April Keepsakes | Kentucky Derby Home Decor Inspired by Equestrian Style and Derby Day Traditions

This month’s April Keepsakes is inspired by one of my favorite yearly traditions: the Kentucky Derby. With Derby Day coming up on Saturday, May 2, I wanted this Kentucky Derby home decor edit to feel layered, storied, and full of classic equestrian charm, bringing together red roses, mint julep cups, antique inspired details, and warm collected pieces for a Derby Day look that feels timeless and personal.

For me, the Derby has always been more than a horse race. What started as a wine club membership at Thacher Winery in Paso Robles slowly turned into a full-blown love for Derby Day. Each year, Thacher hosted their wine club member pick up party on Derby Day, gathering everyone around the old KR Barn on the property. The historic Kentucky Ranch has roots tied to horses, cattle, cowboys, and the Paso Robles landscape, and today the winery sits beside the 100-year-old barn that still gives the property so much of its character.

Eventually, that same barn became part of my own story. Greg proposed to me there, and in 2012, we were married on the property. A place we first loved because of wine, horses, and Derby Day became woven into our family history.

After celebrating the Derby for nearly five years, Greg and I decided to finally attend the Kentucky Derby in Louisville in 2015. We were lucky enough to witness history when American Pharoah won the race. He went on to win the Triple Crown that year, something that had not been done since 1978.

The following year, we brought the tradition home and began hosting an annual Derby party. Hats, mint juleps, friends gathered around, and an excuse to celebrate the pageantry of it all. We took a break in 2019 when we welcomed our daughter, and then, like so many traditions, it paused again when Covid followed the next year. Life got busier with parenting, work, and the beautiful chaos of everyday life, and we eventually retired our hosting hats.

But the horses never really left our hearts.

In the fall of 2020, I felt called to become a volunteer for CASA of Kern County and went through their advocate training program. I was blessed to serve as a family connections advocate for one year while I stayed home with our one year old daughter. The next year, I went back to work and took on a traditional CASA caseload of two girls.

For those who may not know, CASA is a nonprofit that supports local children experiencing displacement from their families of origin due to abuse or neglect. CASA volunteers advocate for their assigned children and help ensure they do not fall through the cracks of social services. Their work can touch so many important areas of a child’s life, including healthcare, dental care, mental health, academics, recreational activities, and maintaining critical connections with family of origin while supporting success in foster homes.

It felt like a match made in heaven that my love for the Kentucky Derby eventually crossed paths with something that has also meant so much to me. Unless we make it back to the actual Kentucky Derby in the future, CASA of Kern County’s annual Derby fundraiser is the place I know we will look forward to attending year after year.

This April Keepsakes edit honors that full-circle tradition. The romance of the old barn. The excitement of Churchill Downs. The joy of hosting. The meaning behind CASA. And, of course, the collected beauty of Derby Day itself.

For this month’s mood board, I imagined a swanky cigar room after the races. Something warm, collected, and a little dramatic, with pieces that feel as though they could have been gathered over time. The antique French tapestry-inspired wallpaper in brown and teal sets the tone with depth and old-world character, while the walnut sideboard brings in richness and storage. A classic urn lamp adds a traditional note, and the jockey on horse painting in a golden frame gives the space its Derby soul without feeling overly themed.

I love the way the red roses, silver mint julep cups, Kentucky Derby pitcher, and jockey centerpiece bring in the iconic details of the day. The Bebe Poker Table, vintage Oushak rug, and midcentury Dutch chairs keep the room grounded, layered, and livable. It feels celebratory, but still timeless.

Derby Day has been tied to so many meaningful chapters in our family story, from Paso Robles to Louisville to Bakersfield. This month’s Keepsakes is my little nod to the traditions that stay with us, the places that shape us, and the beautiful ways design can hold onto a memory.

xo Ashley Southworth