Art director and designer Abby Ward brought a little Palm Beach to the big city with her bright blue powder bath. We chatted with Abby about the space, as well as working with the likes of Tory Burch and interior designer, Ariel Okin.
From working for Tory Burch to crafting gorgeous mood boards for the likes of Ariel Okin, you’ve had quite an interesting (and inspiring!) career path. Tell us a little about what you do, and how you got started?
After working as an Art Director at Tory Burch in both NYC and LA for over a decade, I started seriously thinking about going out on my own. In January of this year, I decided to take the leap and launched my business. Since then, I have been working on branding and editorial content for individuals in the world of interior design and fashion, many of whom I’ve had the good fortune of meeting through relationships I built on both coasts early on in my career. I love the mix of clients and projects that have come my way and it’s been exciting to help these brands tell their story.
We love this bright blue bathroom. With so many amazing wall coverings to choose from, what made you land on this one from Ariel’s Collection?
I was immediately drawn to Ariel’s Palm Beach wallpaper when we started working together on the mood boards for her Chasing Paper wallpaper launch. Palms always make me smile — they remind me of Los Angeles where I used to live and of course Palm Beach which I’ve been visiting forever. I took a swatch of the paper and taped it to the wall of the powder room I had been wanting to redo since we moved into our home. I loved seeing that cheery little piece and couldn’t wait to cover the walls!
You used a picture frame from Aerin for your mirror– genius! Any other decor tricks up your sleeve that we should know about?
A simple trick that makes a big impact is repainting or swapping out the hardware (round oil rubbed bronze knobs are my go-to) on an affordable side table or dresser from Chairish or an antique store. I also love using found beach objects as decorative pieces and framing pages from vintage botanical books.
Abby outfitted her bathroom with Light Blue Piped Hand Towels with a single-letter Perry monogram in matching light blue thread.
Our customers love to see fun towel / wallpaper combos! Any other fun ideas for combos using Ariel’s Chasing Paper collection?
Yes! I love the Long Robe in Tullie paired with Ariel Okin's Ikat Stripe in light blue. I also love the French Blue piping paired with Ariel Okin's Hydrangea paper in green!
As a creative, where are you turning for insipiration?
Abby wears our Long Robe in Parker Pink. Her sweet son, Will, is wrapped up in a Baby Hooded Towel with light blue gingham piping and River embroidery in green!
Quick-fire:
Recent splurge for home:
Recent saves for home:
If this piqued your interest in Ariel Okin's wallpaper collection with Chasing Paper, we interviewed the designer about the collaboration here!
