This is Us
A Lafayette family home attains authenticity by mixing some things old and new
“All the things I choose, whether it’s the textiles for drapery or furniture — it’s important to have that feeling,” says Thibeaux, of how she used soft finishes and estate sale pieces to make the home uniquely theirs. “If someone were to walk in my home…I would hope it would tell the story of my family.”
As the owner of Southern Fete, Cassie Thibeaux has built her brand designing weddings and events that feel both personal and inviting.
“When I work with clients, the most important thing is getting to know them and their story,” says Thibeaux. “Then I bring in design elements that reflect their world.”
She relies on this same instinct when choosing and designing a home for her family.
Thibeaux says she and her husband just finished a remodel when they discovered their current four-bedroom home while on a family walk around their neighborhood near West Bayou Parkway in Lafayette.
“As soon as we walked in the doors, we knew we loved this house,” says Thibeaux, who was especially fond of the way it combined contemporary accents with Old World French and Creole architectural elements. Among her favorites are a set of hundred-year-old arched windows, reclaimed from a New Orleans church, that complement the home’s Old St. Louis basketweave brick and beamed ceilings.
Moving in during the pandemic, the family knew a major renovation would not be in the cards anytime soon, but Thibeaux relied on her design savvy to infuse a sense of place and make the house feel like their own.
A self-described estate-sale-junkie, Thibeaux filled the house with some of her favorite finds, including a pair of Staffordshire dog figurines she discovered with her son Neil, who has been her enthusiastic shopping buddy since he was only six weeks old. (He even requested to have an estate sale for his recent birthday, says Thibeaux.)
Though she has a soft spot for items with a past life, Thibeaux’s home is not all repurposed finds. She keeps things fresh with textiles, such as custom drapery. Playful fabrics—a colorblock print from London brand Molly Mahon and whimsical kumquats from Erika M. Powell — give the space pops of personality and allow her design style to shine through.
“All the things I choose,” says Thibeaux, “whether it’s the textiles for drapery or furniture, it’s important to have that feeling. I would hope it would tell the story of my family.”
