about us
LEAH MARGOLIS NATHAN
Leah is best known for her creativity and ability to see beyond what exists in front of her. Having grown up in Connecticut surrounded by beautiful decor, she found her calling aftergraduating from Skidmore College. With a studio art and art history background she moved to New York City and began experimenting with her traditional upbringing by incorporating more modern, clean lines with furnishings from flea markets, antique stores and showrooms. Leah quickly learned that mixing decors and price points helped to create a rich ensemble, even on a very small budget.
With a true love for architecture and design that stems back from when Leah was just a child, she perused the New York City design community and was soon hired as a junior designer at Amanda Nisbet Design, Inc. While working with Amanda, Leah was engulfed in all aspects of the design business. She managed jobs in Manhattan and beyond, scheming and presenting projects big and small and styling for photo shoots featured in House Beautiful, O at Home, House and Garden and more. Additionally she was highly involved in the development process of Amanda's fabric and lighting lines. She left Amanda in 2008 to take a position as a senior designer for Rod Winterrowd, Inc. where she worked on projects in Manhattan's famed 15 Central Park West and 740 Park Avenue, as well as homes in Dallas and in Palm Beach.
In early 2009, Leah began writing about interior design on her blog Deliciously Determined as a way to share her expertise with the design community. Just months after her first post, readers began requesting her help and, in a short time, Leah Margolis Design was born. In October 2009 Leah and her husband, a construction project manager, relocated to Saratoga Springs, taking on their biggest personal project to date, the total gut renovation of their own home. In spring of 2014, all of their efforts were recognized when they were honored by the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation. In the summer of 2014, Leah's kitchen was published in BH&G's Kitchen & Bath Makeover. That fall, Leah Margolis Design won the Showcase of Homes Luxury Home Interior Decorating Award. In the spring of 2017 she was awarded best Interior Decorating and Design for the Capital Region Parade of Homes in the Pinnacle Home category and has been voted The Saratogian's Readers Choice for Best Decor in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Leah works on residential projects throughout Saratoga and Albany Counties, Lake George, the Berkshires, Manhattan and Connecticut. A great supporter of the arts, she previously served as the Saratoga Performing Art Center's Junior Committee President and Past President and currently serves on the Action Council.
AWARDS
2020 BEST OF SARATOGA SPRINGS, Interior Design
THE SARATOGIAN READERS CHOICE, Best of Design & Decor
2019 THE SARATOGIAN READERS CHOICE, Best of Design & Decor
2018 THE SARATOGIAN READERS CHOICE, Best of Decor
2017 PARADE OF HOMES, Pinnacle Home Winner, Interior Decorating
THE SARATOGIAN READERS CHOICE, Best of Decor
2016 BEST OF SARATOGA SPRINGS, Interior Design
THE SARATOGIAN READERS CHOICE, Best of Decor
2015 THE SARATOGIAN READERS CHOICE, Best of Decor
2014 SHOWCASE OF HOMES, Luxury Home Winner, Interior Decorating
THE SARATOGIAN READERS CHOICE, Best of Decor
ASHLEY LEMPKA
Ashley’s passion and love for interiors and antiques began at a young age, growing up in Millbrook, New York. Always inspired by her parents' frequent antiquing trips, historic house and plantation visits, she was constantly flipping through interior design magazines.
After obtaining an Interior Design degree from The Sage College of Albany in 2008, Ashley moved to New York City to work with Rod Winterrowd as a Junior Designer. While there, she worked on projects in New York City, Palm Beach, the Bahamas and Dallas. Four years later, Ashley took on a Senior Designer position with Anthony Baratta, of the famed Diamond Baratta.
With a natural eye and a keen visual sense for color, space, and style, Ashley especially enjoys mixing high and low with modern and traditional. She can quickly grasp a client’s aesthetic to help produce an end-product that’s perfect for their needs.
photograph by Nicole Starr Photography