Sophie Ashby brings new life to a modernist house in south London
‘I am always searching for freshness in a room. The sense of having just thrown open a window to let the breeze in,’ says Sophie Ashby in the introduction to her book Studio Ashby: Home Art Soul. ‘Then I like to punctuate this with soul and interest – softly coloured walls and pale oak floors are ready and waiting for a medley of strong shapes, vibrant patterns, characterful furniture and, most importantly, compelling artwork to make the space come alive.’
The book is published as the company celebrates its 10th anniversary, a decade that has seen Studio Ashby cement its place as one of the UK’s most exciting interior design studios. Aside from interiors projects – which are impressive in their variety and scope – Sophie has launched the shoppable Sister by Studio Ashby website, offering fabrics, furniture, art and accessories. She has also opened a dazzling new London premises – part shop, part studio – in the 18th-century, Grade I-listed Blewcoat School on Caxton Street, SW1. And she is co-founder, with Alex Dauley, of United in Design, a charitable organisation set up in 2020 to address the lack of diversity in the industry.
Born in the UK to a British father and a South African mother, Sophie lived with her family on a vineyard in Stellenbosch for almost a decade before returning to the UK and settling in Devon. In 2009, she moved to New York to study interior design at Parsons, The New School, before returning to South Africa, where she had a creative epiphany. ‘I was driving along the coast to Cape Point when the landscape stopped me in my tracks. I took endless photos of mountains, moss, heathers and grasses,’ she recalls. ‘This was the foundation of my colour palette. I was awed by the seemingly boundless possibility of combinations and compositions – I was worried that there would never be enough projects in a lifetime to satisfy the overflowing stream of ideas I had.’ Since then, her work has been grounded in the colours and textures of the bushveld. She describes her own style as ‘the playful juxtaposition of opposites. Nothing too frilly, flicky, curly or fussy – but, most importantly, it must be comfortable and functional.’
It is an approach that appealed to the owners of this grand modernist house in south London, built in 2011. The couple, who have two young daughters, initially contacted Sophie when they bought the property, but decided to wait four years until their children were older before beginning major work. With its huge windows, double-height ceilings and views of parks and gardens from both the front and the back, the house had a lot going for it. ‘They knew the scale, proportions and openness suited them, but the internal spaces didn’t work. So the priority was to create a house that felt timeless and right for family life – which works best when you have large rooms for gathering everyone and smaller spaces tailored to quiet time,’ Sophie explains.
She enlisted MSMR Architects to work on the project. In the formal drawing room on the ground floor – previously a predominantly unused space with no focal point – Sophie blocked off one of the doorways to the hall and widened the other opening onto a mezzanine ‘to allow for a better layout of furniture’. She then added a chimneypiece and bar, to make the room feel grown up – drawing its colour scheme from the David Hockney print hanging above the sideboard.
A series of bookcases visually connects the double-height wall split between the upstairs landing and kitchen-dining-sitting room in the basement. ‘It’s a trick that allows you to make the absolute most of the space,’ Sophie says. ‘And we continued the chunkiness of this shelving through the house, particularly in the kitchen, which we designed in a U-shape to wrap around a marble-topped island. The green marble was a bold choice but it echoes the garden beyond.’
The Studio Ashby formula for a room is a ratio of ‘one-third custom, one-third vintage and antique, and one-third con-temporary design’. Over the bespoke Galvin Brothers dining table and bench hangs a Ladies & Gentlemen Studio ‘Myrna’ swing-arm wall light – a piece Sophie had been waiting for the right project to use. ‘Its shape is reminiscent of a haute couture hat – it is perfect here, where you want directional light but there’s no ceiling to attach it to,’ she enthuses.
Throughout the house, a mix of plain and patterned fabrics, textured wallcoverings and matt paints in vivid blue, deep rust, forest and sage greens, and mustard yellow tie every-thing together. Art is central to all Studio Ashby projects. ‘Maybe it’s a feeling that comes from my peripatetic child-hood – furniture comes and goes, a sofa gets knackered, things go out of fashion – but artwork is everlasting,’ Sophie muses. Here, she brought in interesting contemporary work by Fabio Almeida, Grace Cross and Philip Maltman.
‘Being an interior designer is really a combination of three roles – curator, collector and commissioner,’ she says. ‘You are always hunting for pieces with staying power. Soul results from this mixture of things. I want clients to walk through the door and feel elated, excited and emotional. I want them to feel an instant connection and joy’.
Studio Ashby: studioashby.com. This house is one of the projects featured in Sophie’s new book ‘Studio Ashby: Home Art Soul’ (Rizzoli, £45).
Kensington Leverne1/9The basement-level living space and the mezzanine above are flooded with natural light.
Kensington Leverne2/9A banquette – with cushions in Pierre Frey and Claremont fabrics – and a ‘Capsule Ingot’ table, both bespoke by Galvin Brothers, are teamed with vintage Danish rosewood chairs and chairs covered in Dedar’s ‘Vladimiro’ velvet.
Kensington Leverne3/9The piano stool in Clarence House’s ‘Tibet’ picks up on art by Nicolas K Feldmeyer.
Kensington Leverne4/9In one corner, Jack Penny’s Man Travelling and a light from 1stDibs add splashes of red above ‘Chess’ chairs from the Sister range, in Métaphores’ ‘Eden’ fabric, and a table from Lorfords
Kensington Leverne5/9Walls in Bauwerk Colour’s ‘Hoar Frost’ showcase Warrior Pose (The Chariot Tarot) by Grace Cross, sourced through Amy Ellenbogen.
Kensington Leverne6/9Sarah Ellison’s ‘Huggy’ armchair sits beside the dressing island.
Kensington Leverne7/9A window seat in a Zak + Fox velvet softens the oak cabinetry.
Kensington Leverne8/9A brass mirror by Patrick Ireland complements the Palissandro Nuvolato marble basin.
Kensington Leverne9/9‘Animalis’ wallpaper from Andrew Martin sets the tone for a playful scheme.
