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  • Ashley Clark of Skout boutique

    Ashley Clark of Skout boutique

  • Clark says that white walls and bedding allow for more...

    Clark says that white walls and bedding allow for more contrast with pops of color from key decor accessories like bright throws and pillows.

  • La Cornue ranges

    La Cornue ranges

  • Peinture Studiosat SoCo

    Peinture Studiosat SoCo

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One to Watch: Ashley Clark’s Ban on Beige

        Interior decorator Ashley Clark is one to watch on the Orange County design scene. The Salt Lake City native lives in Newport Beach with her husband and four kids, and is staking her design claim with an online shop as well as a growing roster of residential design clients. Clark’s boutique, Skout, specializes in pillows and accessories made of vintage fabrics (think everything from African mud cloth to recycled denim), while her interior design work is all about creating homes that reflect her clients’ personalities and lifestyles. “I like quirk. I don’t want people’s homes to feel like a model home – too perfect or no personality,” says Clark, who often mixes high and low elements. “I’m able to incorporate some Home Depot or Ikea into a million-dollar home.”

        When it comes to making high functioning, high-impact spaces, Clark relies on her favorite color (white) and then plays off that canvas with strategic bursts of color, art and pattern. “I love contrast, like white sofas, because pillows, art and accessories ‘pop’ off them. I love dark sofas for the same reason.” Her least favorite design element? “Tan or beige sofas – as in everything blends. Yuck!”

        When it comes to papering walls, Clark takes a less-is-more approach. Relying on both hip and traditional companies such as Farrow & Ball, Hygge & West, as well as Cole & Son, she prefers papering just one wall in a room or taking wallpaper to the ceiling. “I love wallpaper in small spaces. It makes a bigger impact!”
:: shopskout.com

Spring Fling
Head to Farrow & Ball’s new Costa Mesa showroom and access hundreds and hundreds of wall coverings from the British company. Previously only available to the trade, Farrow & Ball’s papers and eco-friendly paints are still made in Dorset, England, and this spring’s collection of modern takes on classic designs offers a subtle punch of style to any room.
:: farrow-ball.com :: 714.438.2448

Hot Stuff
Couture cooking? We’ll take a double serving. La Cornue ranges are serious artisan-manufactured stoves and ovens, now available to your specifications in size and color. Our pick for the French-made ovens? Tiffany Blue, the pinnacle of culinary chic.
Available at Pirch :: thepirch.com :: 949.429.0800

Furniture Rehab
Looking for a fresh take on the annual spring clean? Peinture Studios painting workshops give DIY decorators an ace resource for rehabbing furniture and bringing new life to rooms. Here’s the concept: Bring in your own piece of furniture to the studio at SoCo and learn the tricks to refurnishing both heirloom and new pieces by using chalk paint which, unlike other paints, requires no sanding or priming. A great variety of colors is available, whether you want to redo grandma’s dining chairs in Shabby Chic white or can’t-miss salmon. Classes are $95 and are offered April 7, 12 and 18.
:: peinturestudios.com :: 714.427.0668