Lauren Ashley, a talented interior designer and owner of Lauren Ashley Experiences, from Houston, Texas, is the focus of our new series, Personal Space. Her 800-square-foot apartment, costing $2,300 per month, serves as both her home and a canvas for her creative ideas. This compact urban oasis, featuring one bedroom and one bathroom, showcases how to maximize style and functionality while living in an apartment.
As a renter in Houston’s competitive real estate market, Ashley has carefully chosen this apartment not just for its location, but also for its potential as a backdrop for her design experiments and innovations. Her professional background influences every aspect of her home, balancing aesthetics with practicality.
In Ashley’s space, you can expect to see a thoughtful mix of cultural influences alongside familiar offerings from big box brands like Crate & Barrel.
Ahead, we learn more about Ashley’s home and the inspiration behind her interior styling.
Lauren Ashley: The entrance is a narrative of our culture and features work by artists Cristina Martinez of Sew Trill and a custom piece by Andonnia of Annlettered. The African baskets signify that we are carriers of the culture. More importantly, they play a vital role in the economic opportunities for Zulu people, particularly women.
Lauren Ashley: Our bed would be the most expensive purchase. It was $2,000 from Crate and Barrel.
Lauren Ashely: I love color and things that make us feel our best. Our home is a collection of these items beautifully curated to give us a hug when we enter and a minimalist bedroom to relax.
Lauren Ashley: Our wall concept was inspired by a movie clip from “The Broken Hearts Galley.” (I love romantic comedies.) The backdrop is an accent wall painted in the shade “Daily Greens” by Claire Paint. The area rug is from CB2’s “Black In Design Collective,” featuring designer Forbes Masters’ nod to Black hair, and is an artistic expression of cornrows.
This article has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
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