Fall 2017 Edition
Alumni & Friends Magazine
Design, build, live
Leanne Ford counts going to 51社区 as 鈥渙ne of the top five best decisions鈥� she鈥檚 made in her life.
Cat Hofacker, BSJ 鈥�18 | October 12, 2017
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鈥淭hat is a shopping day at a fun shop here in Pittsburgh called Weiss House,鈥� Ford said about the photo above. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e a big go-to for me for the HGTV show and other projects.鈥� The furniture selection is 鈥渁ll old and new mix, great selections and great curations,鈥� she says. Photo courtesy of Leanne Ford Interiors
That鈥檚 saying something, considering all Ford has accomplished since ohiotoday last checked in with her in 2008. After her work restoring a 1907 Pennsylvania schoolhouse was featured in Country Living, Ford left her career as an independent stylist to become an interior designer. Now, her signature style is making waves. Her work has been featured in publications such as Gentleman鈥檚 Quarterly and Better Homes and Gardens, and 鈥淩estored by the Fords,鈥� a home restoration show on HGTV, launches in 2018.
鈥淢y entire career can be traced back to saying 鈥榊es鈥� to new jobs that scared me or seemed out of my league,鈥� says Ford, BSS 鈥�03. 鈥淧eople would ask me to do something new that I didn鈥檛 necessarily know how to do, and I would say 鈥榊es!鈥� then figure out how to do it.鈥�
While Ford was still working in fashion, people started approaching her with requests to design their homes. She jumped in.
鈥淚 said, 鈥楽ure!鈥� and called my friend Dan up and asked, 鈥榃hat do I need to know to do this?鈥� If you keep being open to new opportunities and keep creating, you will be blown away at where your career will naturally take you.鈥�
Ford credits OHIO's University College bachelor鈥檚 degree in specialized studies (BSS) program for allowing her the flexibility to design her own degree, which she called integrated retail communications. It鈥檚 a degree that mixes art, fashion, design, and public relations skills.
鈥淔inding the BSS program was an amazing benefit for me,鈥� Ford says. 鈥淲hen it was time for me to get out into the real world and apply for jobs, I already had a portfolio, book, and website to show, along with my resume. I was cruising!鈥�
And although interior design wasn鈥檛 the focus of her degree, Ford said the skills she acquired in the BSS program 鈥渃arry through perfectly.鈥�
鈥淩estored by the Fords鈥� will feature Ford as designer and her older brother, Steve, as carpenter. They collaborate on renovations to clients鈥� homes in rural Pennsylvania, and season one will showcase a whopping eight restorations in six months. This is no small feat, considering one house can take up to a year to transform and complete. Ford鈥檚 approach to these projects is to step back and 鈥渓et the space speak.鈥�
鈥淭he client is first and foremost what matters,鈥� Ford said. 鈥淢y job as an interior designer is to fade into the background of a project. Then the space speaks. If you really listen to a home or space, it naturally has a style and flow that fits with it.鈥�
