Creating homes worth coming home to

About Alcove Interiors

We believe your home should feel like the most refined, livable version of your life—without the stress of creating it yourself.

At Alcove Interiors, we're a full-service interior design studio specializing in new builds, whole-home renovations, and Northern Michigan vacation properties across Grand Rapids, the Lakeshore, and Up North.

We handle everything from architectural finishes to final furnishing installation, creating sophisticated spaces that work beautifully from day one. Every project is personal. Every detail is considered. And everything—design through delivery—is managed seamlessly so you can focus on living your life.

Alcove Interiors Home Design & Furniture in Grand Rapids, Michigan by Alyssa Cairns

Hi, I’m Alyssa—Lead Designer & Owner here at Alcove Interiors.

I've spent over a decade transforming homes across West Michigan and Northern Michigan—from whole-home renovations in Grand Rapids and Ada to vacation retreats in Harbor Springs and Petoskey. My clients are families building new homes, empty nesters preparing for their next chapter, and second-home owners creating the Up North getaway they've always dreamed of.

What started as a passion for solving design challenges evolved into a full-service studio built on one core belief: exceptional homes require both design expertise and seamless execution.

Before founding Alcove, I saw too many clients caught in the gap between vision and reality. Beautiful design plans that stalled in procurement. Construction chaos without design coordination. Furniture that arrived months late or didn't fit the space. The process was fragmented, stressful, and unnecessarily complicated—especially for busy professionals who just wanted a beautiful home without managing every detail themselves.

That's why we built Alcove differently.

Alcove Interiors Home Design & Furniture in Grand Rapids, Michigan by Mark and Alyssa Cairns

We're not decorators who hand you a shopping list and wish you luck. We're not a furniture store offering design as an afterthought. We're a design studio with an integrated approach—which means when we design your home, we handle every detail of bringing it to life.

My approach is rooted in listening first. I don't believe in imposing trends or creating spaces that look good for a photo but don't work for real life. Your home should feel like you—sophisticated, livable, and ready for whatever life throws at it. Kids, pets, entertaining, quiet weeknights, holiday gatherings. It all matters.

My husband Mark joined full-time in 2022 as Operations Director.

Together, we're the couple who turned "why is this so hard" into a business. Mark brings systems and logistics expertise (he's the reason your furniture shows up on time and your project stays on track), while I focus on design vision and client relationships.

When I'm not designing, you'll find us with our three kids, who are the real test of whether furniture is truly durable and livable—or exploring Northern Michigan with my family, which is why I understand the Up North lifestyle so well.

Our clients are discerning homeowners who value their time, trust our expertise, and want a partner who handles the complexity so they don't have to. If that sounds like you, we'd love to hear about your project.

Work with us

Real People, Real Homes, Real Love

Could not recommend highly enougH

5 stars, absolute 10 out of 10 experience! We recently purchased a home in East Grand Rapids and Alyssa was absolutely amazing in helping us furnish it. Alyssa went above and beyond to search for custom pieces that exactly fit our vision.

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balance elegance with family-friendly design

Alyssa and her team at Alcove have done an incredible job on multiple projects in our home, both long term and last minute. They are timely and responsive, have fresh ideas, and understand how to balance elegance with family-friendly. We are very happy and highly recommend them.