A Tallahassee, Florida, garden house by Alison Carabasi with interior design by Cary Langston of Langston Sprowls Design Group serves as a sophisticated pool lounge—and fully functional HQ. “The client had been paying so much in rent for her downtown office that the garden house paid for itself in a few months,” shares Carabasi.
Working with a build team of Amish craftsmen in her native Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Alison Carabasi has carved a chic niche for herself: designing exquisite custom garden houses, which are then shipped as a single, finished piece to discerning clients around the country. Below, Carabasi shares her insight on the accessory dwelling’s limelight moment.
Origin story: I’m from an artistic family and grew up appreciating pretty homes. But this all started when I made my own garden house and saw how much my whole family fell in love with it. Every time I looked out my window, it made me happy. My kids called it “The Shed” in high school, and all their friends would come over and hang out. I saw how great it was to have one—how it enhanced everything about my yard, my home, my life.
Business report: I noticed an uptick before the pandemic, and it’s only increased since then. You know how in England gardening is a big part of mainstream culture? I think that’s happening here more and more. There’s a growing awareness for healthy eating and healthy living, and that translates to people being out in their yards and caring for their gardens. It’s a good trend.
On deck: Continuing to evolve the architectural styles we offer; one I have in mind is a pagoda. I also want to launch garden ornaments and accessories. I have a copper sphere and finial designs that are so pretty, and I just launched lanterns—for no reason other than the fact that I don’t want to see ugly lanterns on my buildings! hillbrookcollections.com
