Leah Alexander: Interior Designer Crush
As the founder of Beauty Is Abundant, Leah Alexander helps others increase their property value β and their quality of life. Meet our newest interior designer crush!
Leah Alexanderβs design career has taken her across the country from Los Angeles to Atlanta, where she now runs her own firm, Beauty Is Abundant. With projects published in Architectural Digest, Atlanta Magazineβs HOME and more, Leah has achieved recognition for her work and will soon be opening a satellite office in L.A. Her mission? Helping others to increase their property value and their quality of life. Welcome our newest designer crush, Leah Alexander.Β
What was your path into the design field? How did you know you wanted to become a designer?
After graduating from college, I worked with a recruiter to land an exciting job in the Los Angeles design community. Fast forward almost a decade and three jobs at three similar firms, and I felt stifled and ready for so much more β to serve clients in my own unique ways and take more creative license. After months of what seemed like flashing yellow arrows pointing me in the direction of starting my own firm, I took a huge leap of faith and founded Beauty Is Abundant. Weβre three years in and there is no Plan B. My first job celebrated beautiful design in ways that made creating beauty for people irresistible. I knew then this was my industry.
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What do you enjoy most about your work? What have some highlights of your career been thus far?
I enjoy making my clients feel like theyβve made it, listening to them, and seeing the potential in their homes before the work has even begun. Seeing the potential in their homes is a form of seeing potential in them. Peopleβs homes are reflections of them; their decision to purchase the home based on the potential they saw in it is affirmed by me seeing that same potential.
An exciting career highlight for me was being a designer in the Architectural Digest x Black Interior Designers Networkβs first-ever virtual showhouse, The Iconic Home. It was such a moment for me. Being an AD100 Designer is a huge career goal for me. The Iconic Home felt like a stop on the way. Being featured in MyDomaine, Apartment Therapy, and other design publications means a lot to me. And completing a 1930s renovation and addition project in 2020 was a celebration β the first project of its kind for me.
Can you describe your aesthetic? How do you incorporate it into your projects and at home?
My clientsβ aspirations for their homes or businesses determine our approach and aesthetic. But Iβve been known to put a simple, clean, and modern spin on every space I design. Someone recently told me I donβt βoverdesign,β which I thought was interesting. I certainly donβt overdesign at home! Having no coffee table allows for living room yoga. White bedding is all thatβs available. Well-worn books are stacked here and there. I like a neutral palette with textures and touches of muted metallic and Lucite.
Has your aesthetic changed since moving from Los Angeles to Atlanta? If so, how?
More than changed, my aesthetic has matured and made a way for itself. Starting my own firm required me to dig deeper than ever before to find unique vendors and constant inspiration. Working in the design community in Los Angeles and then Atlanta makes for a dynamic perspective that Iβm grateful for. Iβll put it to good use as I serve clients from our Atlanta office and from our new Beauty Is Abundant satellite office in L.A. that Iβm super excited about!
Tell us more about the philosophy behind your business name, Beauty Is Abundant.
Thank you so much for asking. Beauty Is Abundant means so much to me.Β If I can convince anyone who needs a bit of convincing that there is much beauty in the world, Iβm doing something right. Itβs the idea of creating such beauty and feelings of ease and expansiveness for clients that their outlook on their immediate surroundings is elevated. With that enhanced outlook, they show up in the world differently, noting small moments of joy and beauty they may not have otherwise noticed before coming into contact with my firm.
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Where do you find your inspiration?
I find inspiration in books, design, and otherwise. I find it in traveling for sure, in museums, on Instagram, from visiting clientsβ homes, and from nature, to name a few.
Who is your dream client?
My dream clients are a toss-up beauty Sean P. Diddy Combs and The-Dream. Less specifically, I find that my dream clients are kind realists who are open-minded if not experimental and share a handful of fundamental ideals about how to show up in the world and be a good person.
What advice do you have for aspiring or up-and-coming designers?
My advice for aspiring designers and to anyone ever in life is to start before youβre ready. Ready is almost never a thing.
See more of Leahβs work atΒ leahalexander.info.
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Meet more of our favorite Southern interior designers in our archives.
Sarah Lyon
Sarah Lyon is a Washington, DC, native living in New York City. As a freelance writer, she frequently covers interior design, travel, and other lifestyle topics. An avid vintage shopper, Sarah loves learning about thrift and antique stores located across the South.