Hi, I’m Ash Riffe Mcilrath.
This isn’t just design—it’s a reflection of what I believe in. I’m here to create work that matters, led by a commitment to quality and care.
My practice is rooted in a philosophy that treats design as a lasting conversation between past, present, and future. I pursue a holistic, client-centered approach that honors history, respects the environment, and elevates daily living through beauty, purpose, and restraint. My ethos rests on the following pillars:
Design Approach
Timeless Elegance
Enduring quality over fleeting trend: materials, proportions, and details are chosen for their permanence and evolving relevance.
Subtle luxury: quiet, refined surfaces, precise craftsmanship, and clarity of form that age gracefully without shouting for attention.
Proportion and restraint: elegant scale, restrained ornament, and thoughtful rhythm create spaces that feel inherently refined.
Biophilic Design
Nature as a core driver: daylight, views of greenery, natural ventilation, and organic forms connect occupants to the living world.
Material tactility: tactile textures, earthy tones, and natural fibers foster sensory richness and well-being.
Indoor-outdoor harmony: seamless transitions, courtyards, terraces, and garden rooms blur boundaries and invite seasonal changes.
Health and performance: design choices that support circadian rhythm, air quality, acoustic comfort, and mental clarity.
Sustainability & Longevity
Material honesty: provenance, lifecycle impact, and circularity guide every choice from sourcing to disposal.
Durable essentials: high-quality foundations (structure, finishes, systems) designed for resilience, repairability, and long service life.
Regenerative practices: energy efficiency, mindful water use, low-emission materials, and stewardship of resources throughout the project lifecycle.
Adaptive reuse where appropriate: extending the life of existing structures through sensitive intervention and modern clarity. .
Bold Colors & Artistic Flair
Color as a narrative: deliberate, expressive palettes that enliven spaces while maintaining legibility and balance.
Artistic collaboration: integration of commissioned artwork, crafts, and bespoke details that reflect client values and place.
Playful restraint: bold interventions are purposeful, anchored by quiet spaces and careful composition to avoid visual fatigue.
Layered meaning: color, texture, and light combine to reveal moods and moments that evolve with time of day and occupancy.
Historic Preservation
Contextual integrity: design respects and reveals the character-defining elements and narratives of a place.
Delicate modernization: technology and programmatic updates are integrated in a way that is reversible where possible and clearly distinguishable from historic fabric.
Storytelling through materiality: patinas, textures, and authentic references create a sense of continuity with the past while embracing contemporary needs.
Compliance with stewardship standards: collaboration with conservation guidelines, architects, and heritage authorities to balance preservation with progress.
Client-Centered, Purposeful Design
Humanity at the center: priorities emerge from listening—lifestyle, rituals, work patterns, and aspirations of each client.
Clarity of intent: every decision serves a defined objective, whether comfort, function, beauty, or meaning.
Transparent process: collaborative dialogue, phased milestones, and adaptive plans that respect budgets, timelines, and evolving goals.
Personal legacy: spaces that reflect identity, nurture relationships, and age gracefully alongside the people who inhabit them
Artful Synthesis
Integration over imposition: architecture, interiors, landscape, craft, and technology converge to create cohesive, breathable environments.
Quiet confidence: design speaks softly but with conviction—assertive in essence, generous in experience.
Ethical leadership: responsibility to clients, communities, and the planet guides every choice, from supplier selection to end-of-life considerations.
Applications & Practices
Integration over imposition: architecture, interiors, landscape, craft, and technology converge to create cohesive, breathable environments.
Quiet confidence: design speaks softly but with conviction—assertive in essence, generous in experience.
Ethical leadership: responsibility to clients, communities, and the planet guides every choice, from supplier selection to end-of-life considerations.
Outcome
A built environment that feels inevitable—elegant, responsible, and alive with presence. Spaces that honor the past, respond to present needs, and endure with beauty and purpose for generations to come.