Meet Our Design Specialists Leah Southard and Ashley McDonald

One of the key benefits of building your new custom home in Charleston with Crescent Homes is the team of experts at your disposal. There is no such thing as too much hand-holding when it comes to home design. Because we want the process of designing, buying and building your new home to be as stress-free as possible, we offer professional consultants at every stage.

With a semi-custom new home, you are in the driver’s seat to design the home of your dreams. Take any of our thoughtful floorplans and modify it to suit your individual needs. We even offer structural changes and interior upgrades. Then, the fun begins! Designing the interior of your new home should be exciting, but with endless options it can be an intimidating and overwhelming experience. Crescent Homes takes the guesswork out of the process by teaming you up with one of our Design Specialists. These professionals are experts in the field of home design and help guide you to your dream home (within your budget reality!). We’ve compiled a Guide to Home Design below with two of our Design Specialists waiting to work with you in our Design Collective.

The Experts

Leah Southard
Leah attended Wilmington University with an interest in education. She spent several years working in various school districts with early childhood special needs education, a career that fulfilled her and met the schedule of her growing family (Leah has two children). But there was always a creative need nudging her toward a new path, and once her children grew up a bit and became more independent, she was able to pursue this dream. With a natural eye for design, Leah has always been drawn to creative outlets, from makeup artistry to flowers. As a Design Specialist at Crescent Homes, she is able to showcase her talent while connecting with others.

“I love getting to utilize all the different options available, and it’s a lot of fun to see clients relieved with process. They leave happy, not feeling rushed.”
-Leah Southard

Ashley McDonald
A Redding, PA native, Ashley has loved interior design since childhood. After majoring in Interior Design and English at Virginia Tech and Penn State, she launched her career working with Charleston Home and Design Magazine as writer and editor. After stints with Amazon publishing and Arcadia publishing, she decided to pursue her lifelong passion of design in Charleston. She has since been working as Design Specialist with Crescent Homes.

“The most rewarding part of the job is helping homeowners find exactly what they are looking for. By working one on one with people, you can get much more detailed and personal in the design.”
-Ashley McDonald

The Process

Your first design meeting with Crescent Homes will include a comprehensive Design Questionnaire, complete with pictures. This helps the designers hone in on why you may like particular rooms, features, colors. Understanding why is just as important as finding out what you do and don’t like. At this Preview Appointment, you will also talk with a Design Specialist about your aesthetic, goals and vision. From there, she will pull selections based on your appointment. From the endless selection of trim options to colors, cabinets and more, your personal Design Specialist will narrow down the choices based on what you’ve expressed interest in.

“Everyone is different,” explains Leah. “We never put people in a box because there are so many different styles and options. You can mix and match, and if those don’t work, we can go even further”

Where To Start

It’s a lot, we know. Jumping into the design process of your new custom home may seem overwhelming, so we recommend picking one room to begin with.

“Start with where you plan to spend the most time in your house. That’s usually the kitchen,” suggests Ashley. “This is the core of where to start. From cabinets, flooring and countertops, the look will radiate out through the rest of the house.”

Each decision will affect the next, so that your overall aesthetic is fluid and cohesive.
When deciding which room to start with, consider your overall budget. If there are a few bigger ticket items that you know you want to include, begin there to make sure they make the final cut. Our Design Specialists can help you recreate any look for any budget, but some items, such as premiere kitchen appliances, will need to be accounted for early in the process. From there, your new home is a blank canvas.

Visit the Design Collective or call one of our Design Specialists today!