We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Ludkowski and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart. Before starting Selva Studio, I worked between NYC and Guatemala for 6 years with a company as their Creative Director. Once I knew it was time to leave that company, it was only a natural progression to start my own business if I wanted to keep working between different countries and with all the skills I had learned. Selva Studio is a niche company with a niche clientele, and I wouldn’t have found the role I now play anywhere else.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Selva Studio is a design firm that has a deep focus on textiles. Not only do we offer full service residential and commercial design, but we work directly with a family of weavers in Mexico to produce hand dyed and woven textiles. This can range from a pillow to a 10 foot custom rug and everything in between. We are proud to pay our weavers their asking price per design and consider ourselves a team throughout the entire process, from initial design in Denver to completion of the product in Mexico.

The only way I was able to start this business was by living in Mexico, experimenting with artisans to see if I could make this dream of mine come to life. Fast forward two years later and we are here! And we are busy! Of course it wasn’t easy, especially when you start a business based in a different country than the one you live and in another language than the one you speak daily at home but its been worth it! There is nothing I enjoy more than bringing designs to life with unique products that are made with the highest quality.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Denver is a unique city and I don’t think you can get the full experience without visiting the mountains! For anyone looking to visit, I highly recommend making a day or two day trip at least an hour West of the city for some real Rocky Mountain experience! Evergreen is a great place to hike or keep going a bit to St. Mary’s glacier for some big mountain vibes and if you really want to go for it, Vail is one of my favorite moutain towns about 2 hours from Denver!

I am also an advocate for some authentic Mexican food, which Denver has a ton of!! You must try the green chile and Santiago’s breakfast burritos with green chili in them are the best!! I also adore North Denver, especially the Highlands, Sunnyside and Berkley neighborhoods. Take an afternoon to stroll down Tennyson street in Berkley then cruise on over to LoHi on 32nd and perhaps eat dinner at Ash’Kara, they have the most delicious Muhammara!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout to Stephanie Thornton Plymale at Heritage School of Interior Design!

Website: https://www.selvastudio.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/selvastudio.co/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aludkowski/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SelvaStudio.co/

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/SelvaStudioCo/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.