Ashley Yeates, a Carmel-by-the-Sea resident and customer of our Carmel-by-the-Sea store, is a lawyer turned designer…both careers supporting her desire to make the world a better place. Her childhood love for perfecting spaces started in a playhouse, became a career after furnishing her first home and evolved into the launch of her sustainable, custom furniture line, Ashley Yeates Design.
Your first career was in law, what made you shift to interior design?
My creative side trumped the logical. If you love what you do, you can’t help but succeed. Design is my passion; transformed spaces and unbuilt furniture are both so much more exciting to me than legal documents.
Tell us a little about your company Ashley Yeates Design.
Ashley Yeates Design is a sustainably focused design firm and showroom for Ashley Yeates Furniture Collections dedicated to cultivating individual style and bespoke furniture.
As a brand, we also always strive to reduce our carbon footprint. What does sustainability mean to you? Why is this important?
Sustainability is a circular process that connects natural resources to labor, to health, to durability, to consumers, to the environment. Human connection to this process is important for creating jobs, reducing waste and offsetting climate change. Creating a sustainable furniture line is how I intend to make the world better.
What are your top 3 design tips for woman looking to create a more sustainable home?
- Buy less and buy quality…our landfills are overflowing.
- Avoid toxic products…health matters, as does the ecosystem which is suffering from chemical-based manufacturing and waste.
- Practice mindful consumerism…see your home as a collection of your life. Repurpose/reupholster and when editing, donate to those in need.
How does your interior design aesthetic influence your personal style?
I am sentimental…see my “Modern Hepburn Collection.” I draw inspiration from the lines of antique and transitional furniture, much like mixing my grandmother’s jewelry with Brochu Walker…a sleek look comes to life, with an unexpected twist.
Tell us why you love Brochu Walker.
Brochu Walker is sophisticated comfort that easily transforms from work to play to dinner. It’s a staple in my suitcase.
You have spent your life surrounded by strong women. How have they influenced you?
Strong women worry less about what others think. My grandmothers taught me to live authentically, sophisticatedly and fearlessly. If you charge forward, your energy will carry you to new horizons…of course do so in style.
What makes you feel most empowered as a woman, as a business owner?
The idea that I am making a difference, moving out of my comfort zone, dreaming big and setting the dream in motion one day at a time.
What is your mantra?
Buy right, buy once.
Photographs by @glenmcphoto
All images shot at Brochu Walker, Carmel-by-the-Sea
Follow Ashley at @ashleyyeatesdesign