Our Designer of the Year Sophie Ashby on decorating her rented Georgian house | Design Notes

Just as the pandemic hit, Sophie Ashby and her husband, the fashion designer Charlie Casely-Hayford, moved into an early 19th-century house in Spitalfields. It was a rental–an opportunity to enjoy more space than they had in their small flat in West London, and a stop-gap before buying a house of their own. Rather than being frustrating as an interior designer–indeed, House & Garden’s current Interior Designer of the Year–and restricted by the limitations of what you can do to rental property. ‘Actually, I found it really liberating’, she says. ‘I didn’t have to worry about any of the architectural framework of the building. It had already been made beautiful so I was able to come in and fill it up with beautiful things.’ Subscribe to House & Garden ►► CONNECT WITH HOUSE & GARDEN Web: Twitter: Facebook: Instagram: Pinterest: Newsletter: ABOUT HOUSE & GARDEN House & Garden has, for 70 years, set the gold standard in design and decoration for the home. House & Garden covers “the well-lived life”. As well as covering the most beautiful homes and gardens, House & Garden extensively features travel, wine & food, lifestyle and shopping.