Award winning home staging & design
& "best in the west" - apartment therapy
At House Candy Home, we’re focusing on what we do best—interior design and when you're selling, making lived-in homes shine with design that’s intentional, inviting, and market-ready. While we no longer offer vacant staging, we’re proud to offer these specialized services:
Presale Consultations & Occupied Staging
Getting ready to list? We help homeowners maximize their home's appeal. Our services include:
- Presale consultations with actionable design guidance
- Photo-ready sessions to prep for your big listing debut
- Expert occupied staging to help your home compete with vacant staging listings
- Named one of RESA’s Top 10 Occupied Home Stagers in the U.S.
Vacation Rental Design
Make your short-term rental a standout stay. As a certified STR Design Specialist, I offer:
- Custom vacation rental design tailored to your ideal guest
- Space planning, furnishing, and styling to maximize comfort and booking appeal
- Recognized by RESA as a Top 10 Vacation Rental Designer in the U.S.
Interior Design & Color Consultations
Create spaces that feel effortlessly beautiful and uniquely you. Whether you're refreshing a single room or reimagining your entire home, we offer:
- Full-service interior design
- Color consultations by a certified Master Color Consultant
- Styling that blends comfort, function, and flair
About Ashley
Your home is in good hands. Design is my passion and I truly enjoy what I do. Designing makes me pinch myself happy. I hold myself to the highest standard of professionalism and have been awarded a Staging Excellence and Client care awards from the International Home Staging Professionals Association. House Candy Home was also a finalist in the International Staging Awards and featured on Apartment Therapy. My education and life experience make me so well suited to interior design and home staging. I recently attended the AID Academy from New York. I have my master color consultant certification from Staging Studio and I have taken numerous other home staging and styling courses. I hold a degree in business and public relations from San Jose State. As a student, I studied graphic design, fashion, marketing, advertising, and photography. Professionally, I have always held creative positions as an event planner and art director for a chain of thrift stores. One newspaper referred to me as the “Martha Stewart of Thrift”. For fun, I enjoy home remodeling and decorating projects. I’m always working on something creative. I have an eye for detail and understand what it takes to make your home beautiful and comfortable and I can stage your home to sell for top dollar.
Ashley holds the following:
- Uploft Academy - Interior Design
- Master Color Consultant
- Master Interior Styling and Composition
- Certified STR Stylist- Staging Studio
- Accredited member of RESA
- Home Staging Educator and Presenter- Contact me if you'd like me to present to your brokerage or group.
- Graduate of Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program
- Approved vendor: RealVitalize - Coldwell Banker
- Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Business, SJSU
- Holds full liability insurance
NEW TO SANTA BARBARA FALL 2025. Previously operated in Santa Cruz County. I am a founder and sponsor of Carrie's Dream Dance Scholarship Fund and dedicated six years to establish a thriving organization which has raised over $165,000 for local youth dance to date! My husband Scott is a long time surfer and water enthusiast and he spends much of his free-time open water swimming. He completed a swim across the English Channel in 2020. Scott and I have life long passion for snow skiing and spend as much time as we can on the slopes.
-Ashley Tapley, Owner