20 Times Leanne Ford Went Gloriously Green

Restored by the Fords’ champion of all things black and white has a very green thumb, and we can’t get enough of the way she makes her designs pop with flowers and foliage.

By: Lauren Oster

Show: Restored by the Fords

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Photo By: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Hello, Hydrangea

These spring- and summertime favorites are the perfect way to bring just a touch of color to a neutral kitchen. Better yet, the densely-packed blooms are dramatic enough to hold their own in a simple arrangement like this one — no fussing or filler needed.

Retro Reeds

Leanne added rustic texture to this kitchen’s open shelving by tucking feathery grass into a tall vase. Since these stems have no blooms to shed, they’ll be sitting pretty for weeks rather than days.

Leafy Greens

Inspired by the foliage surrounding her clients’ Pennsylvania home, Leanne arranged handfuls of the yard’s prettiest trimmings in the kitchen. Arrangements like these are an ultra-cost-effective way to accent elegant dishes and a thoughtful way to upcycle unruly hedgerows.

Coffee Table Look

Miniature arrangements of white snapdragons and textured reeds echo the tones in this stone slab table and draw the eye out to the sun-dappled yard visible through this midcentury home’s floor-to-ceiling glass doors.

A New Leaf

Organic sculpture, anyone? Leanne’s go-to green moment is also one of her simplest: she loves balancing a single, massive Monstera leaf in a bare-bones vessel like this glass cylinder.

A Dash of Spice

Sculptural stalks like these white ginger stems bring an element of tropical elegance to a hearthside bench. To get the same look with a bit of additional color, try a pair of massive protea flowers — they’re just as long-lasting and have a gorgeous tinge of pink.

Endless Summer

Leanne brightened up this living room with a lush, low-maintenance sword fern. It’s a savvy choice for not-too-dry (read: away from heat and vents) spaces with indirect light, and it’s known for being effective at removing pollutants from the air.

Thinking Pink

Bold tones like the oceanic blues in this space’s accessories call for equally exclamatory arrangements, and Leanne reached for eye-popping magenta blooms to make a strong statement. (Bonus points for referencing the strokes of neon paint in the artwork against the wall.)

Breakfast Blooms

This unfussy arrangement is as cheerful as it is casual, and we love how the wide assortment of flowers in this bunch give the impression that Leanne headed out to the garden and grabbed whatever caught her eye. Equally inspirational: The French press doing double duty as a bud vase.

Heirloom Silver

'Baby Blue’ eucalyptus is wildly popular with florists, and it’s easy to see why: the Australian import smells heavenly and dries out to create a sturdy permanent arrangement. Leanne paired it with a low bowlful of delicate white blooms for a multi-level effect.

Thrills and Spills

Leanne punctuated the conversation space beneath a high-concept custom installation with equally-arty amaranthus caudatus (aka Love-Lies-Bleeding), a cascading plant that seems to flow out of its ebony vessels. Amaranthus is now being hailed as a new flower-arranging essential — coincidence?

Tabletop Trio

Leanne paired pussywillow branches and pampas grass to add texture to this monochromatic table, then broke from her palette and added a squat round vase with alien-chic amaranthus. Amaranthus leaves, shoots and seeds are cultivated for culinary purposes — so, technically speaking, this could be the beginning of a hip new herb garden.

Here Come the Sunflowers

Earthenware vessels bear waxy greens, cloudlike baby’s breath and bold yellow blooms in this classic entryway assortment. The arrangement has a vintage-Americana feel, but thanks to the way Leanne deconstructed her bouquets, the overall look is country-casual rather than precious.

Tubside Tropicalia

The humid air in a master bathroom is perfect for the Latin American Monstera plant, as is the ample space in this corner — this greenery isn’t shy about spreading out. Leanne chose a diminutive spray of daisies to offset the dramatic foliage on the floor.

Gerberas and Glass

Reason #412 to keep your eyes peeled for single pieces of colored glass at thrift stores: as Leanne knows, they happen to look fantastic with creamy white daisies. This jewel-toned duo is a clever way to add a bit of color to a mostly-monochromatic bedroom.

Living-Room Nursery

Leanne emphasized the airy, indoor-outdoor feel of this sun-filled sitting space by styling it as a greenhouse. Who says container gardens should be banished to the patio?

Cottage Chic

When one styles the dining room in a hundred-year-old family home, one reaches for wildflowers and an aluminum watering can, of course. Leanne kept this look cool rather than kitschy by streamlining the rest of the space.

Bright Breakfast Nook

Leanne’s artful arrangement in this eating space demonstrates a handy method for keeping costs down: when in doubt, grab lots of greenery and keep flowers to a bare minimum. Filler complements filler beautifully, and it’s often far less expensive than showy blooms.

Mellow Yellow

Leanne arranged goldenrod and billy buttons in French canning jars to create this cheery kitchen corner. The key to combining these blooms: Stripping the goldenrod stems to echo the billy buttons’ simple silhouettes.

Best Fronds

Wall-to-wall palm shoots in shallow woven trays echo the vibrant green limes and apples and the butcher-block island in this serene grey kitchen. Welcome to the ultra-modern tropics.

Restored by the Fords