Slow, beautiful things with Corey Ashford
Teleisha Thomas
March 2026
Since launching his namesake studio in 2016, Melbourne-based designer and maker Corey Ashford has been quietly elevating the everyday. Drawing on his background of a decade in luxury retail, Corey creates pieces that blur the line between functional object and sculptural art.
Today, his pieces are found at some of Australia's most respected design destinations, from Dinosaur Designs to the National Gallery of Victoria, and have been featured in Vogue, Broadsheet, and Gourmet Traveller. We caught up with Corey to talk about building a design practice, the balance between beauty and function, and why every day deserves a little luxury
Your pieces are described as designed for "slow, luxurious living". Where did this philosophy come from, and why was it important to centre your studio around it?
I think it's become less of a philosophy and more of a filter. As life continues to move faster, I'm increasingly drawn to rituals that slow us down and help us feel grounded, even in the simplest everyday tasks. Luxury, to me, is time, calm and presence. If one of my pieces can bring a moment of pause to someone's day, that's the goal.
Cast from real oyster shell, your brass incense holders are distinctive. Tell us about developing that technique.
I wanted the Oyster Incense Holder to feel timeless, as if it had always existed. It's inspired by natural history and the idea of old, well-loved cast objects. Finding the right shell took time, and I lived with the drilled shell day-to-day before sand-casting the piece in various metals. I settled on brass because it patinas with time and use, becoming unique to its owner. It can always be polished back to a mirror finish, but I prefer it left natural.
Are there particular designers, periods, or places you keep coming back to for inspiration?
I'm influenced by a mix of organic and refined references – the fluid forms of Halston and Elsa Peretti, the artistry of Picasso and Dalí, and the refinement of Tom Ford. The ocean is also a constant reference point for me. After
spending time in Athens and Hydra last year, I became increasingly drawn to forms shaped by the sea, natural and manmade, eroded rather than constructed. That softness, the loss of sharp edges over time, is something influencing this year's pieces. I spent a lot of time in the Sydney rock pools as a child, and I think that early connection is why the ocean continues to show up so strongly in my work.
Your practice is built around the idea that everyday objects deserve to be beautiful. What's one everyday object in your own home that embodies that for you?
An organic, hand-blown water glass I use all day, every day. It
catches the light in a subtle way and feels good in the hand. I take it from room to room without thinking about it. At that point, it stops feeling like just a water glass and becomes part of daily life.
What's on the horizon for the studio? New materials, new forms, new directions?
I'm in a very active phase right now. I'm sketching every day and refining a lot of new designs, playing with scale and materiality. I'm also looking for a new studio space, with the aim of opening it up to the public later this year. It feels like the start of a new chapter, with more opportunity for interaction and conversation with collectors and customers.
