We started Oakhouse because we kept saying the same sentence to each other about the homes we saw on the market: "It doesn't look like anyone lives here." Gray walls, gray floors, hotel-lobby coffee tables, styling that photographs well and feels like nothing. We thought we could do better — and we thought the Triangle, with its mix of new construction, mid-century bungalows, and long-held family homes, was the right place to try.
We're Samantha and Chad Abel, a husband-and-wife team based in Durham, North Carolina. Samantha leads the staging — walking listings, building room plans, sourcing, and styling on install day. She comes from years of sourcing, specifying, and styling for private clients before Oakhouse. Chad partners with her on design direction and runs operations: quoting, scheduling, installs, logistics, and the books. Between us, we've built a studio that can move quickly without cutting corners.
Our approach is warm and considered. We stage to sell, but we stage the way we'd actually decorate. We design to last, not to chase whatever Pinterest is pushing this quarter. We buy oak and linen and paper and stone because they age well. We keep our inventory tight because it forces us to be intentional with every piece.
And we're small on purpose. Small studio means every project goes through the two of us, not through a junior. If you hire Oakhouse, you get Oakhouse — not someone who took an online design course and got assigned your living room on a Tuesday.