PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — PTL is celebrating 20 years on the air, and one of the most famous people to have made her television debut on PTL and go onto national acclaim is interior designer Leanne Ford. She and her brother had their own show on HGTV, and she now has a line of furnishings at Crate and Barrel.
Kristine Sorensen was host of PTL in 2013 when she saw an article in “Country Living” magazine featuring Leanne Ford and the first home she ever designed. Kristine saw she was from the Pittsburgh area, so she called her up, and discovered Leanne was a natural for TV.
Leanne Ford is known for painting everything white, and that’s been true since 2013 when she showed Kristine her first home that she transformed — an old schoolhouse in Sewickley where Kristine and Leanne did the first of many segments for Pittsburgh Today Live.
Kristine and Leanne recently reconnected and reminisced, and Kristine asked Leanne if that was her first TV appearance.
“I bet. I think yes. I think you were my first TV appearance. I can’t imagine there would be a reason to have another one except I was on the local Upper St. Clair campus news quite often doing music videos,” Leanne said with a laugh.
Leanne grew up in Upper St. Clair and later bought and designed a house there, which Kristine also featured on PTL. Leanne started designing other people’s homes and businesses, and she shared more design tips on site and in the studio at KDKA.
Leanne remembered, “Going to that set was wild. I remember walking into the building (thinking), ‘This is pretty crazy’. And then flash forward, I’m on the ‘Today Show’ doing the same thing that I practiced with you, right? So thank you for helping me,” she told Kristine.
From there, Leanne’s career as a designer took off when she landed a show on HGTV, “Restored by the Fords,” with her brother, Steve, whom Kristine met through Leanne. He taught her to wake surf on the three rivers 10 years ago. Kristine spoke with the producers for the show, and they said when they were pitching the show, Leanne’s segments on PTL helped them see what a good communicator she is on TV.
After five seasons, Leanne’s now doing her own projects, including pro bono design help for any Sewickley business like a flower shop, beauty salon and market she helped design.
“I just want to help people,” she said. “I don’t want them to be stopped thinking of the vision that the place could be. I just wanted to help Sewickley, honestly.”
Leanne loves showing off the work of local artists in the store Buck Mason, which her husband co-founded. Sewickley is the first of 30 Buck Mason stores to feature Leanne’s furnishings and favorite finds.
She also started her own magazine called “Feel Free,” is finishing a book about her new home in Sewickley and she’s flipping a historic home there.
Showing Kristine a large vase in the store, she said, “These were inspired by pots I was making, and they made them bigger.” They are from her own line of décor and furniture called Leanne Ford for Crate & Barrel and Leanne Ford for Crate & Kids where her new venture making ceramics has turned into mass-produced dishware, vases and artwork.
She’s kind of oblivious to all the success and lives by Andy Warhol’s belief which she paraphrases, “‘Let them talk, and you make more art’. And that’s how I feel. I’m absolutely so grateful for you guys, for local press, for now national press. It helps me keep creating.”
Eleven years later, still slathering white on the walls, Leanne Ford is the same person with her own original style that led to her success. As their time together came to an end, Leanne and Kristine hugged, Leane saying “This was so fun. I love having you here.”
They promised to meet up again to continue doing stories on what’s next for Leanne Ford.
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Kristine Sorensen
