2. ABOUT
Women-run, -owned and -operated, our ethos is one of full-body participation. Our work takes you into the world, and our spaces serve to inspire. For us, this means creating places where people’s experiences matter. Where ideas are Queen, new rituals are forged and where everything is deeply considered — from the Hinoki wood fragrance in the lobby to the shuka-shuka-shuka sound when you’re underwater in the pool, and how this reminds you of your own beating heart.
We know what love can look like and what beauty can feel like. We are always learning the joys and heights of human experience. At Islyn, we work with a throng of visionaries to bottle this lightning.
2. ABOUT
INTERIOR DESIGN
RESEARCH AND STRATEGY
CONCEPT DESIGN
SCHEMATIC DESIGN
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION
SKETCH ILLUSTRATIONS
PHOTOREALISTIC RENDERINGS
CUSTOM FURNITURE AND LIGHTING
ON SITE STYLING
ART CURATION
PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART DIRECTION
BRAND IDENTITY
NAMING
MISSION, VISION, VALUES POSITIONING
COPY WRITING
LOGO DESIGN
BRAND GUIDELINES
ART DIRECTION
COLLATERAL AND PACKAGING
ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHICS
PRINT PRODUCTION
SIGNAGE
UNIFORM DESIGN
EXPERIENTIAL
FRAGRANCE DEVELOPMENT
SOUND COLLABORATION
LIVE MUSIC PROGRAMMING
DAY TO NIGHT AMBIANCE
OPERATIONAL EXPLORATION
CLIENTS
Blue Flag Development
Highgate Hotels
Kimpton Hotels
Sage Hospitality
Dos Toros Taqueria
Heritage Hotels
Greats of Craft
Rhone
Kindbody
Bond Vet
City Block
Capital One
Jenna Perry Hair
Fury's
The Grove
Heineken
Ashley Wilkins
Founder / Creative Director
Ashley Wilkins founded Islyn in 2017 as a way to shift design into a kinder, more meaningful place. Hailing from the poppy’d coast of Northern California, Wilkins is inspired by the spiritual power inherent in beautiful places. With a focus on curiosity, collaboration and cultural storytelling, she and her team build immersive spaces where people can feel alive again — worlds to escape to, and to long for.
With a decade of experience at a wide swath of design firms, including Ace Hotel Group, Rockwell, Avroko and Creme Design she worked with clients like, Walt Disney Imagineering, Sydell Group, Four Seasons and Buzzfeed, Ashley is well-versed in the inner workings of large-scale hospitality, retail and commercial projects. Ashley holds a BFA in Interior Design from Ringling College of Art and Design.
Laura Hope
Senior Design Manager
Laura hails from the Midwest and moved to New York upon graduating with a degree in Interior Design from the University of Cincinnati. Specializing in hospitality design, Laura has worked in the field for over a decade, and has overseen the completion of many restaurant and hotel projects as senior design lead/manager.
A passionate traveler, Laura finds her inspiration in new places and experiences. She firmly believes that great design stems from curiosity and an open, collaborative team environment.
Emily Mark
Senior Project Manager
Emily, a Chicago-area native, studied architecture at Washington University in St. Louis. Upon graduation, she worked in residential architecture in Chicago for two years before moving to New York for a position with Soho House at their in-house design department. At Soho House she helped develop the new Austin location. After a couple more years in the residential space in New York, she has returned to the hospitality world with Islyn Studio. Her background in residential design and close relationships with clients in that field has helped her hone in on her dedication to client management and satisfaction.
Kara Pinakis
Art Director
Kara is a Branding Art Director passionate about story-driven art direction of visual identities and environments. Kara originally hails from Australia, where she garnered several years of experience in Interior Architecture, before moving to London to practice interior design. While most Graphic Designers think in flat print terms, her background in Interior Architecture provides a rare qualification to visualize in both 2D and 3D.
Kara developed brand strategy, brand identities, brand books, exhibitions, packaging, collateral, uniforms, signage, menus, illustrations, social media strategy, photography guidelines and environmental graphics at renowned hospitality design firms Brand Bureau and Crème Design. She has developed a wide range of identities and graphics for Hotel, Retail, Food and Beverage from permanent to pop-up.
Emily Febrizio
Associate Interior Designer
Emily Febrizio is an interior designer in Brooklyn, New York. Hailing from the salt-sprayed coast of Long Island, New York, her work culls influences from the art of the natural world, small, everyday delights, and the innate nostalgia of returning home after a long trip.
Her design practice involves in-depth historical research into culture, material and color, with a focus on sustainability and functional beauty. She graduated with a BFA in Interior Design from Pratt Institute, and believes good design can lead to a wider, richer life. When she’s not working, you can find her near the ocean with her camera.
