How Do the Right Brand Partners Elevate a Custom Home?
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One of the things I've loved about building Mysa Hus is taking parts of a house that people don't necessarily think about and asking, How could this be better? How could the hose connection on the side of your house work better in Minnesota? How can glass become part of the architecture instead of something you barely notice? How can a closet make living in the house easier every single day?
That's where great partners come in. We've had more than 30 brand partners involved with Mysa Hus, and three I want to highlight here are Aquor, Glass Art Design, and Twin Cities Closets. They're doing completely different things in the house, but I think all three demonstrate the same idea: the details that seem small can have a huge impact on how a custom home looks, feels, and functions.
Why Did We Choose Aquor House Hydrants for Mysa Hus?
We've been putting Aquor house hydrants in our homes for probably five or six years, and I still think they're one of the best examples of someone looking at a product that hasn't changed forever and saying, "Why are we still doing it this way?"
Look at a traditional hose bib. There's nothing sexy about it. It's basically been the same metal thing sticking out of the side of houses for the last 100 years. Aquor completely rethought it.
The best comparison I can make is Apple. Apple became incredible at taking technology and making the design itself part of the experience. Aquor has done something similar with a product nobody thought needed to look good. And how it operates is even better.
Here in Minnesota, we're dealing with temperatures that can hit minus 20 degrees. With Aquor, the actual water connection sits back inside the warm cavity of the house, helping protect it from freezing. Then there's the quick connect. Instead of threading a hose onto a metal collar, having it leak, spraying yourself with water, and doing the same annoying thing we've all done forever, you insert it, twist it, and you're done.
It looks great, operates incredibly well, and solves a real problem. That's exactly the kind of product we wanted in Mysa Hus.
How Can Custom Glass Improve a Home's Design?
Glass is interesting because when it's done really well, you almost don't notice the glass itself. You notice everything around it. Glass can let light pass through a space while still creating separation. It can be shaded, colored, textured, or finished differently depending on what the architecture needs.
For Mysa Hus, the Oho design team came up with some really unique ways to use glass throughout the home. We have hand-forged custom metal doors in the pantry and main-level office that incorporate glass, along with three glass showers. The primary bathroom has white metal surrounding the glass, and you're looking through it into this beautiful plaster shower.
That's where Glass Art Design brings so much value. We can bring them a design and say, "Here's what we're trying to achieve. Can you help us get there?" The best custom work doesn't compete with the design. It helps the design do what it was supposed to do.
Are Custom Closet Systems Worth It?
I think closet systems are one of the most underrecognized parts of a custom home. We've known about Twin Cities Closets for a long time. They work with several builders I respect, I knew the owners, and I'd wanted an opportunity to work together.
Mysa Hus became our beta test and they hit it out of the park. The owner's suite closet feels elevated and completely consistent with the rest of the house. We incorporated thoughtful storage, including a secret safe, and their team worked with ours on details as specific as how the homeowner would actually want to hang their clothes.
That's the stuff people may not think about when they're walking through a house for the first time, but you use that closet every morning. You put things away every night. And suddenly you realize how much easier it is to live in a house where someone actually thought through those details. A great closet system might not be the reason someone initially falls in love with a home, but it's absolutely one of the things they'll appreciate once they're living there.
Learn more about why high performance home building matters here
What Makes a Great Custom Home Partner?
Aquor, Glass Art Design, and Twin Cities Closets don't make remotely similar products. That's kind of the point. One makes connecting a garden hose better. One uses glass to elevate the architecture. One creates storage you'll interact with every single day. But they all brought something to Mysa Hus that made the finished home better.
For me, that's what these partnerships have always been about. We're not putting products into the house just because somebody wants their name associated with Mysa Hus. We're finding people and products that help take the house from an eight or nine to a 10. Sometimes that's a major architectural decision. And sometimes it's making sure the hose bib doesn't suck.