Leah Brownell

A native of East Haddam, Connecticut, Leah’s architectural interest was kindled on an island in Maine. Exploring there as a child, she came across fairy houses made of moss, pebbles, and twigs whose whimsical designs intrigued her. In high school, Leah took an architectural drawing class and was hooked.

Leah earned a Masters of Architecture, with a minor in Graphic Design, from Roger Williams University in 2021. She spent the spring semester of her junior year studying abroad in Florence, Italy. While captivated by the city’s architecture and culture, Leah and her friends got away every weekend, traveling to ten countries in four months. Her favorite destination was Edinburgh, Scotland, whose dark stone buildings transported her back in time. Barcelona, Spain was another favorite, though more for its temperate climate than its architecture (she found Gaudi’s La Sagrada Família overbearing).

Leah’s architectural path to Centerbrook was perhaps preordained. She served as a summer and winter intern at two residential architecture firms here in Essex, and knew of Centerbrook from a long friendship with a staff member’s daughter. While her internships exposed her to residential and commercial projects, she prefers the variety and client engagement that residential design offers.

In her spare time, Leah likes to be outdoors. She is an avid hunter, valuing the camaraderie with her family and friends. In the summer, Leah enjoys exploring the woods on an all-terrain-vehicle or spending time at a family camp on a Connecticut lake. And for a week each year, she returns to the Maine island where she found her architectural calling.