Melissa Sharbaugh
You Need to Talk to Melissa
January 2026 Issue
by Elizabeth Skenes Millen
Photography by Cassidy Dunn Photography
The word on the street is “You need to talk to Melissa!”
Why? Well, read on and find out. First allow me to introduce her: Meet Melissa Sharbaugh, one of the most fun, put-together, kind, smart Chicagoans to recently move to Beaufort. In her two short years here, she has moved her business, Innovative Interiors, to South Carolina, procured her S.C. General Contractor’s License (which she has had in Illinois for well over 20 years), built a home, got married, made fabulous new friends, and fell head over heels in love with Beaufort.
And to think none of this was on her agenda when it all began, which is actually unlike Melissa, a self-proclaimed Type-A, perpetual to-do lister, check-the-box kind of women. You have to be when you’re in charge of building or remodeling people’s homes and business buildings. And by the way, becoming a builder was also not on her agenda.
Sure, like a lot of girls growing up, she loved for her bedroom to look fashionable and was always changing out the colors, the bed fabrics, even if it meant begging her mother to sew them. What’s interesting is at a young age, she knew surrounding herself in an environment that reflected who she was and felt like home was important to her.
After graduating from Iowa State, Melissa took the route many women take in getting married, finding a steady job and starting a family. She landed a position as a paralegal and worked for the same law firm for 12 years. However, in a both necessary and serendipitous situation, she found her career taking a sharp u-turn. The law firm was working a case in a nearby county which required Melissa to fly often for meetings and hearings. The kicker was that she was expecting her first child, and as she rounded further into her pregnancy, her obstetrician put a halt to her flying on that small, six-passenger plane.
As luck would have it, the law firm simultaneously purchased a 10,000 square-foot, raw, loft-style office space that needed design and build-out. The lead lawyer had visited Melissa and her husband’s loft-style home and was impressed with her style and what she had done with the place. Her loft home had cement floors, exposed brick and exposed HVAC ducts, as well as an exposed elevator shaft. In other words, she took an industrial feeling space and made it a very cool, comfortable, cozy home. So, since she could no longer fly, her boss took her off the legal matter and put her to work designing, coordinating and completely overseeing the design and remodel of the new office. The result: A gorgeous and prestigious space for the law firm and a new career for Melissa. She had found her passion, and not surprisingly, finished it in time to deliver that baby.
She left the law firm and started working with Ray, her brother’s best friend, who owned a construction firm. Ray immediately identified Melissa’s talents and also knew the limitations of his own. He was a union-trained master carpenter who loved what he did, but wasn’t as thrilled about all the details it took to work with clients in the planning stages and then coordinate all the intricate details and schedules of each job, sub-contractor, inspection and everything it took from start to finish to make sure projects were completed on-time and with excellent quality. “The key to making this work is having one point person, and that was (and is) me,” Melissa explained. This is where, “You need to talk to Melissa” was born. “There is no confusion or false promises when you deal with the one person who knows what is going on, as well as who’s accountable and when it will all happen!”
When Melissa and her new sweetheart, Mark Sharbaugh, moved to Beaufort, they bought a lot in a neighborhood they love that has a specific contractor for all construction. Melissa was fine with this, she let them do their thing, while she met every sub, electrician, plumber, HVAC, and any other person involved. Once the house was done, Melissa kicked in her magic to add many upgrades and customizations, using these projects as a way to “interview” skilled trades people she could work with to create her new design and build team in the Lowcountry.
Naturally, she turned their home into their haven and loves everything about it. But it wasn’t until the pool was built that things took a romantic upturn. Mark and Melissa contracted the pool with a goal to be completed in order to be the site of their October 2024 wedding. The pool, the backyard, along with what Melissa refers to as the majestic “drippy” trees (the live oaks with Spanish moss) was the stunning setting for their beautiful, brand-new beginning. Not only does help make her clients’ dreams come true, she also created her own dream come true.
“We love living in Beaufort. We have made great friends; I love the history and architecture of the area; we love finding little bars and restaurants to connect after work. I’m no longer in the snow and freezing cold,” Melissa touted. So, honestly, Melissa and Mark have happily found their paradise for both home and work right here in the Lowcountry. And if you want to turn your home into your haven, just remember, “You need to talk to Melissa!”
Up Close:
Family: Husband Mark; two daughters from her first marriage: Katie, 26 & Charlie, 23
Hidden Talents: Plays piano; played organ for church and sang in the choir. Played oboe in the marching band from middle school through college.
Making Mama Proud: My children are happily adulting and viably employed—all without my doing.
Most challenging assignment: A renovation of an old Chicago church vestibule. We uncovered previous stencil work and vintage lighting and remodeled it to honor some of these historic relics.
Contact Melissa directly at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit her website at www.innovatedesignbuild.com