words
“The presentation of a sequence of clay fonts on the floor of the Retrochoir in Winchester Cathedral marks Ashley Howard’s most courageous and physically demanding artistic project yet, and a very rare opportunity for audiences to engage with contemporary ceramics in new ways in this particular setting."
— Amanda fielding
ritual and setting 2009
"The Artesia Hotel is such a profoundly genuine place. If I could personify it, I’d say Artesia is an artistic city girl who dreams of one day retiring in the countryside. She wants to make guests feel like they’re stepping into her dream home, a commune that’s an amalgamation of all the things she loves, but with roots still firmly in the heart of London.”
— Skye Landvik, Travel Blogger, March 4, 2016
"Before it was The Artesia Hotel, the Kensington Warehouse stored some of London’s finest chocolates and confections. Hotel co-owners Bethany Rawlings and Oliver Sears have kept the atmosphere sweet, but have mixed in an air of sophistication that’s alluring and comforting.”
— Placeholder Publication, October 29, 2015
“There is a pattern in the working lives of the two ceramicists Ashley Howard and Martin Lungley that recalls one of the chief characteristics of Thomas Hardy’s epic novels, which is the way the lives of the main characters interact. In an elegant narrative Hardy’s heroes meet and part, crossing and uncrossing, responding to various forces and pressures, but always finding themselves pursuing their own ideas and intentions – lives in parallel.”
— emmanuel cooper
full circle 2004
"The attention to detail here makes you think you’re stepping into an artist’s villa. There’s a ton to do in the hotel, but the staff encourages you to explore things off the beaten path. You feel like the locals are letting you in on their secrets.”
— A NEWSPAPER, JULY 16, 2015
"There is a certain familiarity and timelessness to The Artesia Hotel. We’ve seen a lot of warehouses gutted into bland, sterile, and corporate spaces. The co-owners have somehow managed to do just the opposite. Architecturally, this place is a tribute to the factories of old London, but the interiors are all about London’s identity as a world city.”