Leanne Ford Is Coming to Your Place With Her New Crate & Barrel Collection

Don’t be surprised if your local Crate & Barrel starts bearing an uncanny resemblance to one of Leanne Ford’s Restored by the Fords projects. The Pittsburgh powerhouse has created 109 pieces for the furniture giant, and every last one oozes her recognizable brand of cool. Fair warning: This shoppable first look at what she’s put together will give you a serious itch to reimagine your space.

Design is a step-by-step process, of course, but the inspirations for this project “all came to me together,” she told us. The styles and regions she references — think midcentury with a Mediterranean flair, elevated ‘70s silhouettes and luxe linens — feel both fresh and timeless (and quintessentially Leanne).

The collection’s trio of candles will fill your space with the scents of Leanne’s second HQ in Los Angeles: a blend of santal and eucalyptus recalls the Santa Ana winds sweeping through west coast canyons. Once the cotton wicks have burned down, use the ceramic vessels for everything from jewelry or keys to floral arrangements. (They’re pretty striking all by themselves, too.)

Leanne’s version of a traditional gourd vase is perfect for sculptural stems like branches and wild grass. Made in Portugal, this matte black terracotta piece plays well with her shorter, bulbous Full Moon vase in pale clay.

If you're ready to make a serious commitment to one of Leanne's updated-old-school pieces, look no further than the massive (and massively cool) farmhouse table, available in both charcoal and natural finishes. What makes it so special? "We designed a slight 'V' on the sides of the table, with heavy legs. Just some simple lines and fixes can add a modern take to a very classic shape," she explains. "And let’s face it, the dinner table is a very important piece for your home. It’s the center, really... or at least it should be!"

These “wonky weave” baskets are tougher than they look, thanks to metal frames concealed behind their natural Lampakanay grass and stained water hyacinth exteriors. Use them as catchalls, and prepare for them to get even more interesting over time, since those fibers will take on a bit of color and variegation as they age.

Crafted in India with 100 percent hemp, these throw pillows are printed with designs by Leanne’s pal Alexandra Valenti, an artist and photographer. (Eagle-eyed viewers may recognize Alexandra’s abstract style from Restored by the Fords interiors; Leanne’s a longtime devotee of her wall art as well. More on that in a minute.)

“Tom” the three-legged coffee table has a very special namesake: it’s a shoutout to Tom Ford, Leanne’s three-legged dog (and faithful companion for more than 17 years). “All of the names in the collection are love letters to people [and a canine!] I care about,” she says.

Leanne’s been looking for a graceful canopy bed with an upholstered headboard like this forever, so she decided to design one herself. It’s practical and pretty, thanks to arches of metal tubing that are streamlined as-is and cross-girded with rods to support romantic draped textiles.

A self-proclaimed sleep connoisseur, Leanne conjured a pile of clouds with these storm-grey shams and duvet covers. The linen she chose for her bedding will get cozier and cozier the more it’s snoozed — er, used.

Did Leanne know from the get-go that she would call Alexandra Valenti in to collaborate on the collection, as with these custom pieces? Hell yeah, she told us: "I’m an Alexandra Valenti superfan, everything she creates is special and perfect. So, as we talked about wall art and prints, I knew I wanted to commission her to create them for us. Being able to share the love and stage with Alexandra is a dream, and being able to bring her work to more homes is so special."

Leanne’s all about layering rugs, and these graphic, flatweave wool-blend pieces (featuring Alexandra Valenti’s designs once again — they’re kind of a dream team, no?) and deliciously textured solid and ombré jute offerings are ideal on top of one another (or mixed in with rugs you already own).

Here's another look at those jute rugs, available with both finished and fringed edges. Can rolling up spare rugs as art objects be a thing? It should probably be a thing.

Want to dip your toe in Leanne’s aesthetic, but aren’t sure where to begin? She suggests looking to tabletop pieces first, particularly the pedestal bowls she’s created. “You can put anything in a bowl,” she says. “Well, not ANYTHING, that might be gross, but you can put MOST things in a bowl!”

Speaking of tabletop pieces, we love how Leanne's primitive geometric vases can anchor sprays of dried flowers one day and function as playfully-mismatched candlesticks the next. Can't you just imagine them lining one of those farmhouse tables?

Lacy iron Parisian furniture is cute and all, but we're enamored with Leanne's take on the bistro table. This plaster pedestal piece gives the look of concrete (without weighing a million pounds), and it's unbearably hip paired with her leather director's chairs.

A scaled-down version of that plaster pedestal table is right at home beside Leanne's gargantuan slipcovered sectional. (Sadly, there are no child-sized leather director's chairs to pair with this one, but who knows what might pop up in another collection? Leanne's a mom now; just saying.)

Leanne loves to rework retro materials in updated silhouettes, and this ample occasional piece is a dramatic example of how effective that second look can be. With traditional caning, a geometric back that flows seamlessly into armrests and complementary cushions, this barrel chair is much more than the sum of its parts. Speaking of dramatic charcoal caning...

...have you ever seen a bar cabinet that looked like this? It's a design moment and an excuse to throw a cocktail party all by itself.