Sunday Favorites: My Leanne Ford Mood Board for Our New York Apartment

If you’ve been following along, you know we’re deep in the search for our new apartment in New York City. And somewhere between scrolling listings and daydreaming about floor plans, I’ve landed hard on one north star for how I want it to feel: Leanne Ford.

Mood board inspired by Leanne Ford

Why Leanne Ford?

She has this gift for making a room feel collected over decades, even when it’s brand new. Nothing looks staged. A worn leather sofa sits next to a stack of oversized art books; a huge piece of art leans casually against the wall with trinkets on the shelf; incense burns in a vintage ashtray or dish; and somehow it all looks effortless, warm, and lived-in.

You can see the same instinct at work in the Buck Mason stores she’s designed — made to feel like someone’s beautifully appointed living room. Although many of the stores have a very cool vintage car inside, which makes it a little less like a home and more like a showroom, you get the idea! It’s a vibe, for sure! And sitting in one of the vintage sofas while Brent tried on clothes made me realize that this is the feeling I want for our New York City apartment, minus the vintage Porsche.

Breaking Down the Look

A few of the ideas I keep coming back to:

Vintage leather sofas. A little worn-in. The kind of leather that looks better with age. She tends to use the Marsala sofa by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset, but as much as I love the look, I think a more traditional sofa will be more practical. We happen to have a black leather Mitchell Gold sectional that we moved from our California house to our New Canaan attic and now to our current attic space. Funny how we are now considering bringing it back to our living room.

A big, wood table. Whether it’s a dining table or a coffee table, she goes generous with scale, even in smaller rooms. It grounds the space. So we will be keeping both our Saarinen round table and our dining room table. You can see them in this post: Creating a Cozy Home For Fall (Using What You Already have)

Layered trinkets and small objects. Little bowls, candlesticks, odd little sculptures — the kind of things that feel one-of-a-kind.

Big art, casually placed. Leaned against a wall or a mantel rather than perfectly centered and hung. It takes the pressure off “getting it right.”

Stacks of design books. Equal parts décor and function — they add texture and color while giving you something to actually pick up and read. On top and next to, add unique bowls and little dishes of beach stones, shells, seed pods, matchbooks, anything that’s meaningful.

Shop some of my favorite books

How I’m Translating This for Our Apartment

New York apartments don’t give you the square footage this look often lives in, so the real challenge is editing it down without losing the spirit. I’m thinking: one really good vintage leather piece, a pair of lounge-type chairs, an oversized coffee table, and some smaller stools and tables mixed in. I’ll share more as the apartment search moves along — and hopefully, eventually, the real thing when it comes together in the next several months.

Shop the Look

A few pieces that fit the vibe, whether you’re vintage-hunting or buying new. Shop my full picks and get the exact links over on my ShopMy page.

A few more Sunday favorites:

Olaplex Shampoo, Conditioner and Complete Repair Treatment

I have been using Olaplex for about six months, and am loving it! I really notice a difference, and the Strengthening Shower Set is a good place to start if you haven’t tried it yet. I use all three, plus the Bonding Hair Oil. You only use three drops, but it makes a huge difference.

What Ted Lasso can teach us about Democracy

I really enjoyed this article by Slade Wentworth. Here is a link if you’d like to read or listen; click here.

Make Mine a Spritzer

I’ve been loving following along with Juliet as they create their new home in California. Read more here: Eyeing & Buying for the New House, Volume 6.

Now let’s go see what Mary Ann and Cindy found interesting this week!

Classic Casual Home

Cindy Hattersley Design