Along with her brother, Steve Ford—a contractor and carpenter—Leanne created a master bath from a grungy schoolhouse attic that was picked up in Country Living, placed on the cover of design books, and catapulted her into an interior space she hadn’t before explored. “Honestly, this bathroom has a life of its own,” she says, laughing. There was a magic in the bathroom, not only for introducing the world to her warm, welcoming, modern and monochromatic (read: white-on-white) style but for its introduction of Ford and her brother as business and creative partners. The two began renovating charming, historic homes for clients in Pittsburgh, and today, they’re the brother-sister duo upgrading houses across the city on HGTV’s Restored by the Fords. But the siblings didn’t stop there. They also put their pens to paper, writing a debut book, Work in Progress: Unconventional Thoughts on Designing an Extraordinary Life (Thomas Nelson), in which they share their journey from creative suburban children to HGTV stars, and the lessons and tips they’ve learned along the way—all written in a very fun, back-and-forth sibling style. “It’s interesting, writing it with your brother,” she says. “We’re very different when it comes to where we find happiness and enjoyment, and we have different styles of living in general. But we had the same childhood. At first, it was a challenge to figure out how to combine it all in a book. But it turned out to be a fun exercise in breaking it all down and finding where we most crossed paths.” How would you describe your design philosophy? Honestly, I think that it’s more of concept: do what you love. There are so many different styles, so many different trends that come and go. I think the most important thing I want people to know is that if you love it, then you should do it, which really speaks to everything in life. Also, not everybody can have an interior designer or can afford an interior designer. So that’s why I do a lot on my website as kind of source guides, as I call them—allowing people to steal my style. If you love this room, this is what we use, these are the links, and here’s how to get them. I think that’s important for me to be able to spread the knowledge as much as possible. And that’s not too common with interior designers who source from specialty brands or wholesale suppliers. Is that your goal? To show viewers that interior design isn’t exclusive or out of reach? Yeah, I want to give people the permission and ability to just go for it! If you love it, do it. I never went to school for design. I went to school for fashion and marketing, but the same side of my brain that created looks for years for photo shoots is the same side of the brain that’s creating these rooms. I think it’s just about being fearless when it comes to creating, whether it be in your house or whatever your avenue is. In Work in Progress, you talk about how designing the bathroom space in your schoolhouse renovation catapulted you into interior design. What was that process like? At that point, I was in fashion direction and styling, and I had always fixed up places. This schoolhouse was the first time I actually got to rip down walls and pick fixtures and play with it. There was this very dumpy, dumpy little bathroom with a tiny little window, and I’m such a bathroom and bathtub girl that I needed to figure out how to get a big bathtub in this little schoolhouse bathroom. Everyone I went to kept telling me no. So I said I’m just going to do this myself. I designed it, figured it out, hired local help, including my brother. And we made this really fun, interesting bathroom that I had never seen, but was just a solution to a problem, which was that I wanted a big bathtub in a little space. We put the bathtub under the rafters, and it created this new look and was such a success. Where do you spend the most time in your own home? Honestly, I’ve just always loved bathtubs. They’re my recharge time. Time to be quiet. I always say I do my best business meetings in the tub. So I’m definitely into beautiful bathrooms. And then second is the kitchen because I love creating a space knowing that it’s where everybody hangs out. I love creating a space that’s very usable, but at the same time, it’s more than a kitchen. It’s a room that people can get together in. Now a new mom (to 7-month-old Ever Allen Ford), I’d imagine that your home is a bit more bustling than usual. Have you adjusted your living space to cater to your life as a new parent? What’s funny is that when I found out we were having a baby, I only bought one thing right away: these beautiful pacifiers from a company in Denmark. They’re gorgeous colors. And somebody said to me, “Yeah, that’s all well and good, but your kid’s going to want the princess pacifier.” And I was like, “Not if she’s never seen the princess pacifier!” And I have to say, that was my best move! There are little pacifiers all over the house, but they’re so pretty that I don’t mind. Just like everything else in my life, I’ve done an edit, picking the most beautiful versions of things