CONVERSATION WITH ASHLEY PORTER

Founder of Porter Lyons, Ashley Porter has been designing jewelry for over a decade—pieces that act as amulets of transformation, energy, and memory. Through her work, she explores the mystical unknown and the stories that live in between worlds.

A woman browses a jewelry display case filled with necklaces, earrings, and polished stones, the kind of artisan shopping moment Atelier Curioso weaves into a curated itinerary.

THE FOUNDATION

NAME:

Ashley Porter

CURRENT LOCATION:

New Orleans

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON?

A new collection centered on Superstitions, exploring how we make meaning out of mystery and how folklore shapes our understanding of the unknown.

A woman with long wavy brown hair, a black sleeveless dress, and a large black hat sits on a green upholstered chair, an elegant portrait from the Atelier Curioso brand world.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

I started my brand thirteen years ago with a fascination for found alligator backbones. That curiosity eventually evolved into fine jewelry, where I fell in love with the idea of creating something that lasts—something that might be passed down or never taken off.

Each piece, to me, acts as an amulet—a way to mark transformation, to hold energy and memory.

NEW ORLEANS

CITY NOTES

A personal take on the place you call home—or know best

I grew up in San Francisco, spent time in New York with Balenciaga and Ralph Lauren, and lived in Los Angeles before finding my heart in New Orleans. This city holds a pulse that just moves differently.

It’s soulful, alive, and beautifully unpredictable—like time itself bends here. There’s magic in the air.

MORNING RITUAL:

Coffee (and sippy cups) on the porch with my three kids, watching the cardinals at the bird feeder. It’s our little moment of stillness before the day begins.

The silhouette of a large tree hung with chimes, with benches and a body of water in the background at sunset, an evocative scene from an Atelier Curioso escape.

FAVORITE SPOT:

The Chime Tree in City Park. The sound, the wind, the stillness—it feels like a little portal.

RHYTHM AND RITUAL

Your daily path through the city

A window catches a rainbow reflection on one glass pane, framed by lush green ivy climbing an outdoor wall, a charming architectural detail of an Atelier Curioso property.

When I need to reset, I always find my way to City Park. There’s something about being under those oaks that recenters me.

New Orleans invites you to slow down, to be fully in it—to savor life as it is.

FAVORITE RESTAURANTS:

  • N7 — Hidden, romantic, and somehow untouched.

  • San Lorenzo — A modern nod to classic Italian dining.

FOR A DRINK:

DESIGN & INSPIRATION

Places, people, and details that reflect the spirit of the city

My designs are born from curiosity and meaning. I believe jewelry isn’t just adornment—it’s a way to carry stories.

Each piece holds an intention, an invisible thread that connects past and present.

A curated arrangement of decorative objects including green and yellow gemstones, a small carved skull, and green carved stones on a textured black surface, curio finds in the Atelier Curioso brand world.

IF NEW ORLEANS HAD A TEXTURE OR SCENT:

Soft velvet soaked in magnolia, with candle wax and the sound of a saxophone melting into the night.

FINAL IMPRESSIONS

Places, people, and details that reflect the spirit of the city

MOST SACRED RITUAL:

Watching the morning cardinals with my kids.

MANTRA:

Be here, now.

LESSONS FROM THE CITY:

To embrace the strange, the beautiful, the moment in front of you.