upstairs in a bright, light-filled room where you can truly unwind. I sit up there when I do face masks and listen to a record or audiobook.

why do you get to have two living rooms?!

Hahahaha because we had no idea we’d be working from home and I bought furniture that I can’t bear to part with. Really we should be using the chill room as an office. Right now Matty is in a very uninstagrammable garage – unfinished garage. Like it is bleak and windowless and drafty. And I am a few feet away at the dining room table, which is why you never really see it on my instagram haha. 

what was the biggest splurge?

I do this thing where I sell most of our furniture when we move and start new. I feel like each home is different and dictates the styling. So it’s always expensive to move. The vintage media console was probably the most expensive but come on, it’s amazing.

tell us about your love of candles and puzzles!

This ties back to my love of all things cozy and being a homebody. Candles instantly make a space feel cozier, they add warmth and have the ability to shift your mood and conjure memories. And if I’m being totally honest, I have an obsessive personality. So starting a puzzle is an activity that consumes me and keeps me busy, perfect for being home all day, every day. And it’s a great solo activity when you’re married to someone who would rather play Call of Duty.

what’s something you want to change but haven’t gotten to?

The kitchen sink. We don’t have a bathtub here so I wash our dog in the kitchen sink and it is small and challenging. It’s her least favorite activity and having a sink she can jump out of doesn’t help. But we rent so we haven’t made that update, as I’m thinking about it I’m thinking it would be worth it for my own sanity haha.

what’s your best design advice?

Fill your home with things YOU love. You will be living there so have it reflect you and your needs. It’s easy to scroll instagram and see home trends and get caught up in wanting to be on trend. I have done that. But sit on it, think about it. Save interiors you really love and then look for the trends in your saved folders. The mistakes I’ve made have been rushing to decorate and “finish” a room and being left with design decisions I don’t love. Taking your time and saving to splurge on things you love makes all the difference.

what’s your favorite thing about your home?

The flow really works for our lifestyle. We are lucky enough to have space from each other when we need it and the kitchen is so nice. Not the brown cabinets which wouldn’t have been my choice, but the appliances and the flow. My husband is the cook in the household and the kitchen is ideal for him and works out well for me.

i loveeee your use of window film! how’d you come up with that?

Matty and I saw Birds of Prey, the Margot Robbie movie, which was actually really fun I thought it would be awful, but anyway, we saw that and Ewan McGregor has this epic apartment with walls of windows and it looks like there are window films on some of them. I googled images from the movies and found Decorative Films online and ordered samples. I was able to cover five sets of windows for a couple hundred dollars, highly recommend.

what are you watching/reading/eating?

I watch so much TV omg. I’m currently rewatching Mindy Project and just watched Moxie on NetFlix, the new Amy Poehler movie, it was great. I listen to a lot of audiobooks. I just finished Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane and now I’m listening to His & Hers by Alice Feeney. Eating? Everything haha. Our go-to meals lately have been a kale/sausage pasta with pine nuts and chickpea bowls with kale, sweet potato and brown rice. 

who are your favorite follows on IG?

You, of course, I love the daily peek into your life. @marielle.elizabeth inspires all my clothing purchases and has a body that looks like mine. Following her has done wonders for accepting my own body and building confidence. @sophiecarpenter, I love her home and she finds the best spots in LA, I can’t wait to see the nursery she decorates. @wesleytaylor has such a moody page and the best personality, he is constantly making pasta and I’ve made plans to visit one day to get some haha.

what are 3 things helping you get through this time the most?

My husband, my dog, and my community! Is that too cheesy? If it is then tv, candles and Just What I Kneaded, my favorite bakery in LA.

sources

living room—
coffee table
couch
jute rug
side table
semi circles pillow
candlelabra
shape pillows
leather chair

chill room—
plant: song of india
lamp
side table
couch: I had the chill room couch custom made by a local furniture maker (Total Design Co) based on a Pop & Scott couch in Australia
coffee table: sample sale piece from Hedgehouse Furniture
throw pillows

reading nook bench: custom made by a local woodworker
cushion
pillows
blanket

window film
dish rack
kitchen shelves: custom made by a local woodworker

plant pots: I collect planters from ceramicists like RareBird, Not Work Related, Kat & Roger, and Ursula Basinger.
gradient art
puzzles

bed frame
lamps
linen sheets (in clay)