Youngers Celebrate Holidays In Style

By Jason Endicott

 

Two things are immediately evident after stepping inside the home of Mark and Sue Younger. The first thing you'll notice is the open, spacious design of the entire house. As you walk through the house, each room flows nicely into the next, creating an airy layout that lends itself to both everyday family life, as well as entertaining friends and family for special occasions.

The second thing you'll notice, particularly if you visit the Youngers in December like I did, is that Mark and Sue go ALL OUT with holiday decorations! The entire house is decked out for Christmas, including more than 20 different Christmas trees throughout the house- each featuring a different theme.

 Mark and Sue are the original owners of the 8,000 square foot Sand Canyon home, which was built in 1999. Set on 5 acres of land, the home has 6 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. Mark and Sue's four daughters, Kelly, Nicole, Kristen, and Ashley share the home with their parents.

 As you approach the front door, the sound of classic Christmas songs drifts through the air, courtesy of the outdoor speakers installed over the entryway. You're also greeted by the first visible signs of the Christmas decorations- festive gifts and animals adorning each side of the front door. Mark says that it takes a crew of 6 people about 5 days to get all of the decorations installed and ready.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The formal dining room is the perfect spot for dinners with friends and family.

 

 

 

Throughout the house, the Youngers used a combination of local and out-of-area artists to paint beautiful murals. The artwork below is painted in the archway of the living room.

 

 

Located just off the dining room is the area of the house that gets the most use- the family room. Containing a big screen TV and an antique nickelodeon,  there are plenty of things to do!

 

 

A closeup of the nickelodeon:

 

 

 The living room is conveniently located adjacent to another focal point of the bottom floor: the kitchen.

 

 

The large, open kitchen can whip up meals large and small- just don't expect to see Mark and Sue slaving over pots and pans- both claim to not be big fans of cooking! 

 

 

 

On the stairs heading to the second floor, a wall painting highlights another favorite of the Younger family- movies! And they have the perfect spot to watch movies- more on that a bit later.

 

 

After reaching the top of the stairs, you're greeted by one of Mark Younger's favorite pastimes- a full electronic kit. This Roland "V" drumset is the perfect way to rock out!

 

 

As you tour the second floor entertainment room, you'll notice two famous icons displayed prominently throughout- Betty Boop and Coca-Cola. Sue loves the imagery of both Betty and Coke- in fact, two of the holiday trees upstairs are themed specifically for Betty Boop and Coca-Cola!

 

 

 

The Betty Boop-themed jukebox!

 

 

 

 

 

At the far end of the second floor you'll find a home theater with a very unique feature- its own marquee!

 

 

 Larry, Moe and Curly (or is that Shemp?) stand guard over…

 

 

the popcorn cart!

 

 

The interior of the home theatre is plush and comfortable- two rows of couches on separate tiers make sure that everyone has a great view of the screen (and the lifesized cutout of John Wayne):

 

 

 

Also located on the second floor is a guest bedroom with a beach theme…

 

 

 

 

 

 …and a twist. That bookcase in the left corner….

 

 

 

…hides a secret passageway!

 

 

"The secret room used to be a playroom when the four girls were younger", says Sue. But as the girls have grown older, the room has been transformed into a personal gym.

 

 

Family and friends are obviously important to the Youngers- pictures of both are prominently displayed throughout.

 

 

 

Sue and Mark's master bedroom contains- you guessed it- yet another beautifully decorated Christmas tree.

 

 

 

 

It seems that each bathroom has its own special theme- here's one with a beach theme in keeping with the same theme as the guest bedroom.

 

 

 

The border in the beach bathroom:

 

 

One of the girls is a big Spongebob Squarepants fan, and her bathroom is appropriately themed:

 

 

 

Another bathroom with another theme: this one is centered around cherubs.

 

 

 

Back downstairs, the stockings were all hung from the chimney with care…

 

 

A view from the living room straight through to the dining room…past the living room is the family room. 

 

 

The backyard is an outdoor lover's paradise. What child didn't dream of having a treehouse in their backyard? The treehouse at the Younger home is large and well-appointed!

 

 

 

The pool has an amazing slide feature built right in:

 

 

 

Soon, the Youngers will be expanding their house a bit and extending the kitchen and family room portion of the house out into the space currently occupied by the backyard patio. Once complete, the project will add an additional 2,500 square feet.

 

We want to thank Mark and Sue for the tour of their incredible house!

 

The Younger family:

 

 

 

 

For a look at last month's distinguished home from November 2007, the Nieces, click here!