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MEET LEANNE

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Best of Houzz 2020 - Client Satisfaction
Best of Houzz 2018 - Client Satisfaction
Best of Houzz 2017 - Client Satisfaction
Best of Houzz 2016 - Client Satisfaction
Best of Houzz 2015 - Client Satisfaction
Best of Houzz 2014 - Client Satisfaction
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"For me, it's not just about designing beautiful spaces... it's about helping my clients to enjoy their lifestyle through innovative yet timeless design that feels inspiring, well collected, authentic and comfortable."

~ Leanne Michael 


Our firm specializes in all aspects of interior design, kitchen and bath design, garden design and entertaining which includes fine european floral design and holiday decorating.. all under one fabulous umbrella!  


We are known for being extremely creative, spot-on and resourceful with every interior, kitchen & bath, landscape or holiday project we are awarded to design. Leanne Michael loves to hunt for treasures to achieve a well collected home and exhausts ways to stretch a dollar without compromise to exceptional quality and design. But more importantly, we truly care about our clientele and bring all their wants and needs to fruition gracefully all while staying within allocated budgets and timeframes. Plus, its our pleasure to make the process extremely fun and find ways to make it as stress free as possible! 


You can view portions of our portfolio on Houzz.com

We hope to hear from you soon! Happy Designing!


**5% of profits are donated to charities committed to abolishing animal cruelty**

TESTIMONIALS

★★★★★   35+ Reviews

Honored to have remodeled our kitchen with Leanne Michael LUXE Lifestyle Design. From the beginning I told her I get bored easily and so I was looking to design an “interesting space”. She was the perfect collaborator. Thank you Leanne Michael. We are more than thrilled with the outcome. I’m never bored!Read More

My wife and I bought a Tuscan farmhouse style home in Santaluz three years ago. We liked everything about it except the kitchen, which was unimaginative and lacked the high end appliances. We contacted Leanne and she came to our house and described her services. She was in tune with what we were looking for, so we engaged her. She introduced us to some contractors and a local cabinet company. We signed their contracts and Leanne started designing, with my wife as the primary feedback person. Not only was Leanne's designs incredible, but she also made suggestions as to how to incorporate the side rooms to the kitchen (pantry, wine room and butler's pantry.) She also designed all the lighting as well as selecting antique hardware. The end product is the center piece of the home and we are ecstatic with what she designed!Read More

Can we add more stars please? Simply the very BEST designer in San Diego. She is your one-stop-shop to creative genius. She took an outdated/old kitchen and turned it into Magic. She stayed on budget (which in her business is unheard of) and completed the project on-time (which is also unheard of). If you are looking for the VERY best and you need your project to be a "WOW".... look no further.... Thank you Leanne for making a dream become reality!!!Read More

Leanne Michael gave my wife and me the "dream kitchen" of our lives with a recent remodel. She did wonders given the limited budget we gave her and was totally involved with not only the design, but overall construction of the kitchen. She stayed within budget and provided us with many wonderful options for our review. I would highly recommend her to anyone considering any type of remodel. She is wonderful to work with!Read More

After admiring Vicki Gunvalson's home on Real Housewives of Orange County, I set out to learn who had decorated it. I found photos of it on Houzz, along with Leanne's profile. I called her immediately, simply having to pick the brain of the genius who had created the most soothing, energizing, warm, and exciting home I have ever seen. Leanne was so warm and accessible. Though I'm no millionaire or reality TV star, she graciously offered to help me out with some nagging problems in my home. I sent her a photo of my problematic hearth with its dated, framed TV cavity above the mantle. The only solution my friends and I could see was to rewire the electronics behind the wall and to the floor, then drywall over the cavity. Leanne took one look at the photo I emailed her and said to remove the trim, finish out the edges, and paint the interior of the cavity in black matte to make the TV look bigger. No wiring! Problem solved! And with minimal cost and headache. She helps me acquire her amazing look even though I'm on a budget by directing me to Etsy (she herself uses much more upscale craftsmen) and telling me exactly the kind of custom linen pagoda lampshade to commission for the $8.99 chinoiserie lamp I snagged at Goodwill. I send her photos of bargain beds I find on Craigslist, and she advises me how I can have them refinished to look like the high-end beds I see on her projects portfolios on Houzz. She's like a walking lightbulb moment--she provides solutions to problems that only confound me. Leanne has given me confidence to put unexpected pieces together, and I've found my style at long last--a mixture of the Santa Barbara, Spanish, and Asian looks I see in her projects. I have never EVER been more excited about the possibilities in my home. Leanne is a miracle worker. I'm thrilled to have found her!Read More

