Leah Sohr is not an architect.
Nor is she a formally trained interior designer. She is, however, proof positive that you don't have to be either to design the house of your dreams. The mother of three and former retail merchandiser for companies like Nautica menswear and Ann Taylor has always had an eye for her home space. 'My mom told me that when I was little, I always rearranged my room,” she says. 'I feel your home should reflect who you are and how you choose to live. It should rise up and greet you.”
Though her merchandising career ended years ago, she's kept herself in the game. She worked with Tom and Molly Bedell to design their store, Two Old Hippies, in The Gulch in 2011; more recently, she partnered with MarketStreet Enterprises and realtor Susan Gorney to design a common outdoor space in that same neighborhood.
But her biggest and most fulfilling projectthe only one she's worked on from the ground uphas been her own home. Set along Tyne Boulevard, the sprawling property is her family's sanctuary and where old-world elegance is accented with contemporary pieces. More than a home, the Sohrs' house acts as a gallery space where Leah showcases her love for local craftsmen and artists.
Leah and her husband, Jim, purchased their five-acre plot in 2000. '[Jim] wanted a new home, and I wanted oldwalls that could tell stories and depth,” she says. They compromised by building new with touches of old. Leah spent months sketching house designs while also studying the land to better understand the light, topography, and natural surroundings of the property. 'I enjoy the hardscapes of design,” she says. 'In my head, I saw the home as it should be, bringing the outside in and the inside out. I saw the layout and how we would use it, and drew it out.”
One striking feature of the home is the Shaker staircase, which Sohr had custom built with limestone treads. It lives in the main gallery, which served as Leah's inspiration for the entire house. '[There's a] constant mix of textures and depth created by old handpicked beams and rich wood floors; they merge with the white walls and contemporary art, creating clean lines. The house was designed for all rooms and halls to lead to a thoughtful view, either to the outside or inviting you to travel further through,” she says. While the front of the house is made up of more public, gallery-like spaces, toward the back, the home opens up to the family's actual 'living” spaces, where they spend most of their time.
While her home is definitively her own, Leah says she's opening herself up to doing this type of work for others, too. 'I enjoy helping women empower themselves in their home, not by listening to other egos dictate what they should create, but listening to their own gut and creating what feels like a perfect nest for their families. There should not be any rules or imposed preconceived patterns,” she says. 'I feel the best compliment you can receive when someone enters your home is ‘Your home is so you.'”
Leah's Artisans and Artists:
James Dunn, Vintage Millworks, vintage-millworks.com
Robert Bell, Custom Tile and Marble, tileandmarble.net
Doug Regen, dougregen.com
Larry Stone, lwstone1@comcast.net
Kim Thomas, kimthomasbooks.com
Kit Reuther, kitreuther.com
Jack Spencer, jackspencer.com
Luke Stockdale, Sideshow Designs, sideshowsignco.com
Ron Porter, ronporterart.blogspot.com
Gregory Byerline, gregorybyerline.com
Mick Beisel, Vision 2 Marketing, vision2marketing.com
Carey Haynes, careyhaynesart.com
David Kidd, davidkiddpaintings.com
Lee Crum, leecrum.com
