Ashley Is “Home At Last” in Silver Lake

Name: Ashley Drost, pups Lazer + Leroy
Location: Silver Lake; Los Angeles, California
Size: 1,800 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years; owned

Enter Ashley’s sunny and revamped 1914 Craftsman home and it’s immediately clear that the saying is true, home is what you make of it. After years of renting on the West side and an exhaustive real estate search, she stumbled on this home in Silver Lake. “I was just about to give up entirely and rent forever, and then by some fluke I landed this place,” she says

A recent renovation had opened up the floor plan of the century-old home, creating an unobstructed sight line from the front door to the back of the house. An interior designer by trade, Ashley approached her new home like a blank canvas, delighting in the experience of making it her own.

After spending the first part of her twenties as a professional dancer, Ashley went back to school, and now works designing residential interiors. “My parents always encouraged my creativity so it felt like a natural choice,” she says of the career switch. Ashley’s dad is a retired architect, and Ashley grew up watching him work, always fascinated by the process.

Odes to her parents exist throughout the home, from vintage photos to the Cesca-inspired bar stools in the kitchen (her family had a similar set of dining chairs). The sewing machine in her studio, a Bernina Serger, once belonged to her mother. Ashley began sewing as a way to make practical use of the vintage textiles and Mexican blankets she’d been collecting over the years, but after encouragement and commissions by friends she started making her wares available to others online.

The earth tones and rich blacks of Ashley’s textile creations complement the open, airy nature of the house. An impressive weeping fig tree spans the divide between living and dining rooms; the house has not grown up around the tree, but it has that effect. A flow exists throughout the home and extends to the outdoors, where Ashley has created what feels more like a third living room than a yard, an area for entertaining, relaxing, and hanging with her pups, Lazer and Leroy. In essence, this is the great aspiration of a Southern California home—a house where there’s little distinction between inside and out.

My Style: Modern, Scandinavian, Mid-Century

Inspiration: I’m inspired by architects and designers like Vincent Van Duysen, Hecker Guthrie, and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Favorite Element: That it’s mine! Becoming a homeowner in Los Angeles is a crazy tough and stressful process and I’m so happy I found this house. It’s just perfect for me.

Biggest Challenge: Patience. I’ve been trying to take my time to save up for the things I love—which means living in an unfinished house for a while, but it’s worth it.

What Friends Say: They comment on the open, airy feeling and the natural light.

Biggest Embarrassment: The dogs have trashed the hardwood floors!

Proudest DIY: The pillow collections that I make from vintage textiles, and also the garden in the backyard that I planted myself.

Biggest Indulgence: Thonet dining chairs. I’ve wanted to own a set of these since I was a little girl.

Best Advice: Take your time, and invest in pieces that you love over time.

Dream Sources: BDDW, Poliform, Herman Miller, Jardan, Design Within Reach

• Whole House- Bher: Ultra White
• Front door interior: Sherwin Williams Black Magic

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