Leanne Ford's House Reveal

Leanne Ford transformed her Rock the Block house to reflect her unique personal style of warm minimalism.

Show: Rock the Block

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Photo By: Erik Voake/Getty Images

Photo By: Mark Von Holden

Photo By: Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images

Photo By: Erik Voake/Getty Images

Photo By: Mark Von Holden

Photo By: Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images

Photo By: Erik Voake/Getty Images

Photo By: Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images

Photo By: Erik Voake/Getty Images

Photo By: Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images

Photo By: Erik Voake/Getty Images

Photo By: Mark Von Holden

Photo By: Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images

Photo By: Mark Von Holden

Photo By: Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images

Photo By: Erik Voake/Getty Images

Leanne's Lovely Space

Leanne Ford of Restored by the Fords was ready to blow the other Rock the Block renovators right off the block. Her less-is-more approach really worked for this reno. Let's take a tour.

The Exterior: Before

Pretty great as-is, but if you know Leanne Ford, you can probably guess how she chose to transform the exterior of the house.

The Exterior: After

A surprise to no one, Leanne chose to paint the exterior of the house her favorite color: white. “We [did] an all white house, with pretty, simple landscaping,” Leanne said.

The Foyer: After

“When it comes to bringing value to the home, the biggest thing is added square footage,” Leanne said. Her plan was to push the front door forward to open up the entryway and add an additional forty square feet to the house.

The Den: After

Though Leanne chose to ignore the additional bedrooms and bathroom, she did pay some attention to staging the den as a minimalist but warm office space. “When you walk in, you see this beautiful den connected to the kitchen,” Leanne said. To tie it in with the rest of the house, she applied the same concrete skim coat to the walls.

Surprise! It's Elizabeth.

On the fourth episode of Rock the Block, Drew Scott surprised every designer with an extra pair of hands. For Leanne, he brought in her best friend from the fourth grade, Elizabeth. “She lives in Vermont. We don’t get to see each other that often and when we do it’s like we picked up right where we left off,” Leanne said. “Elizbeth has her own life. She’s got a family, two kids and she dropped everything to come help me mulch.”

Leanne's Great Room and Outdoor Space

“Even though there’s not crown molding and hardwood floors and things that you would normally check off the list for appraising, there’s a lot of love put into this house and a lot of ‘oomph’,” Leanne said. As with her kitchen and main suite, Leanne continued the minimalist vacation vibes throughout the great room and outdoor areas. Leanne stands in the great room with guest judges Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt.

The Great Room: Before

While the flooring was considered completely absent by the other designers, Leanne saw an opportunity to do something totally unique. In a major power (and money-saving) move, Leanne chose to apply a concrete finish and utilize the subfloor as her main flooring.

The Great Room: After

“The great room is all about the ceiling,” Leanne said. The rafters Leanne added to the ceiling not only make the room feel larger and taller, but they add an interesting architectural element to a previously plain space. To complement the ceiling, Leanne incorporated a gorgeous basket chandelier.

See More Photos: 20 Leanne Ford-Approved Light Fixtures

Flea Market Finds

According to Leanne, she’s never met a flea market she didn’t like. During Week 3, the designers had a unique opportunity to spend $1,000 at the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, California. Leanne and Steve went in hoping to find light fixtures (and a girlfriend for Steve) and went home having accomplished at least one of those goals.

The Great Room, Another Angle

In classic Leanne Ford fashion, she kept things light, bright and airy with a neutral color palette and concrete skim coat on the walls. The basket she and Steve purchased at the flea market was merged with another basket to create a grander chandelier. “Two baskets, one light,” as Steve put it.

Patio Pattern

To add some interest to the patio without spending a ton of money, Leanne used a custom stencil and paint to create a patterned tile look. “I want it to feel a little bit like Mexico, like Greece,” Leanne said. “Just a really calming, simple, vacation-style home.”

The Outdoor Space

For increased value to her home, Leanne removed the back wall and installed bi-fold doors. Other features of her backyard space include an outdoor dining space and firepit. For landscaping, she kept it low-maintenance with pea gravel.

See More Photos: 20 Times Leanne Ford Went Gloriously Green

Leanne's Kitchen

"My style is influenced by the fact that nature is more beautiful than anything we could ever build," Leanne said. Keeping with her self-described "minimalist-maximalist" style, Leanne took a totally unique approach to her kitchen renovation. She removed the entire upper row of cabinets and installed a beautiful, grout-washed stone wall to make the kitchen feel like a room rather than a utility space.

The Kitchen: Before

The original kitchen in this home was far too traditional for Leanne. Her strategy? Change the layout of the space and add natural elements for a "vacation-home" feel. The only thing she kept from the original kitchen was the white color scheme and the concrete flooring.

