8 Popular Design Trends at Tesoro Viejo

Open layouts with large kitchen islands, California rooms, multigenerational suites, curated designer packages, statement lighting, two-tone kitchen finishes, spa-style primary bathrooms, and smart home tech are the top favorite home design features amongst homebuyers at Tesoro Viejo.

Whether you're 60 days from signing a contract or still comparing floor plans, here's an inside look at the most-loved home design options and why they work so well.

1. California Rooms

A California room is one of the most requested features at Tesoro Viejo, and Madera's climate is a big reason. Summers regularly hit triple digits, but with mild weather from fall through spring, a covered outdoor space gets used year-round in a way it wouldn't in a cooler market.

A California room can include:

• Ceiling fans and recessed lighting
• Large sliding glass doors that open fully from the great room or dining area
• A concrete floor that extends the interior footprint outward
• Direct sightlines to the backyard or, on select lots, open landscape views

McCaffrey Homes builds outdoor living right into their floor plans at Tesoro Viejo. The Ivy collection includes the California room as a standard feature, and the Savanna collection includes covered outdoor living areas accessible from the main living area. Several Ivy lots sit on scenic view homesites with protected open landscape views.

If outdoor space is low on your priority list, a standard covered patio at a lower price point may be all you need. For buyers who spend a lot of time at home, though, a California room tends to get used more than people expect when they're shopping.

"California rooms are so popular with our homebuyers because the community is literally designed around being outside. You've got the trails, the views, the preserved open space. Then you come home, and you have this area that keeps you connected to all of that without being fully outdoors."
- Diane Poss, Design Consultant at McCaffrey Homes

2. Open Floor Plans With Oversized Kitchen Islands

Kitchen layouts with large islands in open-concept designs are extremely popular because the person cooking gets to stay part of whatever is happening in the rest of the shared dining and great room space. The island anchors the open layout and does most of the work, functioning as a prep surface, eating bar, and social gathering point at the same time.

When comparing islands across Tesoro Viejo floor plans, it's worth looking at:

• Total length and counter depth on the prep side
• Seating capacity on the bar side
• Clearance on all sides for two people cooking simultaneously
• Sightlines from the island to the dining area and living room

McCaffrey's Thomas floor plan includes a 10'-2" island that handles all three functions simultaneously.

De Young's Discover 220 features a prominent island as the central gathering point in the main living area.

If multiple people cook in your household or you entertain regularly, island size and placement are worth comparing in person across the floor plans you love.

3. Multigenerational Suites

Multigenerational suites are popular at Tesoro Viejo for households that need to accommodate a parent, adult child, or long-term guest without everyone sharing the same living spaces.

Unlike a standard guest bedroom, a multigenerational suite functions as a semi-independent living space within the home.

Key features that distinguish a true multi-gen suite from a spare room:

• A private or semi-private entrance
• A kitchenette so the occupant can be self-sufficient day to day
• A dedicated full bath not shared with the main household
• A location within the floor plan that provides separation from the main bedroom

De Young Properties' Discover 195 offers a fifth bedroom suite that works for multigenerational living, extended guests, or a home office that genuinely feels separate from the rest of the house.

McCaffrey Homes also builds floor plans designed for multigenerational living across their Ivy and Savanna Tesoro Viejo collections, such as the Thomas plan in the Ivy collection, which features a first-floor bedroom suite with a private bath.

A standard guest bedroom works fine if guests stay for short stretches. The multi-gen suite configuration is worth the added square footage if you think the arrangement will last in the long term.

4. Curated Interior Design Packages

Rather than requiring homebuyers to pick finishes one by one from a catalog, curated packages group cabinetry, countertops, hardware, backsplash, and flooring into a cohesive look chosen by a professional designer.

Key factors to evaluate design packages:

• How many packages are available, and which are included in the base price
• Whether the package covers the full home or just the kitchen and bathrooms
• What countertop materials and finish levels are offered at each tier
• Whether appliances are included or selected separately

De Young Properties offers eight curated packages through their Design Studio, and two are included at no additional cost.

"Our Golden Anniversary Package has been so popular lately. The champagne gold hardware pairs really well with the marble-and-brass backsplash, and buyers have been loving the quartz upgrades. Calacatta Gold and Miami White, especially."
- Ashley DeYoung Seibert, Design Consultant at De Young Properties

Lennar's Wilde Series sidesteps the selection process entirely with their "Everything's Included" approach, where maple-almond cabinetry, white quartz countertops, a Samsung appliance package, refrigerator, and washer and dryer are all bundled into the base price.

Personalizing detail-by-detail suits buyers who want total control and have a clear sense of what they like. If making finish decisions sounds more stressful than exciting, curated packages are the better route.

5. Statement Lighting

Elevated statement lighting is one of our homebuyers' most-loved design features, partly because of how it affects every other finish in the home.

Pendant lighting over an island, recessed lighting in a California room, and a fireplace in the living area all change the feel of a space more than a single countertop upgrade.

Lighting options buyers are gravitating toward:

• Linear electric fireplaces as a main living area focal point
• Recessed lighting carried through from interior ceilings into outdoor living spaces
• Pendant lighting over kitchen islands
• Elevated entry and dining lighting fixtures

De Young Properties' 55-inch linear electric fireplace has been one of the most popular single selections through their Design Studio, giving the main living area a built-in focal point without a structural change.

McCaffrey Homes includes recessed lighting as a standard feature throughout their plans, extending from interior ceilings into the California room. Electric fireplaces are also available in the California room in the Savanna and Ivy Collections.

