Clean & Cultivated

Ansley Ghegan discovered design at an early age, and it has served her well. After honing her innate talent by working with noteworthy designers, she has discovered her own point of view, creating sophisticated but family-friendly spaces filled with style and ease

When trying to settle on a profession, many people take a few turns here and there, but for Ansley Ghegan, it was a straight path from the start.

As a 6-year-old, one of her favorite activities involved cutting samples at Lewis and Sheron Textiles while her mother and grandmother shopped for themselves and their friends. They also took her along to ADAC on their frequent trips, and when Ghegan was only 8, her Christmas list included a sewing machine so she could make her own pillows.

“I have always had a passion for design, art and creative endeavors from a very young age,” she says. “I still have shoeboxes filled with fabrics from my youth.” Just two weeks after graduating from the University of Georgia, Ghegan landed a position with Carter Kay and later worked for Beth Webb.

“I learned so much from each of them—really invaluable knowledge about running a business, working with clients and developing my eye,” she explains. Now with her own firm, Ghegan is using that knowledge to help families create engaging and comfortable spaces. She describes her style as transitional with an affinity for including pretty antiques to bring a layered look, using accessories with discretion and favoring a primarily neutral palette shot through with strokes of color.

With three young girls, she’s also attuned to rooms that evoke sophistication but are still practical and child-friendly. Her new obsession is Crypton. “This fabric is amazing—it’s bomb proof—you can spill anything on it and it doesn’t soak in,” she says. “You would never know about the practicality when looking at it—there’s faux linen, chenille—really good-looking and -feeling finishes.”

In the home of clients Bradley and Richard Soseebe, the designer’s signatures come through beautifully. Serene neutrals are infused with pretty shades of Bradley’s favorite blue. In every room, there’s something that engages the eye, like the loop-fringed ottomans from Bungalow Classic (a favorite resource) in the study/playroom, the barstools in the kitchen with an industrial vibe and the glass-front, weathered cabinet in the master bathroom niche.

Ghegan is currently hard at work on her own home in Atlanta’s Meadowbrook neighborhood, which she and her husband, Dru, decided to tear down and rebuild from scratch. Her three girls may have some strong opinions when it comes to their rooms—the phrase “like mother, like daughter” will surely apply.