This Los Angeles Designer Will Make You Want to Declutter Before Decorating
As a former luxury shopper on Rodeo Drive, Leah Alexander quickly learned her passion was sourcing beautiful pieces to make a client’s dreams come true. She went to work for several design firms, traveling to Spain, Miami, Denver, Australia, Italy, and beyond, and ultimately founded her own—Beauty is Abundant—in 2018. "My international design consciousness is used to implement clients’ wants, needs, and aspirations for their environments," says the Los Angeles native, who now resides in Atlanta. "We incorporate as many vendors and makers of color in our work, cultivating a one-of-a-kind result.”
Alexander is not shy about leaning into colors and pattern play. She won HGTV Designer of the Year for her “Green Goddess'' kitchen design, featuring a bold mix of avocado green and bluish green. Inspiration, she says, comes from all over: “In design magazines, vendors, and trade shows around the world, showhouses in different cities with different vibes, travel, museums, in people.” In addition to creating incredible interiors, she's a certified kickboxing instructor, has run in the LA marathon, and is an avid yogi. Her goal is to create places of refuge and regeneration for her clients: "We want clients to feel ease, expansiveness, in a place of yes, and ready to re-emerge into the world from their sanctuaries ready to contribute their unique gifts and voices."
House Beautiful: Who was your first design crush?
Leah Alexander: Having had my first job in the design community on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood around the corner from Kelly Wearstler’s office, she was an inspiration. Woodson & Rummerfield’s was another firm whose studio was a wow for me. The Pacific Design Center, shops on Melrose Place, and
Robertson left impressions on my psyche as future vendors and collaborators, from tile to incredible forward-thinking furniture, decor, fabric, and the elevated quality of the storefronts and sidewalk scenes.
HB: What sets your work apart and makes it unique?
LA: We care so deeply about our clients. We want them to feel like they’ve made it when they hire us. We achieve that through meticulous systems and processes, getting to know them well with surprises and delights along the way. My international design consciousness is put to great use in implementing clients’ wants, needs, and aspirations. And we incorporate as many vendors and makers of color in our work, cultivating a one-of-a-kind result.
HB: What’s your go-to design trick that delivers big impact on a budget?
LA: Get rid of it! Purge, purge, purge, organize, donate, declutter, fold it, hang it, and decide whether you can live without it or not. Ease and expansiveness come from order and cleanliness.
HB: What emerging trend are you excited about?
LA: I’ve been into chartreuse for years. I see it cropping up in fun furniture, tile, and decor.
HB: What's your favorite artist or piece of art?
LA: Right now I’m really loving Fares Micues’ photography. I recently bought a limited edition print of “Wherever you take me” from her and can't wait to hang it in my kitchen. I also love photography by Dapper Lou, abstract painting by Christina Kwan, and all works by K’era Morgan of K-Apostrphe including textiles.
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