The resulting oasis is rife with personal touches and unique spaces aligned with their personal and professional passions. For instance, there’s now a library room, a key requirement for the couple. “I just really wanted a place where we could turn off our phones, get lost in a book, or play board games with friends,” says De Santiago. The room also stores Biral’s cherished collection of vinyls. “That was a huge part of the goal of the house,” he says.
“We came into it with a lot of ideas and looking back, it was probably very overwhelming for Mandy,” recalls De Santiago of their initial visions for the home, which at one point included a rock climbing wall. “We knew what we wanted every space to feel like, but also had to let go of some ideas.” In the end, the trio achieved a cozy sanctuary that combines Biral’s rustic Vermont background with De Santiago’s proud Mexican heritage, with plenty of space for creation, cooking, and company along the way. Punchy, nostalgic moments range from the remodeled backyard—“we brought in tropical plants and a really colorful hammock, which are both reminiscent of Mexico City,” De Santiago says—to the warm and welcoming dining room, done up in terra cotta colors that also remind her of home.
“This was their first home and it’s a spec build, so to be really able to transform it and be able to make it look super unique… I’m really proud of the final result,” Cheng says.