6. Two-Tone Kitchen Finishes

Two-tone kitchen finishes are as much practical as they are aesthetic.

Using a contrasting cabinet color on the island while keeping the perimeter cabinetry consistent adds visual depth to the kitchen without a significant cost premium.

The visual impact of two-tone kitchens tends to be higher than the upgrade cost suggests, especially in open layouts where the island is a focal point from multiple rooms.

Before selecting two-tone finishes, consider:

• How the contrast level between the two finishes looks in different lighting conditions
• Whether the island color coordinates with your countertop and backsplash selections
• How the look will hold up stylistically long-term

The two-tone kitchen has been one of the most frequently chosen selections through De Young Properties' Design Studio, styled perfectly alongside the quartz countertops and wood-look plank tile included in Sereno homes.

McCaffrey buyers can also personalize cabinetry with two-tones through their Design Center at selection collections in Tesoro Viejo.

7. Spa-Style Primary Baths

Spa-style primary baths are among the most requested upgrades at Tesoro Viejo, and the shower is usually the biggest deciding factor. A fully tiled walk-in shower with a mosaic floor is one of those upgrades that really elevates the bathroom because it changes the entire feel of the room.

Features that define a spa bath:

• Full tile surround rather than partial tile or a prefab enclosure
• Super shower with frameless enclosure and dual showerheads
• A mosaic or designer tile floor within the shower
• A frameless glass enclosure
• A soaking tub, separated from the shower area
• A layout that separates the shower and tub from the vanity area

De Young Properties' fully tiled shower with a mosaic floor has been one of the most selected Personal Selections at Sereno, and Lennar includes a full-tile surround walk-in shower as standard in the Wilde Series.

For buyers who want more room to customize, McCaffrey's Ivy and Savanna collections offer the square footage and Design Center options to take the primary bath further, including a super shower with a frameless enclosure and dual showerheads in select floor plans, such as the Meadow in the Savanna Collection.

8. Smart Home Technology as Standard

Smart home technology has become a standard expectation for buyers at Tesoro Viejo. Builders have responded by including smart features in the base price across multiple collections rather than treating them as add-ons.

When comparing homes, confirm which smart features are included at no additional cost:

• Video doorbell
• Keyless entry door lock
• WiFi-enabled garage door opener
• Smart thermostat or thermostat pre-wiring

De Young Properties includes each of the above smart home features as standard in their Sereno collection.

Lennar includes a T6 Pro WiFi Smart Thermostat and a Legrand On-Q structured media enclosure in their base price across Tesoro Viejo collections. The thermostat is one of the more practical inclusions given Madera's climate, since managing your home's temperature remotely rather than running it on a fixed schedule can add up to real savings on utility bills over a Central Valley summer.

McCaffrey Homes also provides smart features and dedicated onboarding resources to help buyers set up their technology at move-in.

If you already have a preferred smart home ecosystem and plan to replace any included devices, ask your builder which components are hardwired versus plug-and-play before you finalize your selections.

How to Make the Most of Your Design Selections

When making design choices for your new home, getting the floor plan right is crucial before getting the finishes right.

Structural choices like California rooms, multigenerational suites, lofts/flex rooms, and primary baths are selected at contract, giving you the opportunity to get them exactly right before a single wall goes up.

Countertops, hardware, and fixtures are all things you can either choose when designing your new home or update later.

Start with the layout that fits your household, then put your upgrade budget toward the features you'll notice every day.

All seven Tesoro Viejo collections are available to tour in person, with homes from the mid $300s to the low $700s built by De Young Properties, Lennar, and McCaffrey Homes.

Contact us to schedule a model home tour and compare design options across the collections that fit your budget and stage of life!

Tesoro Viejo Design Trends FAQs

What design trends are most popular in new construction homes right now?

Kitchen islands, California rooms, multigenerational suites, and smart home technology are the most consistently requested features in new construction. At Tesoro Viejo, two-tone kitchen finishes, linear fireplaces, and fully tiled primary bath showers are among the most selected upgrades.

What is a California room, and is it worth the upgrade?

A California room is a covered outdoor patio, typically with a concrete floor, recessed lighting, and direct access from the main living area. It functions as a usable outdoor space rather than just a patio slab. In Madera's climate, with hot summers and mild winters, it tends to get year-round use. Whether it's worth the upgrade cost depends on how much time you spend at home and whether outdoor entertaining is part of your routine.

What are standard features vs. upgrades at Tesoro Viejo?

It depends on the builder:

• Lennar's Wilde Series bundles quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, a refrigerator, washer and dryer, and tile flooring as standard, with no design center required.
• De Young includes quartz countertops, wood-look plank tile, stainless steel appliances, front yard landscaping, and smart home tech as standard, with 8 curated interior packages available for personalization.
• McCaffrey Homes includes luxury vinyl plank or tile floors, quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, and smart home technology as standard features across their four Tesoro Viejo collections, plus personalized design choices at McCaffrey's Design Center.

Confirm what's included for the specific plan and collection you're considering before assuming anything is standard.

How long does the design selection process take?

Design Center appointments can vary depending on the collection. McCaffrey's Ivy and Savanna Collections, for example, require two design appointments.

Are open floor plans still popular?

Yes, open floor plans remain the standard expectation in new construction at Tesoro Viejo. Every collection features open-concept main living areas. The specific comparison points have shifted from "open vs. closed" to details within the open layout, such as island size, pantry location, and how the kitchen connects to the dining area and outdoor space.