By Robin Miller, The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La. (Tribune News Service)

Ashley Gilbreath originally planned to study architecture at Auburn University but quickly switched her major to interior design.

It wasn’t that the Baton Rouge native didn’t like architecture, she did. But she discovered that her true passion was for interior design, which has resulted not only in the success of her Montgomery, Alabama-based business, Ashley Gilbreath Interiors, but also a 2017 HGTV special, “Sweet Home Renovations.”

Her latest venture has been her first book, “Joy of Home,” released on April 18 by Gibbs Smith Publishing. The 85-page coffee-table book sells for $42.50 and explores Gilbreath’s fresh approach to Southern decorating guided by her respect for family and tradition with an eye on practicality and warmheartedness.

The book also reveals the breadth of Gilbreath’s casually elegant style and gives readers insight into her design process, striking a balance between functionality, comfort and beauty.

For her, the family thread in a home is important, something that can be passed down from generation to generation. It can be as simple as using a favorite color to unify a design throughout the home. Or, as she puts it, “a forever home that can mature with the family over time.” The book also looks at Gilbreath’s signature design strategies, including her artful mixes of new and old pieces and using favorite custom treatments to create a welcoming spirit grounded in tradition.

“Balancing form and function with memory and emotion, home is a place for people to embrace family and celebrate life’s joys,” she said.

Gilbreath’s designs have been featured in Southern Living, Veranda, House Beautiful, LUXE, Southern Home, Coastal Living and Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles. She’s designed interiors in homes from Florida to New York, and she’s booked through 2025.

Though Gilbreath makes her home in Alabama with husband Barrett and their three children, Cates, Rhett and Liza, she often travels home to Baton Rouge to visit with her parents, Ernie and Emily Freeman.

Gilbreath was working on a job site in Rosemary Beach, Florida, when The Advocate caught up with her. Here’s what she had to say.

Tells us about your Baton Rouge ties.

I went to Episcopal High School, and I actually just hung up with my mama, who is leaving Baton Rouge to come to see me right now. And I was recently there for Mother’s Day, so Baton Rouge is very near and dear to me.

Why did you choose Auburn University for your college education?

My mom, at the time, said LSU was the No. 1 party school, and her family is an Auburn family. So, she said, “I can’t let you go to the No. 1 party school under my nose. You have to go away for a minute.” All that to say I went away, and I clearly had no fun at all. I’m just teasing. I had fun, but it was not under her nose to say the least. I went to Auburn, but all of my best friends went to LSU, and I still cheer for the Tigers like they’re mine.

So, who do you cheer for when LSU plays Auburn?

I wear purple, and I say, “We’re all tigers.” And I sing both fight songs. It just depends on who I’m standing next to, how much trouble I get into.

Your business takes you on the road. Has it ever brought you to Baton Rouge?

Well, we’re doing a show house there right now, but I can’t say which one it is yet, because it hasn’t been announced.

One of our favorites was a project in Baton Rouge that’s featured in the book.

Editor’s Note: The Baton Rouge project is featured in the book’s chapter, “On the Edge of Modern,” which states that its location is in a neighborhood east of the LSU campus. Neither Gilbreath nor the book reveal the house’s address.

Tell us about your method of incorporating family and traditions into your work.

We are in the service industry and we are here to make sure that we are giving the client what they’re looking for in terms of the look that they want and how it functions for them and what their needs are and what their wants are.

We give them some homework before we start. We ask for some very specific things in terms of homework. Typically, it’s a list of likes and dislikes and functionality ideas in terms of how well things actually need to function for them and where their priorities are.

Is the result something they can pass to the next generation?

Yes, 100%, that’s the idea. It’s an investment in family, an investment in just really spending time together in a functional way.

Do clients usually like incorporating old furniture into their schemes?

Typically? Yes. Typically, we have old pieces that we get to work with and design around, which is always fun because these pieces are sentimental.

What is your favorite living space to design?

You know, I think the space changes with each client and each job. But the family room is probably the easy, simple answer. A family room is always really fun to work with, because it’s where the heart of the entertainment is and where you hang out.

And I’d say the kitchen and the breakfast room is where you just envision these precious people doing life. You get a picture of them in there, and you enjoy the process of designing it with them.

It’s fun figuring out where dad’s chair will be and where mom is going to sit and where we’re going to cut up and watch a movie. It helps to really bring it to life.

What are some design tips you give along the way?

We work from a furniture plan that we develop upfront with our clients. We walk through it with them and say, “OK, you know, this is what we think we need to go in this hole here, and if you’re out and you see something that looks like this, text me a quick picture and let’s make sure that it works.”

How far in advance do clients need to schedule with you?

We are scheduled into 2025 at the moment. These projects take a lot of time. We work with a client from anywhere between two and three years. There’s not a lot of us to go around, and it’s a detailed process.

It’s a lot of fun, and you end up becoming a part of their family.

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