Abigail Karle
Interior Designer
Abby, a native New Yorker, graduated in 2021 from Drexel University with a BS in Interior Design. Upon graduating, she began her professional career at Daroff Design Inc. in Philadelphia before transitioning to Islyn Studio. Abby believes that good design gets its cues from the surrounding environment and the consideration of factors such as historic knowledge, lived experience, and materiality. All of which come together to create effective and meaningful designs.
Colleen Smith
Interior Designer
Colleen studied at the University of Cincinnati where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design. During her time at Cincinnati, she lived and worked in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles gaining insight and experience with the design communities on both coasts. An Ohio native, Colleen moved back to New York upon graduating to further her career in hospitality design at Creme Design before starting at Islyn Studio. She has worked on numerous hotel and restaurants across the United States and internationally. She believes in the transformative power of spatial design and strives to look for creative and innovative ways to positively impact people through space.
Fast Company
9/9/2019
FastCompany 2019 Innovation by Design Awards Finalist for "The year’s most innovative designs in health and wellness" for Kindbody.
Contract Magazine
10/1/2019
This month, Contract looks to the up-and-coming interior design firms that are quickly making names for themselves as the design wave of the future. Their energy and fresh processes make for a bright collection of work that is sure to inspire.
Dezeen
7/19/2019
We received more than 4,500 entries from 87 different countries for the second edition of Dezeen Awards, which recognises the world's best architecture, interiors and design projects, as well as the best individuals and studios.
Dog Milk
6/11/2019
Brooklyn’s Bond Vet teamed up with Islyn Studio to design their first office with the goal of creating a space more welcoming and less anxiety-producing for dogs and cats (and their people, tbh). We love what came of their creative process.
HD Magazine
7/18/2019
The Sawmill Market in Albuquerque, New Mexico is slated to become the state’s first artisanal food hall upon its opening in February 2020. Located in the Sawmill District, the new urban market aims to bring a new dining experience to the city.
Domino
9/8/2019
Bond Vet, the first-ever vet’s office in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, that is leading the pack toward friendlier design in public health spaces.
Fast Company
9/9/2019
FastCompany 2019 Innovation by Design Awards Honorable Mention for "The most innovative North American design of 2019" for Kindbody.
Dezeen
12/18/2019
Islyn Studio creates soothing atmosphere in Brooklyn’s Bond Vet clinic. Earthy colours and soft materials feature in this veterinary facility which is intended to ease the "stress and trauma often associated with vet's …
Contract Magazine
4/30/2020
This week, we meet Ashley Wilkins, founder and creative director, Islyn Studio. The New York-based designer talks about how she got her start in the industry, what inspires her at work and at home, and how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the creative community.
HD Expo
5/7/2020
Emerging Trends: Leading-Edge Concepts in Wellbeing. From clubs to hotels focusing on wellbeing, the early adopters and changemakers weigh in as wellness continues to take centerstage in design.
HD Magazine
6/9/2020
As the world continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and adapt to these unprecedented times, HD is checking in with members of the hospitality industry around the globe to find out how their businesses are being impacted and what they anticipate will change down the line.
Dezeen
5/24/2020
New York's Islyn Studio has overhauled an old lumber warehouse in Albuquerque, New Mexico and turned it into a sun-lit food hall with various spots to indulge.
Design Milk
5/27/2020
Islyn Studio recently completed the interior design and brand identity of Sawmill Market, a contemporary food hall near Albuquerque inspired by New Mexico’s rich culture. Built within an old lumber warehouse, the food hall meticulously combines old and new to create a cultural hub true to the site’s heritage.
Arch Daily
6/1/2020
Sawmill Market is a contemporary interpretation of an unsung New Mexico — a place synonymous with electric pink sunsets, bleached white cow skulls, pinon pine and the otherworldly landscapes immortalized by Georgia O’Keeffe and D.H. Lawrence.
Architectural Digest
5/30/2020
The innovative 'Sawmill Market' project pays tribute to the entrepreneurial spirit of the American West and local culture through food and design. It is the New Mexico gastro contemporary laboratory.
The Spaces
6/10/2020
Albuquerque’s Sawmill Market has taken over a sprawling timber warehouse that has been totally reimagined by Islyn Studio in the city’s former industrial heartland.
Elle Decor
5/27/2020
Sawmill Market occupies an old warehouse with an area of 3716 square meters, located in the eponymous district of Albuquerque. Islyn Studios designed the food mall with its owners, Jim Long, Lauren Greene and Jason Greene.
HD Magazine
7/1/2020
"Its a place where you feel calm, safe and cared for in a place that makes you smile"
Boutique Design
6/4/2020
Described as “a new food and wine revolution in New Mexico” by Islyn Studio founder and creative director Ashley Wilkins, Sawmill Market overflows with a dose of culture from the Duke City.