Leanne is truly gifted in her field but what I truly admire is her honestly, integrity and focus on providing excellent services for an extremely reasonable price. For approximately 6 years Leanne has worked on my home in San Diego and my beach house in Mexico and has made a huge difference in my attitude towards making significant design changes, especially those which include a construction aspect. Generally, she works with me and my contractor to make the material structural changes, then continues throughout the year(s) updating, transitioning and designing for special holidays and various charity events and parties. Each experience was positive with the results consistently amazing; all within a budget and strict timeline! It thrills me that she is able to accomplish my goals while still securing my pieces with a discount and a very small mark up. She has a very generous heart and warmth that is felt throughout her designs - whether an elegant coziness or a crisp business feel, she accomplishes my goals every time. This holiday her designs brought 5 stars from Z gallery and multiple other designers when I shared this year's stunning homes - both unique with purples and golds throughout the beach home and stunning aquas and silvers for the San Diego house. It's so breathtaking this year it saddened me to have her transition back from the holiday designs. If you are considering bringing some changes into your homes or office for the New Year, Leanne is who you should use - you will share my sentiments!Read More

I just wanted to take a minute to write a review for Leanne and her company LUXE. I live in Kensington and I hired her to do some consulting for interior design in my living room and kitchen, on the referral from 2 friends whom she did some work for in Rancho Santa Fe and were very happy with her and what she did for them. Besides being a pleasure to work with and very upbeat and positive, she is one of the most professional and thorough people I have had the pleasure to work with. She spent quite a bit of time getting to know me, and my wants and needs and finding ways to deliver what I wanted but also methods to save money and cut costs in some areas, which I really appreciate since it allowed me to put my money into the things that count. She really is focused to finding the best options at the best price, instead of just presenting me with the most expensive options. It showed me that she really took the time to research stuff. Thanks Leanne. She has delivered everything as promised, on time and on or even under budget (which I don't think has EVER happened with any contractor or designer I've worked with in the past), with some amazing beautiful and creative solutions. She is so talented and creative and I discovered that she is really good with outdoor spaces too! So I'm having her do my front and back yard now! This is fantastic since I already like working with her and I now don't have to find someone else to do the exterior. I think this is unique, since people seem to either specialize in interior or exterior/landscape design, so it was nice to find someone who can so both! I would recommend Leanne and LUXE to anyone. Thanks again for making my home awesome.Read More

I love home magazines and often think "I'd love to live in that room " but I didn't want someone to design our home without us in it. Leanne listened, took on all the practical aspects of the job (no small feat), and along the way paid close attention to how we live and what we care about. Among the many useful contributions she added to the design of our home, are heartwarming details she managed to incorporate. Each morning, I pass a niche which easily could be taken from a magazine yet it holds a cherished sketch by my great uncle of me at age 10, a pair of carved Chinese figures my in laws discovered in their travels, favorite books we read aloud -- picture perfect it holds an assortment of treasured objects from family and friends . I have had the opportunity to visit a few of the homes that Ms Michael designed and ours is not unique: all of her homes are filled with stories —each one reflecting the story of the family who lives there. And quite simply, it makes me happy to live in a beautiful home that is truly ours.Read More

Leanne is truly a delight to work with. Our needs for a designer were a little unconventional as we requested her to provide a concept board, then we would go out and source the items based on her recommendations for size, style, design and color. She was very understanding and eager to work with us, even though she did not have complete design control. I must say that she is very generous with advice, ideas and her time. Leanne is very thoughtful regarding budget and ways to get the most bang for your buck. She has excellent design and space planning ideas as well as a gift of being an excellent communicator. We will absolutely work with her again, one day building our home and hopefully she will agree to help us.Read More

Leanne does what she says and in the time limit required. Her designs were lovely and our home turned out just as planned and under budget, She stays on task to get the job done and I would love to work with her again. Thanks!Read More

I hired Leanne to remodel the three bedrooms in our house and I couldn’t be more pleased. Leanne’s perspective and attention to detail are excellent. For our storage needs she presented various options and then took the time to go over each option with an eye on function, design and price. Her ability to add just the right amount of color to a room is impeccable. She provides you with her vision for the entire project but values and incorporates your input into the finished product. Leanne is extremely easy to work with and always provided us with progress reports throughout the process and finished the job two days earlier than was promised. I can recommend Leanne without reservation and I’m positive she’ll do a great job for you as she has for us.Read More

