Designer Series: Ali Budd

Ali Budd is a force of pure creative energy. Featured in Vogue, Architectural Digest, and beyond, she leads an all-women team of 12 while simultaneously filming her hit Hulu series, House of Ali, which just wrapped Season 2.  Step inside some of her favorite interior moments.

Welcome to PJ's Designer Series where we spotlight standout designer projects and incredible stories. Each feature delves into the creative process and inspiration behind some spectacular interiors. At Ali Budd Interiors, the team focuses on creating rooms that are a “moment” for their clients.  Ali has been designing some of the most chic interiors in Canada and the US since 2010. She operates out of her Toronto studio, designing fresh and bold spaces that her clients love to call home. 

(Left) Photographer: Mekenzie Loli (Right) Photographer: Mekenzie Loli

She’s also the star of “House of Ali,” her show on Hulu, which just finished filming season two and will be out later this year. Among her current projects, she’s designing the Betches office in NYC and just launched her new line of tile with Artistic Tile.

A (childhood) dream dining room

When Ali’s best friend bought a house two streets away from her, not only did it fulfill a dream they’d had since they were kids, but also gave her a big design challenge. “It was a tear down and rebuild,” so Ali had to create the home’s character from scratch.

Enter Beat - a freeform brushstroke mural that looks hand painted on the wall and was love at first sight for Ali. “We couldn’t wait to use it.” They filled the room with clean and simple furniture to ensure the wallpaper gets all the attention. Trusting BFF Ali completely as a designer paid off. “She was crying and all the things when she saw it.”

9538 Daybreak
Photographer: Tim Williams

Frame to a stunning view
A unique five-sided window looking out onto the Atlantic ocean called for a special wallpaper to surround it. “The restraints of the sloped roofline ceiling meant we had to be intentional and wrap the space with something beautiful.”

Ali and her team had seen the painterly and nature-inspired Daybreak at a presentation and flagged it as a ‘must-have’ for a future project. “We loved it and when we showed the client how it worked perfectly in the space, she just loved it. It’s the star of that little room.”

(Left) Photographer: Mekenzie Loli (Right) Photographer: Mekenzie Loli

An accent is not a moment

Ali says no to accent walls. “Do the room or don’t! Wallpaper is such a beautiful resource and plays such an important role when I'm creating. It can be the whole moment.”

Custom Rivets in navy is the whole moment for this bedroom. One of Phillip Jeffries’s most popular collections, the gorgeous metallic grid of Rivets takes center stage and the furniture and decor remain subtle. “Rivets is so iconic, it looks expensive!”

9136 Offset
Photographer: Mekenzie Loli

Design Style: Classic & Cool

A lakeside “cottage” may bring to mind a charming but weathered aesthetic, but in this sleek home on Lake Muskoka, a summer playground for Canadians and Americans alike, it’s chic, not shabby.

Family lake homes are tradition there, and Ali wanted to bring a unique but non-trendy style to each bedroom. Phillip Jeffries Vinyl Reconstructed, in bold black and white, was the perfect fit.

“I love black and white, it’s classic. And mixing it with the more natural elements like the bed makes it timeless. With secondary residences, people are more inclined to take risks, so we pushed boundaries by going bold, but it’s still cool after several years.”