Leanne Ford is Selling The L.A. Property She Thought Would Be Her "Forever Home
The last time we saw Leanne Ford of HGTV’s Restored by the Fords was in June of 2019 when she gave us a tour of her simple, minimalist home in Pittsburgh. Well, the designer also had a home on the West Coast. In a first-person essay with Domino magazine, Ford tells all about her new digs in Santa Monica, California. Now, as she and her husband Erik have been sheltering in place there, they had a huge revelation: they had to sell the home.
"This virus has given the planet and its people a chance to recalibrate," Ford writes in Domino, explaining how the pandemic has slowed down the pace at which she and Erik have been working. "... to be honest, it’s a relief to be still. My brain has been freer to create again.” These long hours indoors have refreshed the couple and helped them realize that they truly do enjoy being home—but that their home was where their friends and family were— Pittsburgh. "Erik and I got to thinking: What if this new way of life became our new way of life? What if we traveled less and saw more?" Ford writes. She imagines Sunday night family dinners with their 1-year-old daughter Ever, joining the local YMCA, and driving their old beat-up car on country roads.
A post shared by Leanne Ford (@leannefordinteriors) on Apr 23, 2020 at 8:35am PDT
"I have to be honest, I’ve never felt as attached to a home as I have to this one—it’s a dream," she writes, but the last few weeks inside have made her realize that what makes a home a home is not always its interiors.
Ford continues to go into detail of how she styled the home, which she continues to love, despite putting it on the market. When planning its renovations, there weren’t many. "I thought, I don’t want to fight this house; I want to go with it. It has storybook whimsy—the beautiful ivy on the brick, the magical old windows—that I couldn’t take away," she writes. She kept many things just as is and when she could, she opted for traditional pieces over modern to fill its space.
She draws attention to her living room’s rich history, which is one of the original cottages of The Uplifters, an invitation-only social club founded in 1913. It also served as a movie set during Prohibition and has since been added on to over the years. "Walt Disney and Will Rogers had cocktails in this cabin," she writes, adding that she did very little to the space in order to preserve its greatness.
She also shared how a mood board can be the perfect cover-up for a work-in-progress wall. The designer often draws her friends at parties, and compiles these sketches, along with pictures, letters, posters, magazines, and more into a box that travels with her from home to home. In her new home, she created a collage of her favorite pieces to give it that personal touch.
"Yes, it will be sad to leave this pretty house, but in the end what makes it our 'forever home' is a fluid thing," she writes. Give Leanne Ford a place that she can bring to life, her paintbrush, and her loved ones, and she is home. The Los Angeles home is currently on the market and held by Diane Braun. Those interested may contact Braun at diana.braun@compass.com.
To learn more about Ford’s home, check out her full essay in Domino. Want design advice from Ford? She's offering up video consults on Cameo.
Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.
You Might Also Like
