Talk Shop: Ashley Begley // Ashley D. Studio
ABOUT ASHLEY
Ashley Begley is the amazingly talented artist behind the artwork in Ariel’s Chasing Paper wallpaper line. Besides being a prolific watercolorist, she is also one of our favorite people! Ashley identified her passion at an early age, and has been drawing and creating her entire life. After graduating from The Rhode Island School of Design with a concentration in Graphic Design, Ashley spent several years at Lilly Pulitzer as a Surface Designer, honing her craft in painting and printmaking. Her work converges between watercolor fluidity and applied design structure. After seven years in the fashion industry, Ashley started her newfound studio, Ashley D. Studio, which marries her passion for painting, typography, and textiles to create custom pieces for celebratory occasions. (Ashley also makes Ariel’s most favorite set of stationery – which is really saying something!) We sat down with Ashley to talk about all things design.
Describe your style in three words or less:
Warm, tongue in cheek, layered.
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
Friends and family. I have a lot of fabulous friends who are constantly looking for newness and challenging me to find it as well. I have two sisters and a mother with beautiful inherent taste that make it easy to appreciate beauty.
My education in graphic design at RISD opened me up to a whole new way of problem solving in design. I learned the foundations of structure and hierarchy in this program.
Moving! I moved around A LOT in my twenties up until now! I went from the east coast to the west coast, to the rocky mountains and now I live in the south! Each of these phases has revealed new approaches and design styles, all of which have evolved with my personal aesthetic. I have seen so much variety by meeting all of these new people in new places!
How did you start your company, and what is your favorite thing about what you do:
I started thinking about doing something on my own when I lived in San Francisco. Everyone there has the entrepreneur bug. I met so many supportive people in the design community that made it easy to dream! At the time, I was planning my wedding and decided to design my own invitations. I was still working as a print designer at Lilly Pulitzer so exercising some old graphic design skills felt very refreshing. I LOVED returning to typography and structure! It was the perfect marriage of my whimsy painting hand and typographic foundations. I loved finding that balance in my work.
I also love the initials chats with my clients. My favorite part is interpreting their vision in my hand. It usually works out well!
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
I look to people who have skills that I do not possess. I do not try to emulate someone who is aesthetically similar to me, but rather those who are complete opposites. That is where I find the most intrigue!
What does your home say about you:
I hope that my home says I subscribe to many different styles. I never want to be pinned as a follower of only one look. What is interesting about that?! My home is layered.
Where do you find inspiration:
I find inspiration in mark making. I love looking up close at master word paintings to really see the gesture of the hand. You can pick up on the pace at which the artist was working. I love abstract expressionism for that reason.
Who are your style icons:
Nasiba Adilova, Emmanuelle Alt, and Sabina Socol have effortless taste that I admire.
I also wish my home looked like something out of an Alyssa Kapito photoshoot mixed with some Jeffrey Bilhuber layered fabulousness!
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
CANDLES to set the tone, and games! I married a Midwesterner who loves to play any sort of game at any time. It’s a fun ice breaker and one that I have totally gotten on board with. HE is my party trick!
Do you collect anything:
My friends’ art. I am still building it, but I love supporting from my talented friends!
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
@meredithellis, @arielokin, @aeustudio, @casa__lopez, there are so many!
What design “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken:
I don’t really follow any design rules at this point. There is no creativity in that!
I used to really dislike the idea of matchy-matchy, but I am sort of growing into that concept in a maximalist kind of way.
What are you working on right now:
Diving into Holiday! I have a few projects in the works!
Wardrobe staples:
Cashmere sweaters and fabulous booties. I am 5’1” so I am pretty much always in some sort of a heel/wedge.
Types of home purchases you invest in, and save on:
Sofa, rug and great lighting really make a statement.
Your greatest extravagance:
Travel…when we could. I like to stay in very nice hotels for as long as I can afford! I find it brings so much inspiration. When my husband and I plan a trip, we like to spend half of our time in a great Airbnb then the remainder of the trip in the most luxurious hotel we can afford! It is a great mix of adventure and luxury all in one.
Favorite places to shop for home:
Since moving to Charleston, I have been perusing Facebook marketplace a lot. The antique furniture down here is INCREDIBLE. Its becoming a problem…haha!
I also love to shop OKA, Land of Belle, and I dream of owning some pieces from BDDW.
Most prized possession and why:
My grandmother had the most amazing style. She had these brass library lamps that I now possess and have brought all over the country with me.
Your interiors motto:
I once read somewhere that every room should have a little red in it. Also, elegance can be casual. Lilly Pulitzer said that.
Your life motto:
I try to be very positive and happy as much as possible. I try to help whenever I can, and I never take myself (or anyone else) too seriously.
Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:
Your first instinct is always the best instinct, in my opinion. It is the most honest and most true to YOU and your brand. This is how you create a vocabulary that will ultimately define your look and feel.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: Ice cream or sticky buns.
Drink: A Cuban drink called a Canchánchara. Rum, lime juice, honey and club soda.
Hotel: Il Pellicano… YES it lives up to ALL THE HYPE. I cannot wait to visit their other properties ASAP.
City: Anywhere in Portugal… :-)
Bedding: Matouk or Frette.
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Oat milk cappuccino with an extra shot.
Playlist: Phyills Dillon lately
