My House: There’s Nothing Complicated About Emma Allen’s Asheville Home

"Simplify your life," goes the mantra of Everyday Oil, the one-product skincare company founded by Emma Allen in 2016. So it’s no wonder she was attracted to a small, clean-lined home that was going up around the corner from where she and her parter, Martin Carvajal, were renting a cottage in their Asheville neighborhood. "She kept stopping by the building site for longer and longer visits," remembers Ross Smith of Assembly Architecture and Build, who’s a friend of Emma’s. He describes his style as environmentally-minded affordable modernism, or ’70s Sea Ranch—in essence, a glove fit with her and Martin’s approach to living.