Love at First Floor Plan

There are houses that feel designed, and then there are houses that feel discovered, as if they were waiting patiently for the right people to recognize them. For Michelle and John Haase, that recognition came quickly. The moment they stepped inside their Wilmington home, a recent build by Vahue Custom Homes, something clicked into place with immediate certainty.

“We walked around, and then I said, ‘I want this house.’ It was pretty quick,” says homeowner Michelle Haase. Her husband, John, echoes that same sense of alignment throughout the conversation, especially around how the home fits their family’s next chapter.

When the Layout Clicks

The goal was to find a house to hold a full, shifting, multigenerational rhythm without losing ease or intimacy. “I loved the floor plan,” says Michelle. “We have a growing family. We have three married daughters and four grandchildren, and it just seemed like a perfect setup for them,” she says of having space to comfortably host during family visits. The home’s five-bedroom, five-bath layout gives everyone space to spread out, while still keeping gathering areas at the center of daily life.

That same clarity stood out immediately to their agent, Kelli Lazzaro of Landfall Realty, who described the home’s balance of tradition and modernity.

“It has a lot of southern charm, but the house is very modern,” Lazzaro says. The floor plan, she adds, is what stands out most. “It is such an easy living floor plan. All of the living areas are on the main floor, and it overlooks a beautiful, screened porch and pool with a fenced backyard. There are really pretty views from inside the home.”

She distills it even further: “It just has a wonderful feel.”

A Wilmington Chapter Begins

The transition to move from Charlotte to Wilmington grew gradually, shaped by family ties and repeated seasons spent along the coast before becoming permanent. It’s a story that’s often heard around town. When one of their daughters attended UNC Wilmington, they started to fall in love with the area.

Michelle says they actually had an apartment near the beach for about five years. So, the move into Autumn Hall felt less like a relocation and more like a continuation.

Location as Lifestyle Currency

The home’s setting is about ease. Proximity to the places that matter most became its own form of luxury—whether it’s the beach, downtown Wilmington, or the airport for John’s work travel.

“We're less than 15 minutes from the beach,” says Michelle. “15 minutes from downtown… and less than 15 minutes from the airport.”

Even within the neighborhood, the pace softens. Autumn Hall’s Charleston-style, Craftsman-inspired homes line shaded sidewalks, with ponds and pocket parks woven through the coastal landscape. It’s a neighborhood that invites walking for its own sake, not just as a means of getting somewhere. Designed as a connected residential village, Autumn Hall pairs tree-lined streets and water features with a walkable layout that feels intentionally slower than the surrounding city.

The Porch That Became a Room

If the home has a signature space, it’s the screened-in porch, which has become something closer to a second family room. “We live on our screened-in porch,” says Michelle.

The porch connects visually back into the home through glass, making it feel like one continuous experience rather than separate zones stitched together. It includes a fireplace, a TV, a grill, and ceiling fans. There’s also a pool, with direct access to the pool deck just outside. That sense of openness carries through from the front door, where sightlines extend outward instead of ending at a wall.

“You walk in the front door, and you can see through the glass into the porch,” John says. It’s this seamless connection that makes the space so lived-in, especially during the in-between seasons when the fireplace and fans extend their use into the shoulder seasons.

Everyday Luxury in Motion

Inside, the kitchen carries the same spirit of openness. A large island becomes the natural gathering point and a space for conversation. The home adapts without needing to be rearranged. Casual gatherings move through the main level without friction, slipping from one space to the next without ever feeling contained or overly staged.

“I've already joined a book club, bunco and mahjong groups, and I've hosted those here,” Michelle says. Rooms don’t dictate how they should be used but instead accommodate whatever the moment calls for.

Rooms with Character

Even as a recent build, small updates brought warmth and personality into spaces that were already well considered.

“One of my favorite decorated rooms is our powder room,” Michelle says. “It's got a real wild and colorful wallpaper.”

While the shared spaces emphasize flow, smaller rooms introduce contrast and personality. Much of the home’s finished character came together with help from Hooper Patterson of Hooper Patterson Interior Designs, who guided early design decisions, helping refine paint selections, lighting, hardware, and finishes while keeping the overall direction rooted in Southern hospitality and livability. Michelle and John continued layering in their own adjustments. Now the home feels curated, polished yet still evolving.

A Daily Rhythm of Porches and Light

Life inside the home moves in a rhythm that feels almost circular, shaped by porches, light, and the simple habit of choosing where to sit as the day unfolds.

“I get up in the morning, and I have my coffee on the front porch,” Michelle says. As the day stretches on, the home offers multiple places to land. Evenings tend to drift toward the screened-in porch.

When asked to define the home’s personality, Michelle and John’s description captures the tone more than the architecture. “Inviting, comfortable, calming… bright.” The result is a place that knows how to disappear into the background in exactly the right way—letting the days, and the people in them, take the lead.

Resources: landfallrealty.com and vahuecustomhomes.com