Leanne Michael and LUXE design are exceptional. Leanne's vision and abilities are second to none. I would highly recommend her and I look forward to working with her again very soon. What she has brought to our home is truly "PRICELESS".Read More

Leanne has incredible vision, taste, talent and patience and she also communicates her design process very well. I brought Leanne in just to redo my family room after my divorce but soon after I saw what she was capable of doing I had her transform most of the rest of my home and front landscape. It's truly a sanctuary for me now for my family to enjoy everyday in comfort and style. Leanne also has a knack for sourcing second hand furniture and then refurbishing the pieces to perfection which really helped keep my budget in sync. I now how a home filled with beautiful furnishings that are made well, will hold their value and "timeless" in style as Leanne likes to say, without breaking my bank account. Most know how I am very impatient so in my eyes it took a little longer than I had wanted but in the end it was exactly what I didn't even know I wanted. I think my favorite room is the dining room. I could not be more pleased with the overall outcome. Woo - Hoo! Vicki GunvalsonRead More

Leanne Michael is a wonderful, creative and talented designer. Then add to her design skills, a lovely woman to work with and she is the whole package. My employers home is almost a total remodel in a prestigious area of SD county while my home is in the quaint area of Kensington. Her skill set goes in many directions, new, antiques, furniture design or redesign, simple or extravagant, you name it! As you can tell by what I've written, she delights in taking on any size project, whether contemporary or Asian or a mix of different eras of furnishings, accessories, art, etc. It's what the homeowner wants and Leanne adds her own flair. She doesn't take it personal if there's something you don't agree with her. It's the well, let's move on and find what does make the homeowner happy. Again, a pleasure to work with and a pleasure to recommend to others!Read More

Leanne and her staff traveled to my ranch in the beautiful Texas Hill Country to decorate the 1870 English hay barn for the holidays. The barn was relocated from Glen, NY by Heritage Restorations , Waco, TX in 2013. It is now a magnificent event venue available for weddings, corporate events, photo shoots and even music videos. This is the second year Leanne has adorned the 14ft tall Christmas tree with her unique style of decorating , along with the 12ft mantel and the fabulous 22ft long bar and bar back with garlands, native branches and antlers from the ranch. I would highly recommend Leanne as a decorator for any of your holiday or special event needs for florals, interior design, assistance with planning and executing the event. She is extremely professional and very pleasant to work with on a project.Read More

This is my 2nd project with Leanne and I would highly recommend her. She completely redesigned my 25 year old kitchen, sourced out cabinets, marble, appliances and accessories to make my kitchen be a "dream kitchen".Read More

My wife and I bought our home back in July of 2015. We searched high and low, interviewed 15 people, and found Leanne Michael. Leanne has been nothing but fantastic and creative with her work. We are so pleased to have had the blessing of meeting and doing business with her and her company. We will be happy to answer any questions about her service if a reference is needed. We have already recommended so many of our friends and will continue to recommend her to everyone.Read More

Working with Leanne Michael has truly been a delightful experience. She is extremely knowledgeable about design and pays deep attention to detail. Not only that, she personally took the time to get to know me and understand what I do and don't like to perfect the space she was working with. Everything came out perfect and I am in love with my home. I am going to refer her to all my friends and family and would highly recommend her to everyone.Read More

AMAZING, AMAZING...... Did I say AMAZING? Leanne and her wonderful team are the best! They not only accomdated my budget but were truly the best designers I have ever worked with. She & her team are complete professional's and finished my project in a day which was spectacular!!! Her creativity is second to none. Leanne truly made my house a "HOME"!!!Read More

This past year I purchased a fixer upper beach cottage in Rosarito Mexico. A neighbor of mine recomended Leanne to help me figure out how to make the best use of the space and take best advantage of my views. Leanne has been a dream come true in this renovation. Her ideas are always inspiring, she listens and comes up with really creative solutions and she’s very conscientious with her approach to spending the limited budget I have to work with. Can’t say enough wonderful things about working with her. Thank you Leanne from the bottom of my heart you’ve truly helped me to create a classic and comfortable house to spend my retirement years in.Read More

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