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.”