At Home with … Angela and Rick Orsky keep focus on family
Angela Orsky says the greatest joy in life is spending time and making memories with family.
As Angela and her husband, Rick, considered retirement and the next phase of life, their top priority was staying close by their two adult daughters. They listened to their daughters talk about their childhood memories of growing up next door to their grandparents and being able to hop on their Barbie jeeps and drive over to their grandparents’ house. Summers were for having family dinners and playing outdoors with cousins.
The Orskys’ daughters, now married and starting families of their own, wanted their own children to have that experience. With this insight, the couple set out to find property that was well suited for family connections, celebrations and quality time.
After looking for suitable property, with no luck, the Orskys expanded their geographic search range and found property in Gray Court that they were destined for. The owner’s grandparents lived on the property, along with their children, and said they spent their time together, enjoying the beauty of the land and connecting as a family.
Their only request was that the new owners continue that legacy. That is exactly what the Orskys intended to do. It felt like the home and its 100-acre property were created with a family-focused lifestyle in mind, with plenty of space for the Orsky’s children to build their own homes nearby. It was clear this was the spot where they would begin the next phase of their life and raise the next generation of their family.
The Orskys wanted to keep the character of the home on the property while also modernizing it, so they enlisted Matt and Sarah Sain of Sain Homes for the redesign. It was important to the Orskys that their new home have the functionality and flow to host large family gatherings and celebrations.
Matt and Sarah knew the home was well-built and wanted to update it to expand the outdoor living spaces for the family to enjoy in all seasons. They added an enclosed patio that leads outdoors — this is the space where the family has barbecues, homemade pizza dinners and enjoys quality time together. The flow from interior to exterior makes it easy for the family and their dogs to roam the property freely together.
The family spends a lot of time in the kitchen and it was important for the space to be big enough to host immediate and extended family. The island is often a gathering spot to connect and be present with each other.
“The first party we hosted in our home was the gender reveal for our first grandchild. Our son-in-law’s family came over and we spent a lot of time around the kitchen island eating dinner and telling stories about raising babies, and it was so sweet to see us integrating our families in this space,” Angela says.
Aside from the kitchen, Angela says she loves the primary suite, especially its shower, and the living room because of their unique design features. The Orskys kept much of the stone and natural lighting and brought the wood and nature that surrounds the home to the interior by using a green color palette that flows from the outside as it integrates with the inside.
The Sains were intentional about finding ways to complement and enhance the existing design of the home to optimize its functionality now and into the future as the family grows and ages.
True to their word, the Orskys are keeping the property in the family. Their daughter and son-in-law are currently living in the property’s guest house while they build a new home next door. In March, they will bring the family’s first grandchild home and begin a new legacy of family and connection. “There is nothing like a Friday night when we’re sitting by the bonfire making s’mores and talking with our children about their lives, work and family. We’re excited for our family to do these kinds of things as we grow. You don’t get those kinds of moments if you don’t slow down and do it. This property gives us the opportunity to do it,” Angela says.
Sarah Sain names all her projects based on a song, and for this project, she could think of no better song than “Buy Dirt,” by country artists Jordan Davis and Luke Bryan.
“This song goes in stride with what land and property can bring to a family holistically, because this is exactly what we do,” Angela says. “We buy dirt, build a home and a family, and raise our family to navigate life together and prioritize connection and quality time.”
The song’s lyrics are the perfect match for the life the Orskys are creating on this property, where family is at the heart of everything and time is well spent. Because as the song says, “it all goes by real quick. So buy dirt.”
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