How did you end up in the design industry?
I was the art kid in high school and always knew I wanted to do something creative for a living. After an aptitude test pointed me toward interior design, I decided to pursue it in school.
After graduating with a BA in Design from UC Davis, I worked as a freelance assistant for several prominent interior design firms in the Sacramento area before one of them hired me full-time. I worked there for 5.5 years before launching Studio Connolly in November 2020.
What does your team look like?
It’s just me! My husband, Devin, helped co-found the company and occasionally acts as my unofficial design assistant, but I primarily run both the business and design work solo.
Tell us about the project you're sharing.
This galley kitchen in Curtis Park, Sacramento already had a warm, earthy vibe thanks to its terra cotta-colored walls, a color the clients loved and wanted to preserve. One of the homeowners, a landscape architect, had selected a primary color scheme for the home and wanted to carry it throughout, so red, yellow, and maybe blue it would be. They also loved the charm and character of their 1920s home and wanted to honor it while upgrading the kitchen’s function with additions like a dishwasher and a proper vent hood, along with improved storage. They also brought a unique challenge: finding a sustainable, durable flooring option that was softer underfoot than tile but still easy to maintain.
What was involved in this project?
The kitchen and adjoining butler’s pantry are tiny, just over 100 square feet (103 to be exact), so everything needed to be planned with precision. I created a demolition plan, new floor plan, elevation drawings, and a proposed electrical layout, then selected all flooring, cabinet colors, countertops, backsplash, grout, lighting, and finish details.
I brought in Tim from Fidelis Builders to execute the design, and he and his subcontractors worked seamlessly to bring it to life. I stayed involved with several site visits to answer questions and problem-solve as needed. At one point, we discovered the top half of a partially demolished chimney resting on wood above the old, non-functional vent hood, which had to be addressed before continuing. I also returned at the end of the project to style the pantry shelves.
What's something you were really excited about creating for this project?
The clients had a very specific storage need: a drawer for alliums (onions, garlic, etc.). I designed a custom cut-out drawer in the butler’s pantry to allow for airflow while creating a thoughtful, standout detail. I even created the cut-out template for the cabinet maker to use in fabrication.
Did this project change anything about your process?
I now always insist on a physical cabinet sample for any stain or paint color before production, and make sure the client sees it in person. Even if I provide a swatch, I require the cabinet shop to apply the color to a real wood sample so I can verify it fully, even if it delays the timeline.
For this project, the cabinet color approval was slightly rushed, which created some uncertainty, but thankfully, the client loved the final result.
What was your biggest learning from this project?
This project pushed me to research several new sustainable materials. I spent time learning which wood species are most sustainable for cabinetry and explored eco-friendly flooring options that are both durable and softer underfoot than tile.
Thank you, Leah Connolly, for sharing more about your business and sharing this beautiful home with us! You can visit Studio Connolly on their website or Instagram.
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Photography: Whitney Dianne, @whitneydianne
