MAY/JUNE 2019 | SOUTHERN HOME 38W
hen Courtney and John
Young decided to make the
move from Austin back to
Courtney’s native Houston
in the summer of 2017, they
also decided to take on a
renovation in their new home. And Courtney
knew right away who to call to spearhead the
project—Ashley Goforth of Ashley Goforth
Design. “Ashley has been one of my best friends
since sixth grade,” says Courtney, an event
planner and business owner. “Her designs are
so beautiful, and I couldn’t wait for the chance
to work together!”
Ashley was equally ecstatic about the oppor-
tunity to collaborate with her friend, who in
addition to planning the renovation project was
also planning to welcome a new addition. Baby
girl Blake was due in January 2018, which left the
devoted schoolmates roughly six months to turn
the 4,500-square-foot, circa 1997 house into a
dream dwelling place for the growing family.
“We are a very comfortable, casual family,”
Courtney says. “We wanted the house to be
well designed but also livable and playful.” For
the homeowners, that meant plenty of color.
“When we started, it was pretty bland with
a lot of gray and boring finishes, including
stone floors and tons of built-ins,” says Ashley.
“We ripped out all the built-ins and made space
for the furniture to breathe. We wanted to
bring some life and energy to the house with an
abundance of color, especially pink and purple.
Courtney even requested pink chairs!”
“Believe it or not, my husband was okay with
the pink,” laughs Courtney. “He gave us carte
blanche and wanted us to enjoy the design
process as much as possible.”
Once the friends landed on the posh and
peppy Raoul fabric for the den pillows, the
palette for the entire house came together,
including white-and-purple upholstery on a pair
of French chairs, a geometric lavender rug, and
gilded orbs. Piece by piece, Ashley carefully
selected furnishings that were simultaneously
chic yet approachable. And she added brilliant