After years of working out of his Sandy Hook residence, Billy Ceglia, of Billy Ceglia Designs, is ready to open his first storefront. HOME, a design studio, is scheduled to open Saturday, December 5, at 115 Church Hill Road.

Attracted to the historic building in the center of Sandy Hook, Mr Ceglia, who trained at New York School of Interior Design, said the newly renovated storefront would allow him to better connect with the community he has called home for the past 13 years, as well as make his business more visible in Connecticut.

“The bulk of my work has been in Westchester County and Long Island,” he said, and he is looking forward to expanding his services into this area.

HOME is filled with many of Mr Ceglia’s favorite things: elegant coffee table books, a signature line of candles, handcrafted Christmas stockings, and a custom-made line of bedding. Upholstery for all furniture is private label. All of the one-of-a-kind items in the design center, made especially for his business, are for sale.

The focus of HOME, however, is not retail, but interior design services. Two models of design service are offered. A “white glove, high end” service is geared toward clients looking to have every aspect of a living space professionally designed. HOME will also offer a “done in a day” service for a flat fee. This service provides professional consultation and vision.

“Clients will get ‘the look,’ but will do a fair amount of the leg work,” Mr Ceglia explained.

While the door to HOME will always be open and Mr Ceglia happy to converse, clients are seen by appointment only, “or by chance,” he said.