Dallas-Based Casita Creates Custom Furniture That Can Last Generations

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Necessity may be the mother of invention, but one new mother reinvented an entire business model based on her growing family’s needs. You’re probably already familiar with Casita. That gorgeous nursery reveal your favorite influencer posted? The one with the scalloped daybed with contrast trim piping? It was probably from Casita, a local company that makes completely customizable furniture in as little as 10 weeks.

Unsurprisingly, daybeds are Casita’s top seller. Just like the company’s business model itself, though, the idea was born from practicality.

“I always thought bunk beds were kind of dangerous,” Casita founder and owner Alison Dale remembers with a laugh.

Daybeds, on the other hand, can include a trundle underneath, perfect for sleepovers (and without the risk of a fall!). Because Casita’s line is fully customizable (“Anything you can dream up!”), many New Yorkers and other clients in smaller spaces often opt for a storage drawer in lieu of a trundle.

Dale still can’t believe she’s shipping daybeds to New York City in the first place. “I didn’t expect to ever be shipping outside of Dallas,” she humbly recalls.

Casita translates to “little house.” The name is an ode to Texas and “a culture that passes wisdom and a trade on to their families.” What began as a little idea continues to grow and flourish as Casita ships custom furniture across the country.

Whereas Dale initially didn’t give herself enough credit for how large the business would grow, she wholeheartedly believed in the vision and capabilities of her future customers. As a former interior designer, Dale witnessed firsthand the creativity of her clients. “Between the internet, Pinterest, and Instagram, people know what they want,” she says. “And they can get 90 percent of the way there.”

“People don’t want to pay for a 360 design experience when all they need is a daybed!” Dale explained.

After having her daughters, Dale reprioritized her life and decided to take her favorite aspect of interior design – creating custom furniture – and lean all the way in, making it accessible for anyone.

Filling in that 10 percent gap for clients who are almost there is exactly where Casita excels. Many clients even know exactly what fabric they want to use, but it’s to the trade only. No problem; Casita can order it.

As a designer, Dale spent years developing relationships with the local craftsmen who build Casita’s top-of-the-line pieces. Praising the “depth of artisans” in our city, Dale says, “We are very lucky in Dallas. Most people don’t realize the people at our fingertips who can make unbelievable furniture.”

Everything happens within 45 minutes of the metroplex, so Casita’s lead times continue to attract and impress new customers, which is about half interior designers and half retail clients. Most custom pieces take around 10 weeks to complete.

“When Covid hit, people went full-steam ahead and wanted to finish and perfect their homes,” Dale explains, recalling Casita’s tremendous growth in 2020.

As Casita continues to blossom and her daughters continue to grow, Dale encounters new challenges to being a working mom with a booming business. Like anything else, though, she views them as a teaching moment.

“I like that they see that I like what I do,” Dale simply states.

A little idea with a big heart, custom-built deep in the heart of Texas.