I came across the Casabella shop while visiting a friend on the Cape. Occasionally I stopped in and got to know Michele and Beth. Before I hired them to redo my den—which doubles as my home office—we worked together on a few small projects. The look and feel of the shop... ”
I came across the Casabella shop while visiting a friend on the Cape. Occasionally I stopped in and got to know Michele and Beth. Before I hired them to redo my den—which doubles as my home office—we worked together on a few small projects.
The look and feel of the shop inspire me, and I wanted to bring the same sophisticated and soothing aesthetic home.Scale is a tricky thing to get right so I also went the professional route to avoid making a costly mistake.
Beth worked around my schedule, so the entire project was easy. When she made the design presentation – she offered choices that honed in on the style I love. We went with a soft gray grasscloth wallpaper, a gorgeous leather desk and chair, artwork, window treatments, lighting, and a credenza that they custom painted and outfitted with new hardware. In addition to incorporating a cowhide and sisal rug that I had, she layered in pops of turquoise and lots of texture. I love being in the space now. The room now functions as beautifully as it looks- making the days I work from home feel more productive.
Another reason I recommend working with them is that they're excellent listeners. Throughout our collaboration, I felt heard."
my wife came home and said, “If I could just buy one thing from that store, I’d be happy.” Fast forward to 2018, and our vacation home is now our full-time residence. And almost every inch of our place has Casabella’s signature touch. We were renovating our weekend house... ”
my wife came home and said, “If I could just buy one thing from that store, I’d be happy.” Fast forward to 2018, and our vacation home is now our full-time residence. And almost every inch of our place has Casabella’s signature touch.
We were renovating our weekend house from the ground up when we first met them. We hadn’t realized the shop was also a design studio, so we invited Casabella to our home, and we walked through it together. Michele and her team surprised us almost immediately. Their ability to formulate a vision in a raw construction zone was unexpected. In my experience as a general contractor, I found it uncanny how they were able to see the home’s architecture for what it could be, including removing walls to increase functionality and other ideas we hadn’t thought of before. Five years and many projects later, we wouldn’t dream of designing anything without them. Casabella is that good.
When I walk into a home Casabella designed—there are a few in our neighborhood— I recognize their aesthetic immediately. Although each stands apart in unique ways, they’re a team known for putting their hearts and souls into every project. Their business has evolved to now include a thriving design studio – complete with an extensive group of contractors (electricians, painters, master carpenters, etc.). It struck me then, and it strikes me now that not all designers have the ability to see the big picture and resurrect a dream house from scratch.
There’s no such thing as “off the clock” with Casabella, the attention that goes into each detail takes the pressure off us. They created a custom stain color for our hardwood floors last year. To get the shade just right, their flooring contractor had to bleach the floorboards over and over again. In one weekend, Michele was at our home four times tweaking the shade with him until it was perfect. One-of-a-kind touches like that makes our home special. Michele and Shannon also designed other custom pieces including an antique glass hutch in our kitchen and our master vanity.
Another reason we highly recommend them is for something you’d never guess by walking into their store. Initially, we thought they just sold home furnishings, so when it came to picking out things like sinks, faucets, appliances, and hardware, we were happy to find that Casabella operates like a full-service design center with far-reaching resources. What you see in their shop and Marketplace is just the tip of the iceberg. Our renovation was close to a new build, so their vendor relationships saved us an enormous amount of time and money.
Through the years, our collaboration with Casabella has been effortless. They still make us feel like we’re their only client. We happened to be away on vacation during a recent project they did for us – which included a new kitchen and updating the living room. Tired and hungry, we arrived home in Massachusetts one evening to find Michele at the door with a bottle of wine. The fireplace was on, dinner was ready, and the place looked better than we could’ve imagined. Who can top that? We know we’ll never find a more passionate and friendly group of people. They’re remodeling our Florida home next."
We lived there for a few years before we decided to renovate it entirely - the look was stuck in the 80s. At first, I planned to do the interior design myself. But the deeper we got into the project, the more complicated it became. The details were overwhelming. I wasn’t confident... ”
We lived there for a few years before we decided to renovate it entirely - the look was stuck in the 80s. At first, I planned to do the interior design myself. But the deeper we got into the project, the more complicated it became. The details were overwhelming. I wasn’t confident I’d pull off the look we wanted. My husband had heard of Casabella through a friend, so we decided to stop by their shop one day to see if their style resonated with us. We walked in and straight away we were nodding ”Yes.” One of the things that immediately drew us in was their classic aesthetic. It's an investment – and we wanted to achieve a place that looked timeless, not trendy.
