The Story Behind Mysa Hus: A Healthy Home Built with Intention
At Mark D Williams, every custom home project feels special. But once in a while, a project comes along that you know is going to change the trajectory of your career. Mysa Hus is that project. This isn’t just a custom home. It’s the creation of a new philosophy.
We collaborated with architect Karl Adalbert, and Melissa from OHO Design to create a healthy home rooted in intention, wellness, and Scandinavian home design. This is the story of how Mysa Hus came to be—and why it just might set a new standard for healthy homes.
Building a Home Around a Philosophy
Most custom homes begin with a client’s wish list. Mysa Hus began with a question:
“What does it mean to live well?”
Instead of having a specific client, we built the home around an archetype: a family of five with three young kids. This gave us freedom to create a brand—one that prioritized wellness, comfort, and connection at every step. As Karl said, “We weren’t chasing a style—we were chasing an experience.”
Wellness became the north star. Every decision—from natural light to materials to sound—was filtered through this lens. The result is a home that cares for the people inside.
“There’s a life-changing element to having a home that takes care of you the way Mysa Hus will.” — Melissa, OHO Design
The Details
The word Mysa is Swedish. It means cozy—but more than that, it’s about a feeling: an invitation to slow down. That philosophy guided every detail:
Natural, Timeless Materials: Hand-plastered walls, Oxbow wood floors finished with natural linseed oil, custom Delft tiles by a Duluth artist, and triple-pane Pella windows for quiet and thermal comfort.
Cozy Design: Smaller, intentional spaces that feel like a warm blanket on a snowy Saturday.
Wellness as a Feature: Rockwool insulation for sound dampening, natural light in every room, and a detached wellness studio designed as a retreat with a sauna, workout space, and sliding doors that open to the pool.
“Mysa means cozy, but it’s more than a word. It’s a feeling we tried to bake into every inch of this house.” - Karl
What Makes a Healthy Home?
One of the most unique aspects of Mysa Hus is the detached wellness studio. Traditionally, workout rooms are tucked into basements or added as an afterthought. Here, wellness is celebrated.
The studio includes a sauna for thermal therapy, flexible space for movement, meditation, and exercise, and walls of natural light and sliding doors that blur the line between indoors and outdoors.
It’s a modern interpretation of global thermal culture—saunas, steam, and cold plunges—that has long been a cornerstone of wellness in Scandinavian living.
“Wellness became the lens we viewed every decision through—what’s healthy, what slows you down, what helps you breathe.” - Karl
Intentional Spaces
Every corner of Mysa Hus is layered with thoughtfulness:
The dining nook is a southern-lit, built-in space perfect for slow mornings with coffee and a book. A wood-burning fireplace is the centerpiece, chosen after months of debate—symbolizing tradition, ritual, and slowing down.
We also built a kid’s loft to be a flexible space for play, reading, or creativity, designed with coziness in mind. Even the thresholds were intentional. From the driveway to the mudroom, to the backyard, to the retreat, the home transitions clearly from public to private.
“This home will feel different. People won’t be able to name it—but they’ll feel it.” — Melissa
Collaboration Close to Home
One of the fun parts of Mysa Hus was how it was built: by neighbors. If you don’t believe me, check out this Instagram Reel showing how close we really live. Because we’re close, conversations often happened while mowing the lawn, running together, or swapping samples across the street!
Karl Adalbert brought architectural expertise and a deep understanding of the site, having designed two homes there previously. Melissa from OHO Design shaped interiors with a focus on wellness, materiality, and emotional resonance. Mark D. Williams Custom Homes led with experience, vision, and the personal perspective of a father designing for his own family.
“A three-fold cord isn’t easily broken. That’s what this team was.” — Mark
Learn more about the team here!
The Legacy of Mysa Hus
Mysa Hus has reshaped how I think about building. I know my ‘why’ in a way that I’ve never known before in my building career.
By treating the home as a brand, we had clarity, meaning, and purpose. Every decision carried weight. Every detail told a story. And the result is more than just a house—it’s an invitation to live differently.
Mysa Hus is a concept that will ripple outward. For the families who live there, the builders and designers who work on it, and hopefully for future custom homes shaped by wellness, intentionality, and care.
Because a healthy home isn’t just a building, it’s an invitation to life differently.