An October reflection on family, human connection, and a life created with love.
As I write this, I am sitting on the balcony of the home I once dreamed of building, looking out over Monterey Bay. I find myself pausing, almost in disbelief, at the beauty before me. There is so much emotion in this moment: joy, gratitude, and the quiet realization of how far life has carried me.
Above all, I find myself saying, Thank you, God.
For this view. For this life. For the people who taught me how to see beauty—and how to share it.
As October begins, I want to make room for that gratitude. I want to enjoy what is here, remember where it began, and honor the love that has shaped both my life and my work.
Long before I understood design as a profession, my four influential grandmothers and my artistic mother taught me something I still carry into every project: our creative energy has the power to change the things around us.
Through who they were, they showed me how much joy we can bring to the people who share our spaces. Their creativity invited me to look more closely, imagine more freely, and recognize possibility in everyday life.
They helped me understand that a home can express love. What we make, what we keep, and how we welcome others all become part of its story.
Today, I recognize human connection as the true foundation of my design work. Before I consider a room’s furnishings or finishes, I want to understand the people who will live there. What brings them joy? What holds meaning for them? How do they want to gather, rest, and feel at home?
Those questions began with my family.
Perhaps this is why I am drawn to pieces with history and to creating things that can be loved for years. Objects can hold a remarkable amount of feeling.
My childhood sofa is one of those pieces. It is where my brother and I sat together watching television, a simple place that became part of the landscape of our childhood. My childhood saddle carries a different kind of memory: the freedom of riding through the pastures and feeling connected to the land, the horse, and the moment.
These pieces remind me that beauty is not always found in what is new or polished. Sometimes it lives in what has held us, carried us, and accompanied us through the years. A familiar object can bring someone back to us, remind us of who we were, or carry our memories into another generation.
This is part of what the Modern Hepburn means to me: elegance expressed through warmth, individuality, and care. There is grace in creating a beautiful room, and just as much grace in making someone feel welcome within it.
My grandmothers and mother gave me the confidence to trust my own creativity. I remain forever grateful for that gift. Their influence lives in the way I design, the things I treasure, and the joy I hope my work brings to others.
I hope, in my own way, to pass that confidence on to my children.
They have watched me work through difficult seasons. They have seen the struggle of being a single mother while trying to build something I believed could become meaningful for our family.
There were times when the dream felt far away. Still, I believed I could create something great for them and contribute something good to the world.
I hope they see the love behind that effort. I hope they learn that creativity is a gift they can use, that their ideas deserve attention, and that they have something valuable to offer others.
Most of all, I hope they feel encouraged to become fully themselves, as my mother and grandmothers encouraged me.
Looking out at the bay today, I feel deeply blessed to live in such a beautiful world God created. It inspires me, and it reminds me to think beyond my own home and my own ambitions.
My intention is to leave the world a little better through what I create and how I care for people. I want to bring light to those around me, to help them feel creatively inspired, and to encourage them to see what they might offer beyond themselves and their spaces.
This October, I want to live with more joy. To notice the beauty already here. To spend time with the people I love. To create with gratitude.
The home I dreamed of building has given me this extraordinary view. The people who loved and inspired me gave me the eyes to appreciate it.
And for all of it, I thank God.
With love and gratitude,
Ashley