LHD at Your Service
Interior Designer. Author. Foodie. Mentor. Believer in Give.
Leslie Hart-Davidson is the Founder and Principal Designer of HDD Studios. While boasting the coolest job in the world, Leslie helps people live better in their homes through great interior design. Her roots in design run deep. Her maternal grandfather was an artist and furniture upcycler in the 1940's. Her paternal grandmother gifted her with the fifth generation of tailoring and sewing skills. Her folks, Jim and Mary Hart were real estate flippers in the 70’s and 80’s before it was a thing, so she’s been designing since about birth. There was never any doubt about Leslie's purpose in this world: she helps folks live better in their homes. LHD is an educated and credentialed designer with a B.A. in interior design from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and founded her design business in 2001.
The driving force behind all that is Leslie Hart Davidson? Her philosophy of Give. When in doubt, give more.
Being a genuinely good human is a THING.
Leslie lives with her husband, surly brilliant teenage daughter, and a menagerie of hilarious pets on two acres in Michigan that she lovingly refers to as “The Compound.” The 150-year-old farmhouse is a source of joy and constant work. LHD discovered the property on a bike ride in 2005 and stalked it for two years, waiting for the timing and price to align. When touring the vacant property, she opened every drawer on the sly and popped in a business card to metaphorically claim the house. It worked! As lovely as the main farmhouse is, the funky 900 square foot building located seventeen steps away is undeniably cooler and the perfect home for HDD Studios. The galvanized metal vaulted ceiling and stunning picture window views of the acreage are a source of unending creativity and calm where magic happens for clients and creative content projects alike.
LHD’s client portfolio is as diverse as her dishware collection: it serves and respects the needs of the user. The guiding principle at HDD Studios since its inception is this: design is a democracy, not a dictatorship. Democratic design ensures that the clients’ desires, budget and aesthetic are at the heart of every project. LHD isn’t a one-trick pony who cranks out the same look for every client for the sake of ego and a uniform portfolio. She’s a designer who creates unique spaces that are a genuine reflection of each client’s décor trifecta: who they are, where they come from, and what they believe in. LHD enjoys tackling projects from quick space refreshes to extensive remodels and new builds. Many clients have hired LHD multiple times over the years for second homes and the friendships developed with repeat clients are a treasured bonus of the design process. The universe often sends LHD “distressed design” clients who have experienced significant loss of family members or relationships. LHD considers it a privilege to help those clients navigate changes to both their spaces and lives.
Mentoring is LHD’s jam. In 2007 she began an internship program with Michigan State University to provide students with real-world design and business experience. In the fifteen years since its inception, the HDD Studios mentoring program has empowered nearly one hundred students from five colleges and universities. LHD wields her superpower of “pull” to extract the talents of interns from their core, cultivating their skills of design and leadership to benefit their present and future colleagues and clients. Alumnae of the HDD Studios intern program can be found kicking ass in design careers on two continents, both coasts in the US, and some with their very own companies.
LHD is a world-class “edutainer”—a writer, producer, and presenter of educational and entertaining home improvement seminars to crowds of home show audiences, industry professionals, and corporations all across the US. LHD is a creative content machine, having developed hundreds of five-minute segments to edutain live television audiences through four regional tv stations over the last decade and a variety of themed series released on Youtube, including Wallcovering Wednesdays and Pillow Books with Aunt Leslie. Besides design, LHD’s passion is writing. Her three published books include a variety of snarky and informative content that not only help inspire clients and homeowners to learn new ideas, but also take action with their spaces.
Remodeling Your House without Killing Your Spouse and It’s Not Your Room, It’s You, encourage readers to learn design fundamentals and take action with their space using hilarious stories, activities and graphics. Her third book Food is Love incorporates kitchen design with recipes that help readers to be better humans through cooking. The Reveal, LHD’s upcoming book, is a memoir in the style of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential with tons of wacky client tales and her hero origin story.
