Sibling Revelry

Decorator Ariel Ashe and her sister, Alexi, decided to go in together on a Connecticut country home. Never mind that Alexi’s husband and young son are part of the package—luckily, she is married to talk-show host and comedian Seth Meyers, whose natural good humor keeps things light.

WE WERE HIGH-SCHOOL FRESHMEN in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when Ariel Ashe first allowed people a glimpse into one of her singular visual worlds. The designer and co-founder, alongside architect Reinaldo Leandro, of design firm Ashe + Leandro, was a relatively shy, self-contained kid, so it was a surprise to learn she’d written a play, which she planned to direct herself. “Of course I remember The Fashionate Kiss!” exclaims Ashe’s sister, Alexi Ashe Meyers. “It was a completely original idea based off of a book she had read, and also her love of fashion and set design.” Though Alexi can vividly recall the anthropomorphized characters (there were a bee and a cheetah, among others) and the distinct way that each one moved (Ariel collaborated with her classmate Jillian Peña, now an esteemed choreographer), as well as the irreverent sound track (Blue Swede’s cover of “Hooked on a Feeling” featured prominently), she can’t remember a single plot point.

In what now seems like a foreshadowing of Ashe + Leandro’s signature aesthetic, the aim of The Fashionate Kiss was mainly experiential: Ariel wanted to curate an entire sensory reality and generate a little jewel box of time that transported us to a prettier, calmer, and more inspiring place.