British cool comes to a tropical house as a young couple relocate from London to Miami

Paint proved invaluable as a quick-fix, with the ceilings also wrapped in colour. ‘It feels more finished that way to me. I’m a big advocate for doing wallpaper on the ceiling too,’ she says of paint and pattern drenching.

Above the French antique table from Mod Ants hangs a Josef Frank pendant which Ashley sourced in Sweden. The Henning Kjærnulf dining chairs have been recovered in Beata Heuman’s marbelized velvet fabric.

Jeanne Canto

Leaning into the tropical bungalow aesthetic, the seagrass matting bought in London transposed itself perfectly. In fact, coveted finds from a cohort of British designers, such as a wallpaper by Soane and a starburst light by Studio Ashby, look surprisingly at-home in south Florida. ‘That all feels very counter-mainstream here in Miami, because everything's white, gray and shiny,’ she says of her choices.

While that statement may be true of many residential properties in the area, there are local heritage buildings which Ashley was influenced by that tell a more refined story. Ernest Hemingway‘s house in Key West (now a museum) inspired the 1930s replica sink in the downstairs loo, while Bonnet House in Fort Lauderdale and the Vizcaya estate helped Ashley translate her affinity with European style into an American setting. ‘These are places which have so much soul, and it’s fun trying to pull in references which allude to the past,’ she says.

Swapping out cheap, hollowed-out door and cabinet handles for weightier finishes helped to elevate the bungalow. ‘Little things which you use every day can make a big difference if you’re not quite ready to do a huge renovation,’ she explains. This hyper-awareness regarding materiality stems from a the traumatic birth of her second child, which involved an extended stay at the ICU. She was so triggered by the hospital-grade linoleum floors, lighting, ‘and everything feeling really plasticky’, that she threw herself into acquiring rugs, lighting and art ‘that made my heart sing.’

Ashley with her son Blue and their Cavalier, Buzz.

Jeanne Canto

But trying to buy art from a traditional gallery proved so disheartening. ‘I didn’t have the bandwidth for the games anymore,’ she says. The experience spurred her to launch the Beaux Store in 2021. Specialising in vintage European art, the platform is rooted in inclusivity. Each month, a tastemaker is invited to curate their own selection, with pieces cleverly shown around their homes in-situ. Along with books, Ashley’s collection of art is what always made rentals feel more like home, and she offers online consultations to help guide others.

Interestingly, this bungalow will likely be a short-lived address for the family. ‘We will ultimately end up in London again,’ she says. But this hasn’t curtailed her ambitions. While the wall lights from Pinch, and a long-admired silk pendant from Ruemmler can be carefully uninstalled, the micro-cement and marble vanity in the kids’ bathrooms will be a gift for the next owners.

There is a large question-mark dangling over the much longed-for baby blue Rockwell bath from the Water Monopoly. ‘We literally lived down the road from the showroom in Queens Park and the shipping was a killer. There's been discussion about whether we take that with us when we leave. I'm not totally sure. But that bathroom makes me so happy every single day. When I walk in there it gives me butterflies. I think there's definitely some value in that,’ she reasons.