The Kitchen: After

Leanne and her brother, Steve, replaced the existing lower cabinets with a custom, metal grate-fronted system that they powder-coated bright white and topped with a solid surface Formica countertop. Leanne's thoughtful design choices combined to create the look of a home that's been there for years — a far cry from the brand-newness of the original space.

SEE MORE: 20 Ways Leanne Ford Got Creative With White

Fake It Till You Make It

Leanne loves to incorporate natural elements into all of her designs, so the stone wall was a no-brainer. To achieve the light stone look that she desired without blowing the budget, Leanne and Steve decided to grout wash the stone wall. "I feel I might have invented a new technique," Leanne said. "For budget, we couldn't get a beautiful white stone, but we could smear some grout over it."

SEE MORE: Leanne and Steve Ford: Your New Favorite Restoration Siblings

A Cozy, Custom Space

Leanne covered the range hood in wood and painted it white, swapped the existing gas cooktop with a high-end stove and installed industrial-chic fixtures throughout. She kept the existing concrete floor, sealing it with a matte sealer — a decision that judge, Mike Holmes, questioned. Her response? "I honestly believe in imperfectly, perfect."

See More Photos: 20 Ways Leanne Ford Got Creative With White

The Pantry Hall

Leanne opened up the wall where the original pantry was, creating additional storage space and an out-of-the-way nook for the refrigerator. The new pantry hallway now flows directly into the living room, allowing easy access to the kitchen from multiple entry points.

The Pantry Hall, Another View

By opening up the pantry wall, Leanne and Steve made the kitchen feel significantly bigger.

The Dining Area

When Rehab Addict star, Nicole Curtis, brought the designers an old barn to use in their kitchen renovations, Leanne decided to trim her kitchen window in thick, rustic barn wood. Painted white, the unique trim pairs perfectly with the charming, well-worn look of the rest of the space.

SEE MORE: 20 Leanne Ford-Approved Light Fixtures

Leanne's Main Suite

"It's very important for me to design for an emotional reaction," Leanne said. "I'm going to use tons of light, tons of natural elements and different types of textures to make it feel warm."

The Original Main Bedroom

Leanne Ford completely reimagined the main bedroom by knocking down the wall to the left to create what's now the main bathroom.

The New Main Bedroom

The overall vibe of the main bedroom maintained its minimalist look and feel but with concrete and rustic touches. Leanne chose to stick with the bare concrete floors to complement her trademark white on white design style. The barn door separates the main bedroom from the master bathroom.

See More Photos: Never-Before-Seen Photos of HGTV Star Leanne Ford's Surprise NYC Wedding

The Original Main Bathroom

The original main bathroom contained a tub and shower insert and had a very standard layout.

Chevron Tile

Leanne created a straight-through line of sight from the main bedroom to the main bathroom. She kept things simple with this artisanal tile.

See More Photos: Everything You Need to Know About Leanne Ford and Her Uber Cool Design Style

The New Main Bathroom

Leanne took a gamble by creating a unique shower with no glass doors. The shower is completely covered in "imperfect tile," Leanne said. "And that creates this warm feeling in here." The main bathroom used a big chunk of her budget to renovate and we must say, it certainly paid off.

Barn Doors

Behind these beautiful barn doors is a magnificent main bathroom! Leanne reconfigured the entire space to give it a layout that would be visible from the main bedroom.

See More Photos: 20 Leanne Ford-Approved Light Fixtures

The Appraisal

Once the house was complete, Drew brought in a team of appraisers: real estate experts familiar with the area. The most value-increasing features of Leanne’s home according to the appraisers were the massive main bath/closet and the gorgeous stone wall in the kitchen. As for what they didn’t like, the appraisers thought the overall style of the home may be too niche for the neighborhood.

Rock the Block

Leanne Ford's House Reveal

Related To:

Shop This Look

Leanne's Lovely Space

The Exterior: Before

The Exterior: After

The Foyer: After

The Den: After

Surprise! It's Elizabeth.

Leanne's Great Room and Outdoor Space

The Great Room: Before

The Great Room: After

Flea Market Finds

The Great Room, Another Angle

Patio Pattern

The Outdoor Space

Leanne's Kitchen

The Kitchen: Before

The Kitchen: After

Fake It Till You Make It

A Cozy, Custom Space

The Pantry Hall

The Pantry Hall, Another View

The Dining Area

Leanne's Main Suite

The Original Main Bedroom

The New Main Bedroom

The Original Main Bathroom

Chevron Tile

The New Main Bathroom

Barn Doors

The Appraisal

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