Camden Leeds, Heather Johnson, and their school-age son live in a 1909 house in the Mexican War Streets area of Pittsburgh’s North Side. She is the owner of Alchemy Dry Cut Lounge in Lawrenceville. He is founder of 1412 Design House, one of Pittsburgh’s foremost graphic design and branding companies, and TABLE Magazine’s creative director. Of course their home is gorgeous.
A 1909 Home with Modern Soul
“We renovated the house in 2011 as our home and my office,” comments Camden. He’s clearly at home there, padding easily from room to room with cats and kid afoot, and sometimes a client or two. Camden removed a few interior walls on the ground floor. The idea was to transform the late-Victorian rooms into a modern, all-purpose living space. This includes contiguous, high-ceilinged zones for entry, dining, and lounging.
A refined, contemporary kitchen beckons toward the backyard. Additionally, a fantastic staircase, original to the house, carries the eye upward to Camden’s office and the family’s private spaces.
City planners named the streets of this beautiful neighborhood in the late 1840s. It’s named after battlefields from the Mexican-American War of 1846–48. Builders constructed most of the homes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This was during a period of rapid population growth in what was then Allegheny City.
The styles can vary from Gothic Revival to Queen Anne to Italianate and Romanesque in the same block. What remains extremely consistent is the quality of the buildings. Pittsburgh families built these homes with high-end materials and meticulous craftsmanship. This fueled the economic engine that powered the city’s industrial heyday. These houses have, as the saying goes, good bones.
A Celebration of Design, Family, and Just Enough
Given his fine-boned surroundings, is it an accident that Camden collects skulls? “They remind us of the durability of life – and also that we all look the same on the inside,” he comments. His collection is both ominous and elegant. It looks terrific during the holidays with carnations and red ferns sprouting from their eye sockets.
That’s just one irreverent holiday décor detail. A bust of Venus de Milo sports a Kiss tattoo. Pillows from North Side neighbor, Shannon Pultz and her company Blak Rust, bring a flash of holiday red into the normally black-white-gray living area. Floral arrangements from Karrie Hlista Design highlight the Victorian fireplace. The fireplace and mantels bring alive the grand late 19th century staircase. A collection of candles and votives bring warmth and flame to the depths of winter. One of two house cats, Big Guy and Shy Guy, poses for our camera during our visit. You can probably guess which one.
In this year of small gatherings, a restrained and beautiful menu of sweet and savory finger foods. All in Good Taste Productions presents just enough for four guests. Just enough for a gorgeous visit and a good conversation. Soon after, back into the twilight for a walk through the neighborhood. That’s how the holidays will be this year: just enough and no more.
Photography by Dave Bryce
Story and Styling by Keith Recker
Food by All In Good Taste Productions
Flowers by Karrie Hlista Designs
Pillows by Blak Rust
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