Meet Leslie

My three children, two dogs, Martini and Olive, and husband are the center of my world. It makes for a lot of chaos and a lot of fun. I use to redecorate and move furniture around in my room as a child, so I guess interior design was always in my future. My other passion, writing, took me first into journalism at CNN where I relished the chaos of the newsroom and meeting the newsmakers of the day, but I was swayed away from that life of White House shoots and breaking news by fabric swatches and crocodile wallpaper.

Although I think my current career suits me much better, I never lost my love of writing and sharing stories. Now I decorate clients’ homes, and my own life, so it is comfortable and chic for all the people in it and I write about that life, decorating from the trenches of my own home front, to share my insight, tips and tricks to help as many readers as I can create homes that are not only fabulously be-decked, but stand ready to welcome in the chaos and real living that makes a house a home.

Family Style is my approach to letting the fun inside while keeping it looking chic and elegant. This Family Style sensibility grew out of my own crazy, chaotic life, which is filled with lots of children, family and friends. I longed for beautiful rooms and a fabulous décor, but I did not want to wait until children were older, dogs were better trained and my husband decided he didn’t want to eat dinner in front of the TV any more. In addition, my Southern roots and love of Southern hospitably made me want to create an environment where I could cook, entertain, host family meals and enjoy a house filled with boisterous children, laughing friends and lots of good food. While building my own nest and helping clients beautify theirs I realized that with some creative thinking and a few tricks, any room can be chic, elegant and stand up to real living. What I also realized was that it had the added benefit of bringing us out of the kitchen and family room and into the dining room and the living room. By designing these rooms to be suitable for all ages, as well as glamorous, we began to use them more and for new reasons. I had managed to add on to my house, and expand my clients’ without knocking down a wall. After honing this approach in the real world, I decided it was time to call on my other love, writing, and share my story.

I hope you can find some inspiration on these pages that will make your house more livable and more beautiful than ever, in short Chic, Classic and Completely Cozy. Because, in truth, family and good friends make every home more stylish!