This New Collection Highlights Free Spirits and Sibling Love—And We Want It All

If you can trust anyone to make their mark with youthful, dynamic designs, it’s Sophie Ashby, who founded her London-based interior design and creative direction practice Studio Ashby at the age of 25. This month, she’s continuing her appeal to a playful, interiors-obsessed audience with Sister, a collection that combines affordability with fun. As we combed through the pieces from incredible patchwork pillows to fluffy, cloud-like chairs, we knew we had to pick Sophie's brain about her process.

“For the brand’s spirit and identity, I was inspired by my younger sister Rose, for her free spiritedness and easy sense of fun but also all my brilliant, strong girlfriends and wonderful, talented women I work with and am surrounded by,” says Sophie. “Sister is the little sibling to Studio Ashby, it’s my story, the story of family; of that warm and fuzzy feeling that you’ve figured a few things out and the comfort that comes with that.”

Clever: What was your inspiration behind the collection?

Sophie: I have always wanted to be a shopkeeper. During my teens I grew up in this wonderful, hippy market town called Totnes in Devon [England] and was obsessed with the little independent boutiques that would crop up on the high-street. As a devout and passionate shopper, it’s always been my dream to provide the experience too. With Studio Ashby, I have given a lot of thought to how we could expand what we could do aside from just allowing the studio itself to swell and expand in the number of staff and projects. Instead, I wanted to create an arena in which I could play around and give myself the opportunity to be more experimental, without the constraints of a client or particular project. Sister is an opportunity for me to be a bit less of a grown up in a way.

The Polar Chair, which mirrors the shape and tactility of a polar bear paw, is a favorite item of ours. It’s easy to envision a winter snuggled up in this chair.
How about some groovy patchwork pillows? These are made from recycled leftover fabrics from big sister Studio Ashby.
From the brushstrokes by artist Claire de Quénetain to the cute rounded feet, we love everything about these bedside tables.

What was your process for coming up with the designs?

Sister is a mix of high and low; found pieces that we’ve curated and reimagined as well as our own designs in covetable fabrics. The idea is to allow people who can’t possibly afford our interior design service to experience our world, even own a little piece of it. As a new company and brand, we wanted our designs to be full of energy and defined by a real playfulness.

The process is very similar to the approach we take to sourcing with Studio Ashby. The sourcing is led by Lishan Tham who is the head of product for Sister. We scour and hunt around antiques fairs, flea markets and car boot sales for hidden gems and give them a new lease of life. For the new items, we are operating on a made-to-order basis on the whole, so as not to produce for the sake of it. We’re interested in creating a beautiful world with a story of conscious impact.

The Toucan Daybed is inspired by modernist forms and complete with rich tropical upholstery.
The Toucan Daybed is inspired by modernist forms and complete with rich tropical upholstery.
Studio Kix
This painting by Anico Mostert is called Another Pink Room.

Do you have a favorite piece?

I have my eye on a few of the artworks. Anything by Anico Mostert really.

The Sister collection has a vase for a variety of moods. Go for florals or neutrals or bright, poppy patterns.
This chunky midcentury stool was reupholstered in a bold monochrome ‘X’ fabric.
Here’s a great example of the perfectly picked vintage wares: a pair of Italian bedside tables.

How do you envision the future storefront?

Our vision for the physical space is to create a warm, relatable, human space that is at the same time decorative, bold, and filled with a sense of humor.

Our retail habits are shifting towards a more thoughtful and discerning focus, where the brands and the quality of the products we buy are everything. We want the Sister store to embody this; being a special space where you are surrounded with objects that are local, sustainable, unique, and of lasting quality.

We also really want to settle into this 1960s armchair—reupholstered in Tiger Silk fabric by Dedar—with a good book.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest