During the “discovery” with Sarah and Mitch in planning their forever home, our design team at Su Casa learned of several important values underpinning their lives: family, hospitality, and beauty. Each of these values played an important role in guiding their design decisions.

It’s often said, “the bigger the better”, but for the Oostenbrinks, the opposite was true in relation to the size of their children’s bedrooms; small rooms were designed for each child – with only enough space for a bed and desk – so that the kids would be naturally drawn to congregate in shared spaces. The choice for shared bathrooms was also intentional, to facilitate a life-together approach even in the most mundane of routines, such as brushing one’s teeth.

Having decided to make the bedrooms small and bathrooms shared, square footage was then freed up for a large rec room, which acts as the heart of the family’s entertainment. Vaulted ceilings and generous windows create an inviting environment for ping pong tournaments and family movie nights (and provides space to run around too!) Indoor family fun was only part of the equation, though; for the Oostenbrinks, an outdoor area was also needed.

Having a functional backyard was important for family life, but it was also important for hosting, which showcases the second value underpinning the design choices of this home: hospitality.

Sarah and Mitch love hosting - from large family gatherings to intimate fireside chats with friends. Our design team loved finding the perfect solution to support this value, which resulted in an expansive outdoor entertainment area off the kitchen, which cascades to a generous pool area below. The summer months are a riot of fun in this space, but a second glance will reveal the true ingenuity of this thoughtful design – retractable screens which enclose the patio, and heaters throughout, making this space useable year-round. Incredible!

The last value on display in this phenomenal home is beauty. Sarah and Mitch wanted to maximize their views of the surrounding natural beauty, and together with Su Casa they designed a kitchen that embraced this value. Instead of, for example, the usual fare of upper cabinetry crowding the wall space, there are instead an unusually large amount of windows to take in the perpetually peaceful views of fields and mountains. The value for beauty was fully embraced in this kitchen design and also played a role in determining the house placement on the lot, as well as the direction of the outdoor entertainment space.

What are the Values in Your Life? 

And how do they affect the design of your home?

At Su Casa, we ensure that clients’ values are the foundation of their custom project, which results in homes that authentically reflect who they really are and how they live. For Sarah and Mitch, this meant incorporating their shared values of family, hospitality, and beauty into their home design.

“We thoroughly enjoyed the process,” says Sarah. “It was very enjoyable for us. And I attribute that to the expertise on your [Su Casa's] end and having all the I’s dotted and T’s crossed, like, to the max.”

In July 2024, Su Casa won an award for this project, which was recognized by the American Institute of Building Design as one of the best custom homes of the year!

*Photography by Upper Left Photography