Ever wondered how an interior stylist decorates their own home? Take a glimpse inside Ash Young’s abode as she shuns modern minimalism in favour of full-on furniture
A self-confessed maximalist, Ash Young knows what she wants when it comes to decorating a room: “I love a space that grabs your attention and draws your eye around the room,” she tells us. “Interiors are such a passion of mine so I have a lot of fun with them.”
A sentiment epitomised in Damac Hills family villa. “I enjoy mixing materials and styles, and I like glamour, detail, metallic and greenery,” she adds.
And her secret to creating a tough-luxe, edgy-elegant look is keeping to a restrained colour palette. “I generally use three main colours, with two accents.”
Most of the artworks in her home comprise inexpensive prints, from the likes of Society6, Rockett St George, Etsy and Drawdeck. “I check out Pinterest, Instagram and magazines for inspiration.”
As a global nomad (Ash was born in the UAE to English and Irish parents, moved to the UK aged nine and moved to Dubai with her family four years ago), Ash places a lot of importance on her home, which provides a source of stability.
It also means that she gets her husband, Chris, and children, 10-year-old Lucas, eight-year-old Allegra and six-year-old Scarlett involved with the home decorating decisions.
The kids’ bedrooms, in particular, reflect their personalities. Scarlett chose her lively Extinct wallpaper by Emma J Shipley for Clarke & Clarke and her Boss print artwork; Allegra asked for the rebellious, graffitied portrait artwork (from Rockett St George) that was originally in her parents’ bedroom; and once both daughters saw Lucas’ Rock On print by Nickie Kelly, they wanted their own hand gestures (Peace Out and Hope). Ash’s rock ‘n’ roll sense of style is clearly contagious.
The Playhouse
Handmade by an Englishman for his daughters, this playhouse was located in a huge villa in Sharjah. “When the family was planning to return to the UK, the father posted an advert in a mums’ group online. Two handymen, my brother-in-law and I drove to Sharjah to disassemble it – we had to mark each piece so we’d know how to put it back together.
“It’s a little bit worse for wear after its third move from our previous home in The Springs but we still love it.”
The rug is by local brand From Jaipur With Love, which supports traditional craftsmanship.
The Kitchen
Ash worked closely with designer Tarek Dawood at Kaiser to create her dream kitchen. The doors have a gorgeous textured finish in Putty Concrete for an urban feel, contrasting perfectly with the grey oak grain worktop in a cut timber effect.
The unusual Franke Belfast sink and Miele appliances complete the look. “Tarek had the idea for the L-shaped breakfast bar, which is genius – it has seating for five of us and it has totally changed the way we use this space.”
Like Young’s style? Follow the interior stylist on her Instagram page at @adoredecordxb and see more home interior transformations here.