By Jennifer Tseng
When interior designer Ashley Liu showed up at the construction site of her first major project, the Renaissance Atlanta Airport Gateway Hotel, wearing high heels and clutching a small pink suitcase, her clients were stunned. She quickly realized the reason why: “There were no stairs and no walls. To get up to the second floor, I had to climb up a wooden ladder.” If she had fallen, she would have died, Ashley said. “All I could think of at the time was, Oh, I really shouldn’t dress like this next time.”
Undeterred by this initial faux pas, the starry-eyed designer threw herself into the project with the naïve courage of a rookie, and her creativity soared. To the astonishment of her boss, this seemingly inconspicuous airport hotel brought her employer, Rottet Studio, one of the industry’s prestigious international honors, the 2017 Best of Year Award, and the project was featured on the cover of Interior Design magazine.
For Ashley, the lead designer for the project, the pinnacle of her satisfaction came when she saw the space she had painstakingly labored over brought to life by the people in it. There were business travelers at work on the rocking chairs she designed, strangers bonding over drinks at the bar, and guests doodling on a blank poster she had hung in the hotel studio, thus leaving pieces of their story behind for others to discover. “In that moment, the meaning and purpose of my work deepened exponentially. This is exactly the vibe I had hoped to create for everyone.”
At Renaissance Atlanta Airport Gateway Hotel, the vision is “business unusual,” a unique travel experience for its guests._Courtesy of Rottet Studio 
Hotel guests are encouraged to leave little messages on the blank poster roll for other travelers to discover._Courtesy of Rottet Studio The hotel’s decor offers a sense of welcome and arrival for its busy travelers._Courtesy of Rottet Studio
Brick by Brick
In the years since that initial triumph, Ashley received many accolades, including the 2019 Best Resort Hotel by Ahead Awards, and being named an Honoree of the Designer Rising Star award by HiP Awards.
Yet, the road to success was not easy. “Moving from Taiwan to New York really opened my eyes. When [most people] visit, they see a beautiful city bustling with life, but you have to really live and work here to truly understand the struggles of being a foreign student and immigrant.”
The cost of living in New York is high, and combined with the tuition for an international student, Ashley’s ambitions placed a heavy burden on her family’s finances. The difficulties only hardened her resolution to cherish each opportunity and persevere.
In her student days, Ashley knew that her English skills wouldn’t be able to compete with those of a native speaker. So, in addition to putting in many sleepless hours learning everything from architectural regulations to plumbing, she taught herself 3D Max—a modeling, rendering, and animation software.
“It was a complicated program …, but I kept at it until my teachers and peers were able to pick out my design at a glance. That was when I knew I had succeeded. Now I don’t spend too much time explaining my concepts; my work speaks for itself.,” she said.
To laypeople, interior design is synonymous with buying pretty decorations. In reality, it’s a lot of problem solving, according to Ashley. An interior designer needs more than just an eye for beauty; one must have sufficient knowledge across many fields to communicate with a team.
One of Ashley’s biggest challenges when she first entered the workforce was learning to take meeting minutes. Faced with an onslaught of professional terminologies thrown out by consultants ranging from fire safety engineers to electricians, Ashley was clueless.
“I couldn’t understand a word they said. I didn’t even know how to spell it.” Instead of taking the easier way out by asking her colleagues, Ashley pushed herself to look up every word. “I think it’s the innate pride of a Taiwanese; we don’t like to trouble others. … The process was very tedious and might even seem dumb, but all that knowledge is now permanently welded into my mind.”
Metamorphosis
Had you asked a young Ashley over a decade ago what her plans were after completing her master’s degree, she would have answered: “Return to Taiwan and start my own studio.” Never in her wildest imagination had Ashley thought she would spend so many years away from home, though looking back now, she has no regrets.
For Ashley, there are no right or wrong decisions in life, but rather, it’s about finding your path. “Your life experience will push you in the direction that you’re meant to go. Every decision you make will somehow direct you toward the people you should meet, the places you need to be, and lead you to become who you’re meant to be in that stage of life.”
In her high school days, Ashley loved street dancing. However, not wanting their daughter to be sidetracked from academic studies, Ashley’s parents forbid her from joining a dance club. Reluctant to give up this passion, she secretly skipped meals to save up money for lessons.
“Dancing gave me a lot of inspiration. At the beginning, I had no idea how to dance, so I copied the teachers’ every move—how to find the beat, how to groove with the music. Eventually, when I got enough experience under my belt, I discovered I no longer needed to mimic them—I could dance on my own.” Similarly, through poring over the works of legendary designers, Ashley learned to harness their cumulated knowledge and develop her unique style.
In 2021, Ashley made the decision to pursue her longtime dream and open her own design studio, LIU Interiors. “I am not one for regrets. I kept thinking, if I don’t give it a try, 10 years later, I’ll still be thinking about it, so why not do it now?”
An Unexpected Blessing
Starting a business comes with many risks, and this pressure weighed heavily on Ashley’s mind. What if no new projects came in? Would it be wise to forego her current company and all its high-profile projects?
Despite all her doubts and concerns, Ashley knew that she was ready for change. “I knew I had to break away at some point. Letting go is the only way for me to start fresh and pursue a new life. Then immediately after quitting my job, I got pregnant.”
“I’ve always wanted kids. I just didn’t think it would be at this moment. My business was still up in the air, but the baby was already here. However, I do believe that everything in life is a gift from the heavens. This was meant to be.”
Having a child changed everything. Before her son was born, Ashley worked round the clock, sleeping only four hours a day. In fact, she was sending out emails to her clients even as she lay in the delivery ward waiting to give birth.
“I had thought I would jump right back to working full time after having my son. Then, as I laid eyes on my baby, I began to wonder: Maybe I should give him more of my time.” Suddenly, Ashley understood why so many women are willing to sacrifice their careers to be stay-at-home moms. “It’s such a wonderful and fulfilling thing, watching your child develop day by day. ”
When her son was just a few months old, Ashley was invited to attend a mentorship program hosted by the Taiwanese Junior Chamber of Commerce. While sharing her experience and expertise with the students there, Ashley felt as if she were seeing younger versions of herself.
Even though she was a mother, Ashley felt that she shouldn’t forget her aspirations and why she came to New York: “My son has brought me so much joy, but I needn’t limit myself to solely caring for him. In fact, it is his arrival that inspired me to rethink the meaning of life, to become a better person, and use all that I have learned to benefit our society. Recalling how her former boss had helped with her career, she said, “Now it’s my turn to pass this knowledge down.”
