You know those people who are cooler than you? Yeah, me too. They’re the ones who are always put together—and I don’t mean just washed hair and mostly stain-free shirts, I mean they’re pressed, glowing and smell like flowers.
It’s easy for me to dislike people like this—except when they’re so damn likeable.
That’s Joel and Erika Snayd in a mid-century-inspired nutshell. (And probably their 4-year-old son Rye, too—because how do you descend from discerning design thinking without getting some on you?)
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The husband-and-wife team landed in Savannah via New York to form their successful interior architectural, design and branding firm Rethink Design Studio in 2005. Since then, Joel and Erika have bedecked Savannah’s homes and commercial spaces with style. This past December, they upped the aesthetic ante by adding another layer when they launched their lifestyle brand Asher + Rye.
Housed along with Rethink Studio in a three-story former all-black Catholic School run by Franciscan nuns that’s tucked into a residential portion of the eastern perimeter of Savannah’s Historic District, Asher + Rye is a perfect complement to the brand the Snayds have steadily and intentionally built in our Hostess City.
“Our passion is definitely in the simplicity of life as well as the beauty,” says Erika. “Anything we buy, it’s because we see the quality and because it represents the lifestyle that we want. We go to market and go to the artisan side so we can get specialized things.”
When I walk into the studio, this intersection of simplicity, beauty and quality is clear. I want to stay. (Okay, full disclosure, I want to be a squatter.) The Snayds’ design style is unique. It’s not a commercial showroom you can find on the pages of a Crate and Barrel catalogue, nor is it filled with too much preciousness. Drawing from Scandinavian influences, the brand is modern, functional, personal, transparent and inviting as evidenced by the layering of one-of-a-kind market finds that live in a series of cozy curated vignettes throughout the studio.
From Simply Curated candles (Guava Fig, $32, is a best seller) and jewelry crafted by artisans around the world, to Farmhouse Pottery and Morihata textiles, Asher + Rye is the perfect place to find both stunning pieces for your home and special gifts for your friends (Salt boxes! Vases! Woven purses, oh my!) that also fall within a wide range of price points.
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And, if style is contagious, I plan on visiting often. And if it’s not, I’ll simply ask Joel and Erika for their guidance, which they’ll openly share with me, in my mostly stain-free shirt and my best of intentions.
Photos courtesy of Izzy Hudgins for Rethink Design Studio.
Asher + Rye, 554 E. Gordon St., 912-236-3022