Where Northern Comfort Meets Southern Charm 

By Sarah Emily Gilbert

Deborah Leamann of Deborah Leamann Interior Design is a New Jersey native with a southern sensibility, a New York City interior design education, and a world-class level of taste.

Headquartered in Pennington, New Jersey, Leamann has worked with discerning clients from around the country. A graduate of New York School of Interior Design and an allied member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), Leamann has over thirty years of experience in the industry, but her eye for design blossomed early on.

“My mother was from the south, and I spent a lot of time there as a child visiting relatives,” recalls Leamann. “I owe my appreciation for all things beautiful to my mother.  She kept an impeccable home with beautiful finishes and beautiful details - she was into every bit of that.  When she passed away in 1989, it was a turning point for me.  I knew it was time to jump in, test the waters, and open my own firm.”

Leamann’s classic aesthetic calls upon the work of southern design greats like Suzanne Kasler, Barbara Westbrook, and Bunny Williams, but her knack for putting a twist on the traditional sets her apart.  While she is known as a classic designer partial to earth-toned color palettes and timeless furnishings, Leamann incorporates bright accent colors, bold textiles, and hand-selected statement pieces. No matter how she decides to “punch up” a space, her vision shines through in every project.

“There’s a level of taste in all design genres,” Leamann explains. “You can be classic, yet pick the best products, schemes, and styles from all the worlds of design.”

Perhaps Leamann’s latest project, an 1884 Gothic Victorian home in Doylestown, Pennsylvania best exemplifies this talent. In accordance to how she begins many of her projects, Leamann’s inspiration was spurred by an element of the home’s architecture.

“I call it my pink and green home because it has these spectacular pink and green stained glass windows that spring boarded me into the design journey, she says. “I pulled lovely textiles, yummy textures, and fresher lighting fixtures that made the Gothic architecture spring forward, while allowing for a contrast in time periods.”

Another example of Leamann’s design versatility is her fusion of northern comfort and southern sensibility to produce spaces that are timeless, elegant, and livable. Leamann is mindful of how a client will be utilizing the space she’s designing, something clearly expressed in her personal design motto, “rooms you love to live in.”

“When people start working with a designer, they can get intimidated that they need to have this showroom quality house at all times, but you have to live in your home,” Leamann adds.  It has to be inviting, welcoming, and comforting. I have three dogs, two cats, and a horse - we’re real people.  Sometimes we want to kick back and put our feet up on the coffee table or eat in front of the television. I get all of that.  You can have a beautiful home and still have that element of usability so that it functions well.”

Ultimately, Leamann believes it’s her client-designer relationships that bring her creative process together. She translates the needs and desires of each client into an unforgettable space. “If a client says, ‘I just love this piece of art,’ I’m going to work with it and make sure that we’re on the same page from the beginning,” she explains. “That’s a crucial element to having a successful design relationship with your client. I can’t put enough emphasis on the importance of art and art objects when designing a room.  They truly reflect the soul of the house because it’s a personal expression.”
Leamann’s success comes from her ability to put her own heart and soul into every project. And just like her classic taste, an authentic designer never goes out of style.

Deborah Leamann Interior Design is a full service design firm. Projects from full home conception to single rooms and one time in-home consultations are available. To contact Deborah Leamann call 609.737.3330 or visit deborahleamanninterior.com.