for a baby. Just because she’s in the house, doesn’t mean these toys can’t fit into the space. So it takes a little bit longer, and it’s a bit harder to find good-looking versions of kids stuff, but they exist. Has becoming a parent changed the way you look at design or practicality when you’re working for a client? OK, I always say, “Nobody has ever accused me of being practical!” I’m definitely first and foremost an artist, and this is my kind of avenue. So I have to take extra care to make sure what I’m doing is practical. With families, we just do a different version, and I take care of how and what that means. I know I’m going to be rudely awaken by it sooner than later! As a mother, as a professional, an author and a television personality, how do you structure your day-to-day life to be as productive as possible? Structure is literally the wrong word to use for my life! I wish I had structured anything. I think the biggest part about becoming a parent is letting go. The less I try to control life or the situation, the happier I am. My family is first and foremost, 100 percent. Work is secondary. And that’s kind of the only rule I have. I love work, and I love what I do, and I’ll never stop creating and doing, but nothing gets in the way of creating a happy family and home life. I have no idea how I do it all. I’d like to say it’s with the help of many. You’re only as good as your team, and I’m able to do all these amazing things because I get to work with such amazing people. Do you have any tips for people who might be overwhelmed at the idea of making changes to their home? One of the reasons I am such an advocate of white paint is because I love that it’s this fail-proof win for your home. No matter what, your home’s going to look happier, brighter and more put-together with a clean coat of white paint. You don’t have to be an expert, and you don’t have to pore over every little paint sample. Just go for it. I work with PPG Paints, and I chose my three favorite white paints from them and explained where each are most usable as a fail-proof plan for people. Another thing I always say is really just ignore everyone. Ignore trends, ignore what people tell you they think would look good. Listen to your gut because we all have a natural instinct of what we like, you know? If you create a space that you love, filled with things you love, then you’re in a good spot. No one else has to live there. What do you think separates your style from others in the HGTV world? We all have very unique styles. Steve, well he’s the contractor and has to tag along to my style, poor guy. But I’d say it’s very warm and easy. There’s some minimalism to it. It’s simpler than I think what’s on a lot of TV right now. Plus, there’s not a lot of color. Some people call it warm minimalism, which I think makes a lot of sense to me. I like that. But I would say color is the biggest difference—we don’t really use color! As siblings working together, how do you and Steve keep it as professional as possible during disagreements or decision-making? I guess we do make it work, don’t we? I think the biggest thing is we are actually separate companies, which is really important to me. With a designer and contractor, you never really agree on where the money should be spent. I think we should have better lighting, and he thinks we should insulate better. Unfortunately for him, since we usually do these shows for television, I kind of get to win because it’s an aesthetic thing. But as he should be, he’s very careful that these homes are well-done. The budget is always the back and forth, and it doesn’t matter if you’re related or not. But every time we go to family dinners or holidays, my mom’s like, “Good to see everyone’s still talking.” But we put work aside and go back to being brother and sister. Plus, now he’s uncle Stevie to my daughter. We understand each other more than most people, you know? What’s your favorite part of working with Steve? Honestly, that he’s creative. I always have these strange, weird ideas because something needs to be fixed or solved. So I’ll have this wild idea, and he’s immediately like, “No, you can’t do that.” He gets all grumpy about it. And the next day, he’s like, “OK, I figured out what we’re going to do.” And it always takes him 24 hours to process, so now I know, let him say no and end the conversation because tomorrow he’s going to tell me how we’re going to do it. At what point did you two really consider writing this book? HarperCollins approached us to do it, and we kind of got a good giggle out of it, which is why we call it Work In Progress. I’m in my late 30s, and Steve’s slightly older, and it’s interesting to write a memoir at such a young age when you haven’t , hopefully, even been through half of your life. So Work In Progress is a play on words—1. Obviously, construction. And 2. This is not the end of our story, it’s just the middle of our story. We’re all works in progress. We’re always evolving. Next, The Brady Bunch Cast Reunites for a Four-Part HGTV Special, and You Need to See the House!
