Leanne Ford on Following Your Gut in Renovation and in Life

As the host of HGTV’s Restored by the Fords, Leanne Ford is someone who really trusts her instincts and bold choices—in renovation, design, and life. She started her career as a fashion stylist and brings her rock-and-roll sensibility and high-low mix to reimagining spaces that honor the old and embrace the new. She applies the same vibe to designing furniture collections, such as her recent one for Crate & Barrel. A few of her rule-breaking signatures: painting everything the perfect shade of white; a collected approach to interiors that layers cool vintage pieces with bold, outsize furniture; and rooms that are all about comfort. After getting married and having a baby in 2019, Leanne brought her expert DIY skills to a storied Rustic Canyon property in the Santa Monica hills that she had envisioned as being her family’s “forever home.” When COVID happened, she and her husband got real with each other and about how they wanted their life to unfold more slowly and thoughtfully, which led to their decision to sell their California home and move back to Pittsburgh to be closer to family. Tune in as we chat about her new project—an early-20th-century manor house in Pennsylvania—the magical time of taking stock of what matters, and considering the true meaning of coming home.

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