Michele and Shannon came to the house to get a feel for the place in June, and not long after they gave us a full design presentation. Pulling the trigger was a bit scary because it was a whole house redesign (living room, dining room, foyer, hallway, four bedrooms and a den). But everything they showed us was on the mark - including new rugs, drapery, furniture, accessories, lighting, everything down to the bedding. They worked seamlessly with our contractor and coordinated all the details - which made the entire project less stressful for us.
We have a full water view, and I was concerned about window treatments and lighting blocking the seascape. Left to my own devices, I would have chosen tiny light fixtures over the dining room table, instead of the gorgeous chandeliers they picked out that were correctly scaled for the space and didn't block the view. There were a few times I didn’t like something they showed me, but they had other options that I loved immediately. Thankfully, they also talked me out of an expensive flooring mistake in the mudroom. They steered me in the right direction on many things – it's a big part of why our home looks so pulled together. We used a painting that hangs in our foyer as the inspiration for our new palette—blues, greens and grays—but all neutral tones which worked beautifully together.
The entire project was coordinated and installed in 3 months—while we were still in construction— which is a feat I wouldn’t have been able to achieve on my own. On the day all the design elements came together we were blown away. We had never treated ourselves to a complete remodel like this before, so when we saw how beautifully they installed everything including accessories– walking through the house felt like a dream. The candles were on, lunch was on the counter, and each room was as beautiful as the next. It was an incredible experience. Everyone who has seen our house loves the design, all the lovely details, and the feel of it. We agree and couldn’t be happier!"
We live in Ohio, but we’re planning on transitioning our lives to Massachusetts in the future. We were under the illusion that we’d decorate the place ourselves, never imagining that this little dream home of ours needed much more than a fresh coat of paint and a couch or two. W... ”
We live in Ohio, but we’re planning on transitioning our lives to Massachusetts in the future. We were under the illusion that we’d decorate the place ourselves, never imagining that this little dream home of ours needed much more than a fresh coat of paint and a couch or two. We were on the lookout for new furnishings when we first came across Casabella Interiors on the app Best of Cape Cod & the Islands. Driving up and down 6A one day we decided to stop into their shop. My husband and I quickly spotted a couch we both liked and headed straight for it. While sitting there admiring our find, the owner Michele walked by and I jokingly asked: “How do I make my home look exactly like your store?” She sat down and chatted with us. We liked her instantly. We were so impressed with her openness, knowledge, and professionalism (and her connections with local contractors), that we invited her to our new home the next day. (Technically it wasn’t ours yet, our offer had just been accepted the day before.) Michele showed up the following morning, and three weeks later, her team had a plan ready for us. We never intended to get a designer, but somehow we managed to land one who was perfect for us and our ever-growing job. It took my hubby and I a few months to come around to the idea that if we were going to make this our forever home, it had to be done properly. So we tripled our budget and decided to completely overhaul our 1,000 square foot home - knocking down walls and modifying the blueprint so it worked better for our family. It would have been impossible to manage a near gut job remotely so Michele, Shannon, and Beth took on the massive project from start to finish. They coordinated every single detail with their large contracting crew – including an architect, builder (we added a screen-in porch), roofers, electrician, plumber, exterior siding installers, fireplace mason, flooring installers, painters, landscape designer, etc. From the shiplap and boxed beams on the ceiling to the lighthouse pendants hanging over our new kitchen island, there isn’t an inch of our home that we didn’t touch. Each step of the process, Casabella made us feel like we were their only client. Their patience with us was incredible. When we had a question they responded to us within the hour – sometimes within minutes. (I don’t think Michele sleeps!)
Everything they did centered on bringing the view inside and allowing the seascape to be the primary focus of our design. At the same time, they were ultra practical – I originally wanted marble countertops and wood floors, but they helped us to look down the road a few years. Life at the beach takes a toll on surfaces -especially with kids. As a result, they helped us find the right products while respecting our budget. Whether it was stealing 24” from a closet to give our master suite more room, or making space for a washer/dryer in the hallway, their ideas were inventive and well-executed. They are also a team of attentive listeners. Our home is small so we wanted what we do have to be impactful. My husband had to have a navy island. I had to have a custom farmhouse sink made to look like a basketweave, they made it happen.
