about

creative director

Ashley Botten is a creator of experiential interiors, outdoor environments, bespoke furniture and artful objects for the home. A deeply refined appreciation of quality and artistry is at the core of her sensibilities. Abd interiors are uniquely curated with a calming sense of balance and proportion, where every detail is intentional and the material palette primarily natural. Ashley is highly attuned to capturing singular moments within a room and revealing the exceptional beauty of everyday living.

Born and raised in Toronto, Ashley credits her intuitive aesthetic to a wealth of lived experiences and a love for art, travel, architecture and fashion. Her mother’s natural ability to style the family’s homes was an early influence, as was growing up immersed in the hospitality world where her father was a marketing director for luxury hotels in Toronto and Boston. Before establishing abd in 2008, Ashley began her career in fashion and home retail environments and as a production crew member for an interior design television series.

The studio’s operations are team-based and deeply collaborative, working closely with local artisans, architects, fabricators, contractors and clients on family homes, multi-generational retreats, workspaces and retail shops. Product collaborations include furnishings for Avenue Road, carpets for The Rug Company and bronze pieces made in collaboration with L.A. artist Nancy Pearce.

Now with projects in Toronto, New York, San Francisco and Palm Beach, Ashley continues to expand her practice with custom furniture online and on-view at her semi-public showroom and exhibition space in Toronto’s west end. Future endeavours include bespoke fragrances and hospitality environments.

we love how creativity can flow from fashion, art and architecture and be reshaped into furniture, objects and environments.

we consider creating an emotional act with its own kind of drumbeat. sometimes it’s instinctive and happens quickly. Other times it takes a while to be discovered.

we believe the design journey is always bespoke.

we continually make, think, seek, touch and find, but mostly we feel.

we are fearless about aging. objects and spaces only grow richer with time.

we view subtle imperfections found in natural materials as tiny works of art.

we believe you can sense a room is perfect the moment you arrive.

we consider scent the invisible layer that makes a space feel like home.

we believe elegance has its own kind of intelligence.

we prefer to live in the moment rather than scroll.

we regard creativity to be a team effort.

family, friends and colleagues mean everything to us.

we love hearts as a constant reminder that emotion is always at the core.

we really do love hearts, but chocolate is the spice of life.

we promise to always give back.

Please email us at careers@ashleybottendesign.com with your resume and a brief introduction.