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Ashley Gilbreath is best known as one of the top interior designers in the Southeast.

The Montgomery resident was the guest speaker at the 疯客直播-Dallas County Public Library on Thursday discussing her debut book, 鈥淭he Joy of Home.鈥� A capacity crowd attended the 鈥淟unch at the Library鈥� series. Gilbreath autographed books before and after the luncheon.

Gilbreath said it was an adventure writing a book, being married with three kids and juggling an interior design career all at once. She owns and operates Ashley Gilbreath Interior, which opened in 2008. The 85-page book entails how Gilbreath got into interior design.

鈥淚 compare writing my first book to child labor,鈥� Gilbreath joked. 鈥淚t was very stressful. Usually, writing a book takes three years. It took us six months.鈥�

Gilbreath, an Auburn University graduate, said she got the idea for interior design from growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

鈥淲hen my sister and I were little, she鈥檇 line up the baby dolls and want to play house, and I鈥檇 say, 鈥淚鈥檓 going to go draw a house plan,鈥澛� Gilbreath said. 鈥淚鈥檓 certain I wasn鈥檛 aware of what a designer was or that I could do anything with that. When the time came for college at Auburn, my parents encouraged me to study architecture, probably because they didn鈥檛 know what to do with me. I kept on wondering why nobody ever talked about the inside. Those courses may have come later, but by then I鈥檇 switched my major to interior design. I also took classes at the New York School of Interior Design and interned for Keith Langham in the summer. Between Auburn and New York, I realized how exciting the decorating world could be.鈥�

Designs by Gilbreath have been featured in Southern Living, Veranda, House Beautiful, LUXE, Southern Home, Coastal Living and Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles.