Winter Wonderland

As winter nears each year, Casabella Interiors in East Sandwich transforms into a haven of resplendent holiday design.

Casabella Interiors puts their annual fresh spin on winter decorating

It is common this time of year to see local businesses punctuate their regular environs with pops of holiday décor. What is not common is what happens at a small yet distinctive shop on Route 6A in East Sandwich. Casabella Interiors is an exquisite home furnishings and accessories shop that also includes a full-service design studio. Every year owner Michele Chagnon-Holbrook, and her hardworking team of six, clears out the entire 2,600-square-foot space and reimagines the six rooms as a winter wonderland. “We empty the entire store, and then we bring in all new items, we hang new artwork, mirrors, and transform the space into what I call our ‘winter look,’” Holbrook explains. “I steer away from a style that shouts ‘holiday.’ Instead, our clients are able to update their homes for the season, and the winter look is a different vibe from what gets conveyed in the warmer months.”

This unique philosophy is really what sets Casabella apart from other home shops. Holbrook helps her clients identify versatile foundation pieces that they love, but always have the flexibility to become transformational elements in their décor. “For example,” she notes, “you could take a beautiful urn and fill it with mercury glass balls. Then for Thanksgiving, you might accent it with rustic touches and then swap those out for ornaments as you roll into Christmas. Finally, after the New Year, fill it with a lush, green topiary, add a simple neutral bow, and it balances against the starkness of the winter months. It’s just all about reimagining your space.” And that is exactly what Holbrook does each year as she reopens the shop for winter with her annual open house in early November.