The hardest thing about the project was staying away from the house for the last three weeks. The suspense was killing me! It’s one thing to see what each piece of our plan will look like in their 3D renderings, or on a swatch, but another to see thousands of beautiful details come together in real life. Six months before, we spent 4-5 hours in their shop for their design presentation -which was exceptional. Going from room to room virtually to see layout, space, and furniture placement is in itself a lot of fun and inspiring. But in person, it’s a dream come true. I was too excited to sleep the night before. It felt like 10 Christmases rolled into one, and when we finally landed in Boston and made the drive down, I could barely contain myself. We walked in and it just blew our minds."
Before remodeling it, we wanted to live in it for a while. Really get a feel for the place. And for five years that's exactly what we did. By the time we were ready to make changes, we had a clear vision for what we wanted. We searched for interior designers on the island and came a... ”
Before remodeling it, we wanted to live in it for a while. Really get a feel for the place. And for five years that's exactly what we did. By the time we were ready to make changes, we had a clear vision for what we wanted. We searched for interior designers on the island and came across Casabella Interiors. We researched a few other designers but ultimately decided on Casabella after talking to them, and seeing their work on Houzz.
The project was extensive. The biggest part of the renovation was our large kitchen – a great layout but everything needed to be gutted. We also enlarged our laundry room, refinished all the hardwoods on the first floor, remodeled our master suite bath, our powder room, and painted our entire downstairs. Additionally, we added new drapes and area rugs for each room. We kept some of our furniture, but the majority Casabella helped us picked out. Because we added a large deck – they also helped us with all the outdoor furniture.
Since we spend winters in Florida, we had to put off making some decisions until we were back in Ma. – like our beautiful quartzite countertops in the kitchen. Michele took us to the showroom – which was a helpful little adventure. Without seeing the slabs in person, it’s hard to conceptualize it. (After renovating a house before – we knew it was an important decision.) There are so many options! Thankfully, we were able to do much of our collaboration remotely.
All told, the renovation took about two years. We love our home now. We’re also thrilled that we don’t have to make any more design decisions!
Casabella is great to work with. Michele is organized and timely – and if she says she’s going to do something, she’ll do it. She’s amazing at color too. We love how the slightly different shades flow throughout the house. I really appreciated their flexibility - if something didn’t work for us, they listened and resolved it. Since we were away for the majority of the work, it was nice to not worry about all the coordination and details. Casabella's contractors were wonderful to work with – their prices were good, and they were dependable and respectful.
My husband was as much a part of the process as I was. It was definitely a team effort. We don’t always have the same taste so we both needed to compromise here and there. The two of us got stuck on a few decisions, but Casabella came up with solutions that worked for the both of us. One of the things we weren’t going to compromise on was the look. We didn't want a home that was too feminine. We showed Casabella pictures of what we like, and they pulled it off effortlessly.
The most unexpected thing about the project is that you don’t notice all the beautiful details at once. Since the project ended in June, we've noticed dozens of little things that we would never have thought of on our own. Seeing all of Casabella's big and little ideas come together over time has been a surprise bonus.
We love our place now. It looks the way we wanted it to the day we first walked through the house. The way it was meant to be. And for that, we’re very grateful for Casabella.
If you have the budget, we’d highly recommend them."
I was searching for ideas for our new farmhouse and came across their work. There were design elements from their projects that really appealed to me. I reached out to Michele, and shortly thereafter we began collaborating. The project scope was quite extensive – they redesign... ”
I was searching for ideas for our new farmhouse and came across their work. There were design elements from their projects that really appealed to me. I reached out to Michele, and shortly thereafter we began collaborating.
The project scope was quite extensive – they redesigned our interiors – and helped me with everything from tile and bathroom fixtures, to furnishings, flooring, window treatments, right down to pictures and accessories.
Our new house is not like any other we’ve owned. My taste runs very traditional New England style, and the new house is a country farmhouse (on Cape Cod, no less!). Michele and Shannon helped me stretch outside my traditional comfort zone while still suggesting things that worked for me. As a result, we achieved a completely different look - which I love. They considered my input and were always willing to make other suggestions if I didn’t care for something they presented.
As I mentioned, the project was very large and it had many moving parts – with that came the responsibility of making a wide range of decisions – that was stressful for me. Between Michele and Shannon’s expertise, creativity, professionalism, and sense of humor, they kept me sane! I think open communication is an important part of the process, as is being mindful and clear about your budget.
Working with Michele and Shannon was a fun and pleasant experience – and I’ve recommended them to a few people and will continue to do so because I know they won’t be disappointed with the results.
I’ve lived in my share of beautiful houses and I was very happy in each one. I’ve never thought about having a dream house per se, but the results of the work done by Casabella Interiors has definitely created the home of my dreams!"