x Leanne Ford
Recently, Vita sat down with Leanne Ford, an interior designer known for her relaxed, tonal aesthetic and her instinct for mixing vintage pieces with natural materials — plaster, wood, linen, stone — to build spaces that feel like they've evolved slowly over time. After a decade in fashion styling, she began designing in earnest with the restoration of a turn-of-the-century schoolhouse in her hometown of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, work that led to her HGTV series Restored by the Fords and Home Again with the Fords, co-hosted with her brother, Steve. Her design has been featured in Architectural Digest, Domino, House Beautiful, and The New York Times. She is the founder of the magazine Feel Free and the author of The Slow Down; her newest book, Feel Free Home: The Ultimate Issue of Feel Free Magazine, released May 12th, 2026, as a workbook-style guide to building homes rooted in texture, nature, and personality. This May, we partnered with Leanne on a collection rooted in our shared love of craftsmanship and beautiful handmade pieces, layering Leanne's two-tone, earth-inspired palette of black and cream with touches of smoke throughout our classic Vita collections of Montegranaro, Bevagna, and Pienza.
Describe your design style.
Leanne Ford: My style is relaxed, tonal, and soulful with a touch of rock-and-roll. I love mixing vintage pieces with simple, natural materials like plaster, wood, linen, and stone so a space feels calm, warm, and timeless. I’m always chasing that feeling of a home that has evolved slowly over time — the kind of place where people can gather and stay awhile.
How did you first get started in interior design?
Leanne Ford: I always knew I would end up in a creative field. As a kid I was constantly making something. In college there was only one shop in town and everyone dressed the same, so I started spray painting my clothes and eventually making my own. That led to my love of fashion and eventually to an internship in New York City. I spent about fifteen years working in fashion styling before buying my first home in 2010. I had always fixed up my rentals, dorm rooms, and even my childhood bedroom, but I never thought of design as a career. When I finally had my own house, I started knocking down walls and shaping the space exactly how I wanted it. Country Living Magazine featured that house in 2011, and suddenly people started calling to ask if I would design their homes too. I was already freelancing, so I just kept saying yes. And that’s really how it all began.
What about your interior design style speaks to who you are as a person?
Leanne Ford: I think my style reflects the way I like to live, relaxed, warm, and pretty loose. I’m drawn to natural materials, old things with history, and spaces that feel personal rather than polished. I want a home to feel like a place where real life happens. Nature has always been a big part of that for me, which is why you’ll often find natural materials — or even actual pieces of nature like branches — brought into my spaces. One of my earliest inspirations was the summer camp I went to as a child. It had massive stone fireplaces, beautiful aged log cabin walls, and huge windows that looked out onto the most incredible views. Those kinds of environments stuck with me. They inspired me as a kid and still shape the kinds of spaces that make my creative mind open up today.
What inspires you when creating a space for entertaining?
Leanne Ford: I honestly like to stick to the basics. For me it’s all about creating a relaxed atmosphere — soft light, flickering candles, natural textures, gorgeous dinnerware, and music playing in the background (put on a record, or better yet have a talented friend come sing). I love a party and a table that feels beautiful but effortless. I also like to make sure people can grab a drink whenever they want, so I usually set up a simple wine station with a bunch of amazing bottles already opened and ready to pour. I love when a space encourages people to slow down, share a meal, and stay awhile. My number one tip for entertaining is to keep the space and things simple, but never forget to be entertaining and have a good time yourself.
What is your go-to activity to take your mind off work?
Leanne Ford: Getting into my art studio and getting messy. Painting, making ceramics, screenprinting, drawing with my daughter — making things with my hands is one of the best ways for me to reset and clear my mind.
No home is complete without?
Leanne Ford: A big kitchen table, good light, and a little music playing.
What is your go-to entertaining playlist?
Leanne Ford: My “Pour Mon Pied À Terre” playlist on Spotify, it’s my go-to when people come over. It’s relaxed and a touch whimsical, perfect for creating ambiance.
Who inspires your entertaining and/or home decor style?
Leanne Ford: Everything inspires my work. Everywhere you look, everything you see, everything you listen to and think about eventually makes its way into what you put out into the world. But music has always been my biggest inspiration. Music, musicals, musician biographies — that’s what I turn to again and again. There’s something about the storytelling, the artistry, and the rhythm of it all that feels deeply connected to how I design and live. There’s a Quincy Jones quote I come back to all the time: “Leave space for God to walk into the room.” It applies to music, to art, to design — to everything. You can’t overfill a space or overwork an idea and expect magic to happen. You have to leave room for something greater to enter. That mindset has really shaped how I create. Sometimes what you don’t do is just as important as what you do.
Where in neighboring Pittsburgh or the surrounding area would you tell visitors is a ‘must see/do’?
Leanne Ford: Come spend a day in Sewickley — it’s literally a Hallmark town in real life. Visit and do a little shopping at our BM x LF shop, grab flowers at Fox and the Fleur, get a smoothie at Mic’s, treat yourself to a facial or pedi at Rust Beauty, and finish it off with a blowout or in my case, a bang trim, at Sarah Pelco Salon. And don’t forget to spend some time walking or driving around town to admire all the beautiful old houses. The next day, head into Pittsburgh and spend the afternoon at the Warhol Museum. It’s truly one of a kind, and no matter how many times I go, I always leave inspired. Then have dinner that evening at Pusadee’s Garden. And if you have one more day, make the drive out to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater for a tour of the iconic home.
Lightening Round
Solids or Patterns?
Leanne Ford: Solids! But I also love a monochromatic checkerboard or stripe.
East Coast or West Coast?
Leanne Ford: Both! PA + CA. I need them both. And Texas too, I LOVE Texas.
One word to describe you?
Leanne Ford: Curious.
Favorite piece in your home?
Leanne Ford: Our big kitchen table that I put in place of a kitchen island — it’s where life happens.
