In the Design Industry Since: 2019

Accreditations/Experience Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Interior design and a minor in business. I have a strong passion for residential and commercial design. I was the Co-President of IIDA in my program and had the privilege of interning at Stewart and Company Furniture and Design. President's Circle Award recipient.

Inspiration to Pursue a Design Career:   I’ve always been creative and passionate for design and space planning. Being able to execute a client’s vision is why I’m an interior designer; it brings me so much joy!

Favorite Design Tip:  At the end of the day, trends don’t matter. It’s YOUR home and I’m simply here to execute your style and vision.

Best Advice to Clients:  Find out what’s most important to you. Whether it’s comfort, functionality, or aesthetic, my job as a designer is to include all three aspects into the design.

My Personal Design Aesthetic Is:  Texture, texture, texture! A fun pop of color goes a long way as well. Midcentury modern is my personal favorite aesthetic.

3 Words that Describe Me:  Innovative, Hardworking, Passionate

Ashley is a remarkable professional, extremely adaptive, and cooperative talent. She is very intuitive and observant.  She knows the business, is very familiar with the products and is quite skilled at utilizing technology to narrow our search while still giving us choices. She was able to answer any of our questions handily.

I don’t know anything about your business except this: I wish everyone we met in customer service had Ashley’s work ethic, acumen, and could engage our problems with realistic answers as accurately and successfully. She really made the difference for us.

It was a pleasure to find what we needed and to discover we have so many options. We’re extremely satisfied with the result and anxious for delivery. We look forward to continued business with Walter E Smithe and Ashley Baron.

We really think Ashley fulfilled your company commitment to: “helping our clients to love their homes through expert deign, quality furnishings and exemplary service.”  - Bill and Caroline, Naperville

"We have purchased from Walter E Smithe before. Every visit has been a positive experience. Our current living room set is more than 20 years old and still looks great. But it was time for an update. We requested a free in-home design consultation and Ashley Baron called to arrange our meeting. She arrived at our home and spent plenty of time speaking to us, taking photos and detailed measurements. Once she had a feel for our likes and dislikes, she left and set up a time to come to the Naperville store to review her ideas. She used some very cool VR tools to show on a big TV a virtual picture of our room. She added her initial ideas for the new items for us to view. Then she offered many alternative choices for us to view. We then went to the showroom and sat in several examples to see what was most comfortable for us. Ashley showed us several fabric samples, first her recommendations, then let us view all to see if we liked something different. We found for the most part we loved what Ashley had chosen. Ashley has a great eye for style and really understood what we were looking for in our update. She then added those fabrics to our virtual living room to show us exactly what it would look like. At no time did we feel any pressure or pointing us to or away from anything. It was an excellent experience. Ashley told us we were free to do this update in stages if we liked or add whatever we chose. And as I stated earlier, all this expertise was supplied at no charge. The quality of Walter E Smithe furniture is excellent. It has stood the test of time in our house with four growing sons and now four grandkids playing and wrestling over the years. It still looks great with no wear showing. WES is not cheap furniture. But in my opinion, you cannot beat the value. I'd much rather have excellent quality over some other "throwaway" furniture I've seen. We cannot thank Ashley Baron enough for all her help in choosing the items for our home. If you're in the market and you're near Naperville IL, ask for her." -John C.