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.