Known for her elegant style and love for timeless antiques, Montgomery, Alabama Interior Designer Ashley Gilbreath has made quite the name for herself not only throughout the Southeast, but across the country. We loved getting to catch up with Ashley and hearing about how this stay-at-home season has inspired her to rethink her design goals to include adaptable rooms to serve families in multiple capacities. We hope you enjoy our Creative Chat with Ashley as well as some images of some of her beautiful design work below!
What is currently inspiring you?
Spending so much time at home with the whole family has really made me think about the layout and design of projects I’m working on and how each space can be versatile enough to adapt to any situation – such as a quarantine. It’s a different kind of inspiration, but it’s challenging me in a whole new way to be creative in the design process.
What is one positive to being at home for you during this time?
Spending this extra time with my three little people! Don’t get me wrong, there are times that I’m secretly coming up with an escape plan from these crazies, but at the end of the day I’m reminding myself that this extra time with them is so precious and a true gift.
How are you practicing:
Creativity? We do LOTS of activities these days. To break up the school work, we are into the water colors often and go on little bike rides throughout the day in Rosemary Beach, where we are quarantined. Not only does this get some energy out of everyone, but it allows me to recharge and get some inspiration from the beautiful architecture and design work here.
Kindness (towards yourself and others)? This is a tough one. Practicing patience with my family, taking lots of deep breaths, and learning to laugh off the little things. There are five of us at home all day with a boxer and a brand new kitten (Yes – we might be a little nuts!!!!) But in the grand scheme of things, we are learning how to be kind, patient, and give a little grace to one another – which we all need from time to time.
Discipline (your work, your health, your routines)? Another tough one! The silver lining to this time is that I already operate on a pretty wild schedule. In my world, every day is completely different so I’m used to squeezing in an early morning run, throw-it-together lunch, or conference call in the middle of all the madness. It definitely keeps me on my toes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Name one item in your home that is bringing you joy or that has new meaning in this time?
Our outdoor space and specifically our outdoor fireplace. At night, we’ve made it a tradition to slow down enough to have a fire (usually with lots and lots of s’mores) before bedtime. This is something that I wouldn’t mind sticking around 😉
We’re seeing a surge in physical correspondence as there is always something special about receiving a hand-written note and people now have more time. If you were to send a physical note to three of your Instagram friends, who would they be?
One would have to be my Mom – to thank her for staying home with three kids and somehow keeping it together! The other two would be @Rebecca Wise Photography and @Sara Soule Webb. Rebecca photographed my children in an underwater pool session and Sara brought it to life by painting the most amazing portrait of that photograph. It’s truly unbelievable! I sit in front of this painting when working from home and couldn’t be more thankful for the memories that they captured for me!
What are three of your favorite items or patterns currently on Dixie’s website?
I am loving the kid’s birthday invitations! My youngest turned FOUR in May and although we didn’t plan a party, I would totally be sending out the Mermaid Birthday Invitation by Gina Langford or the Pool Party invitation by Evelyn Henson.
