Leah Atkins
Photo Credit: Leah Atkins
Southern comfort is at its peak with Atlanta-based interior designer, Leah Atkins. One of the South’s most sought after young designers, Atkins makes home owning refreshing and lively by combining innovation and intelligent risk with a fundamentally classic approach. By putting her clients at the forefront of her designs, her spaces add a personal touch and create a comforting yet intriguing addition to any home.
The secret behind Atkins work is her relationship with her clients. The meaningful bond she builds throughout the design process allows her to understand their personal style while helping them out of their comfort zones. She leads them on an exploration of their design style out of their traditional comfort zone, but never too far to where they can’t find their way back.
“Many of my clients are traditionalists, but they also want something highly personal,” she explains. “It’s more than just the iconic pillars and the graceful front porches and the formal dining rooms with the great chandeliers. I help my clients really get at what makes them happy.”
Photo Credit: Leah Atkins
One way she does this is by encouraging clients to experiment with color and Atkins has worked with it all. When catering to personal styles, some clients go as far as entirely bold black rooms while others choose to use the daring black color in a more subtle trim or accent sofa. Others who refrain from the boldness of black, have chosen more calming blue-and-white tones of Greece, or vibrant lotus-pinks and saffron-oranges of India. No matter what palette is chosen, clients fall in love with the final product every time. She pushes clients to envision the endless possibilities within their homes which is what allows her to create a personalized masterpiece.
Atkins is greatly inspired by her love of family. A driving force in her work and life, she believes the warmth and comfort of family is what truly makes a house a home. On a long journey to create their own family, Atkins and her husband now have two children, a two-year-old boy and a three-month-old girl, who are both adopted. Atkins is a huge advocate for open adoption and has even become close friends with the birth mothers. Combining her passions of keeping family together and interior design is what keeps Atkins motivated as it enables her to design spaces for this unconditional love to be shared.
