'Restored by the Fords:' Brother, sister from Pittsburgh wrap up Season 1 on HGTV

You may have watched, but did you know that the stars of HGTV's

are from Pittsburgh?

Brother and sister Leanne and Steve Ford grew up in Upper St. Clair and featured their design and contracting skills on Pittsburgh homes in the series that wrapped its first season on Tuesday.

You can stream season one

.

Leanne and brother Steve Ford were drawn to mid-century Pittsburgh homes with the quirkiest layouts. They worked exceptionally well together to renovate, rather than restore the interior to fit the owners needs -- within budget, of course, and presented some challenges.

But every project is never without Leanne’s trendy interpretation.

In a recent appearance on “Rachael Ray,” Leanne showed Rachael and the viewers a photo of one of her renovations. Rachael was impressed by Leanne's bold and unlikely decision to paint a dining room ceiling black “like the night sky” in a white room. This, Leanne said, can actually make the room look larger.

As the interior designer of the brother-sister team, Leanne will have a crazy idea, and her brother, who she says reads her better than anyone, makes her vision come true as the contractor.

The result usually mixes modern and old, high and low, shiny and beat up--but it works! The owners fall in love with it. And with Pittsburgh’s large number of historic homes, it was a perfect city for the show.

“I couldn’t imagine doing it anywhere else,” Leanne said in a phone interview with See & Be Seen.

Her brother, on the other hand, would not mind spending more time in California for the sunny weather. He also owns the wake surf business,

They both spent time in California; Leanne started her career in the fashion industry and lived in Los Angeles for 15 years. Later she was drawn to interior design because her work could last longer, and when displayed in a home, it could be seen by more people.

Despite the wide variety of styles and period influenced architecture in Pittsburgh neighborhoods, Steve said they were more interested in "the ones with windows" when selecting homes for the show.

“The family living there is most important,” Leanne said. “And it’s simply exciting because every job is opportunity to make something different.”

Steve added, “Every house like canvas."

It wasn’t until after Leanne moved back to Pittsburgh and visited Laurel Highlands, did she realize how much of her bold taste was influenced by trips to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater as children. Wright built the house partially over a waterfall on Bear Run in 1935, pushing the limits architecturally to bring the outside, inside.

“He was a rebel,” she said. “He did things people told him not to do.”

"Restored by the Fords" is on brand with this idea; its theme is about breaking the rules.

“Go ahead and mix metal,” Leanne advised. “Use white. The power of white creates beauty space and light. Use it in every shade together. Don’t be afraid to mix that.”

“People should be doing what they want to do.”

Cox Media Group