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“How do we bring the serenity and zen of a vacation back home?” Leanne Ford asked herself when she started designing her third furniture and decor collection for Crate & Barrel. Building upon her last two launches with the brand—which went heavy on white oak, curved silhouettes, and slouchy sofas—the brand-new collaboration (it’s out today!) features Ford’s signature Mediterranean meets wabi-sabi meets Scandi aesthetic. The big difference this time is all the fresh, summer-approved textures—picture: curved counter stools, campaign-style pine desks, and weatherproof bouclé pillows.
The airy wicker light fixtures are arguably the stars of this line. When we sat down with Ford and the company’s vice president of product design, Sebastian Brauer, to learn more about the latest assortment, we were surprised to discover that the fixtures were inspired by a DIY the former HGTV star tackled back in the day on Rock the Block. The original version was an antique birdcage Ford used as a pendant light shade in the living room of the home. “I thought, We need a cool light, and we have no money, and now let’s figure it out,” Ford explains. The seasoned interior designer chose open-weave rattan for the shade structure because of the funky shadows the gaps cast, and also all the warmth it adds to a room (especially one with stone or brick walls). Dubbed the Noon lamp, her newly reimagined piece comes in a table, pendant, and floor version, starting at $350.
Fanciful lighting isn’t all Ford came up with this go-round. She has debuted a nursery collection inspired by her own past experience creating a room for her daughter, Ever. “When your kids are babies, they don’t have an opinion, so you can do tonal,” Ford explains. The neutrals lover leaned into unisex design with a cozy bouclé rocker, a sleek white slipcovered daybed, and a white oak crib that converts into a toddler bed. “Now I have a 3-year-old, and everything is pink and sparkly and purple,” she jokingly warns of taking advantage of this moment. “This whole collection, everything, is based on years of playing.”
