Noble Journal

Casa Allyon

Introducing Ines from Casa Ayllón

Ines is the Founder of Ayllón, an homage to eternal elegance explored through glasswork and silver jewellery.

Tell us a little bit about yourself

My name is Ines, and I am originally from Argentina. I started with Casa Ayllon five years ago as a creative outlet which slowly became, what I like to call my gallery for all the things I feel inspired by, a platform that collects fragments of elements that awaken my curiosity, evolving ultimately as my brand and store of those things I personally love and curate.

In late 2019 I started designing bags and a few years later I began with glass pieces made in Italy and Australia. I've always had a strong connection to Europe, especially Spain where I lived as a child, and Italy, where my partner is from, so it felt very kismet to have a product which connects with the ancient lampwork technique.

Lately I've been gravitating to small objects, especially after my last long trip to Europe where I spent most of my time visiting museums, flea markets and some very old-school shops that have been there since my childhood, digging deeper into memories of the things that called my attention as a child.

What is your favourite part about living in the Byron Bay area?

Mainly the lifestyle. I lived my whole life in cities, and I am originally from Buenos Aires, my favourite city in the world and the place that has shaped me and made me curious, which I miss everyday. However, it is a place that never sleeps and where there are not enough hours of the day. You may live there your whole life and still never cover it all, every neighbourhood has his own very distinct identity and dynamic.

I am inherently calm and slow, so sometimes I would struggle in that environment, it is tough, there is too much going on, all the time. Byron is the complete opposite. I love improvising my day from an intuitive point of view and in Byron it feels that there is always time to do all the things that fill the soul surrounded by nature, calmness and a beautiful community. It is so refreshing and different to my life in the city.

Getting to choose to live a busy or simple life to me was a huge privilege and I am still aware of that everyday. The community in Byron Bay is very strong, there are so many inspiring people, everyone is open and supportive which makes it a truly a special place. It has the magic of a small beach town with a slight cosmopolitan flare since there are people from all around the world living here.

Where does your inspiration come from when creating your glass pieces?

My grandmother whose maiden name is Ayllon, is my biggest inspiration. She is the most graceful, happy, avant-garde woman I had the privilege to have in my life. Her mission has always been to enjoy, even in adverse circumstances, she is magnetic, people want to be around her. She is now 98 but travelled and crossed continents until 3 years ago.

I have also always loved old things, as mentioned before, I get a lot of inspiration from my memories, some are flashbacks of things from my childhood and family experiences. My parents had an interesting lifestyle and I love looking at pictures of the different places they lived in. For me as a child, having the opportunity to live in different of places was amazing, each country was like an individual lifetime that forged my identity.

I love reading people's biographies, especially those of fascinating women who were ahead of their time, many of my pieces are conceived with a certain era, person, art movement in mind.

What is your favourite glass piece you have created?

My favourite piece is one that is yet to be released, which combines the 2 categories of products that I've done before, leather and glass. From the Glass pieces my favourite piece is the Otero necklace which is being launched any day now!

What does a perfect day off look like for you?

If I am in Byron, waking up early, having coffee in bed, my partner as a true Italian prepares it in his completely battered Bialleti Moka which came with him from Italy 7 years ago, apparently the older the better the coffee tastes. I would go for a walk and have brunch somewhere with my computer, starting my work day. I like days to start later as this is part of my culture, so my most productive hours are from midday until around 8PM.

If I am overseas, which I am trying to commit to and spend time in Europe 2-3 months a year if possible, my favourite thing is getting lost, no time, no itinerary, just going about intuitively and pretending I live there, working and exploring. Maybe not ticking all the boxes of the places to be visited, like one does when living permanently somewhere, but truly taking my time and allowing myself to discover something new and unexpected, without that urge to see it all that one may get when travelling.

I always say to myself when I miss out on something, 'I will do it next time', it is a great excuse to return to places I love.

What does the future hold for Casa Ayllon?

I would like the curation to get wider, finding new items that truly resonate with me. There are a lot of exciting things coming and I am very excited about it, like the silver capsule, the leather, and more!

My goal is to keep Casa Ayllon as joyful and authentic to myself as possible, I want it to forever be the gallery of the things I love, my favourite creative outlet, and I hope to keep finding my community this way, like Noble and many other creatives that I have followed since the early days of this project.

https://ayllon.co/

https://www.instagram.com/casa.ayllon/