HISTORIC DEUTSCHTOWN — The glim and glamour of Los Angeles may be thousands of miles away from Pittsburgh, but a new Northside business aims to bring the style of Tinseltown into homes, without sacrificing its yinzer aspects.
The Object Room is a newly opened home staging and decor store located in Historic Deutschtown. It is owned and operated by Leah Kouba, who has 20 years of experience in the interior design industry.
While not originally from Southern California — having grown up in South Dakota — Kouba spent 14 years living around the City of Angels. However, she made frequent trips to Pittsburgh during that time to help with a friend’s design company, and grew fond of the city with each visit.
“Every time I was here, I started falling in love with the city more and more,” she told The Chronicle. “It’s super charming, there’s lots of great restaurants and cocktail bars coming up, and there’s a lot of opportunity for small business in this city.”
Kouba didn’t initially plan to open her own retail space after moving to Pittsburgh last year, but when she tried doing home staging and design work, she faced difficulties in acquiring the kinds of decorative objects she wanted to use in order to show clients. Those difficulties, as well as receiving a deal on a retail space, led to her opening The Object Room, which both serves as a place to buy furniture and decor, and for Kouba to showcase her design sensibilities for prospective clients.
As for what her style entails, Kouba said she prefers “organic materials,” using a lot of natural stones and wood textures, as well as ceramics. She also finds herself preferring to mix modern pieces with older styles, showing that both can work in tandem.
“I’ve noticed with home staging, I’m working with these beautiful old Pittsburgh homes that have so much character,” she said, “and it’s fun to mix in that fresh California feel with those homes, because it works with the style.”
Kouba said visitors to The Object Room are welcome to bring photos or videos of their homes so that she can help pick out what pieces of decor would work best. She also offers consultations with clients, including home walkthroughs, to curate specially designed plans for specific homes.
In terms of what aspects of Pittsburgh homes Kouba most enjoys, she cited the prevalence of wood details, stained glass and pocket doors as some of her favorites. She’s also a fan of bricks and dark wood detailing.
“I want to show people that they can keep their house the way it is and give it a fresh look without having to paint things white or cover up the beautiful detail of those old homes,” she said.
“You can modernize with furniture and decor, but still keep the history of the home.” The Object Room opened in December, and Kouba has found herself welcomed in the neighborhood. She said every business owner around her has been “really sweet and really supportive,” and she described Pittsburgh as “a big, but small town.”
In addition to the retail space and services she provides, Kouba hopes to host events at The Object Room in the future, though she has not settled on exact ideas as of yet.
The Object Room is located at 407 E. Ohio St. Its regular retail hours are Thursday through Saturday, from noon to 5 p.m., but Kouba offers scheduled appointment visits earlier in the week.
Those interested in the business are encouraged to follow The Object Room’s Instagram account, theobjectroombylki, as Kouba plans on making event announcements on that page.
For more information or to contact Kouba, visit leahkouba.com.
