CASA /// Our Dining Room

Chairs /// Table /// Rug /// Bench /// Glass  ///

Being renters I never really thought about buying new furniture for our place. I just assumed we would buy furniture after we bought a house because you never know what is going to fit or what style will go with the house. Well, that all changed a few months back when we decided we were not going to buy for awhile. We talked it over with our financial planner and it doesn't really make sense for us to buy now, especially since we don't even know how long we want to stay here. It's such a big commitment and with our travel schedule it would just be a big stress to deal with all the things home owners have to handle. So little by little we are working on making our rental feel more like home. Jacob and I love having our friends over so we decided to start on the living room and dining room. We still have a ways to go because we don't want to just rush and buy everything at one place, and we don't want to buy things that don't have a purpose or wasn't thought out. It has been a fun process so far, I just wish we had more time with it. Right now we are trying to decide on what photos from our travels to enlarge and where we should get this done. I had a lot of suggestions on IG, Arifact Uprising is one we keep hearing about so we might go with that. So far we are loving our dining room table and chairs, we made a rule when we made the purchase that we couldn't eat in the living room anymore but that didn't really take effect until we gave up Hulu and Netflix. Killing that bad habit has been amazing for our house. Conversations at the table with each other and friends is way better than T.V. We are super excited and eagerly waiting for our bench to be delivered so that we can have more people around our table for dinner. 

Things on my table /// You know how I said I like things having a purpose or story behind them? Well I'll explain why I picked these things for display, the succulent is from my best friends wedding so it's a reminder of love and commitment, the coral is from our travels, the flower is from Jacob, and the big wooden chip holder from Mexico is a wedding present from a family friend. I don't know if it's a chip holder,  I just didn't know what else to call it and we have used it for chips in the past. So that is our dining room set up so far. Still looking into Bar carts, Buffets, and light fixtures. Below are some items I have my eye on.

BUENO BUENO x HOME DEPOT /// Kelly's Bueno Oasis

Good Morning! I'm so stoked to finally share what I've been working on over the past two months. Since moving out to the country last year, I've felt like The Home Depot has been my home away from home, so teaming up with them to create an outdoor living space was perfect.

THE GOAL///

To create my own slice of paradise to enjoy and share with the awesome folks in my life.

Life in a city can be so fast and noisy. I want my home to be an oasis for me and anyone that makes the drive out. I don't want to take the stress and noise of the day home with me. When I'm home alone or entertaining friends and family, I want us all to feel relaxed, inspired, and loved. I'm a firm believer in calling things into existence (thank you Mom + Pops), so from the start, I decided to call this place, The Bueno Oasis. (you can see all our Bueno Oasis adventures using the hashtag #TheBuenoOasis on IG)

THE INSPIRATION///

Things that make me happy. I love the way colors pop against the bleached out sand on the beach. With that in mind, I went to the Home Depot paint department and pulled 5 main colors and 3 sub colors that I committed to throughout the project. While pulling colors I was thinking about all the brightly colored chalky Tex-Mex walls I've come across on road trips, the saturated colors of my serapes, and bleached out colors in old beach towels & umbrellas.

WHAT I ADDED (words are linked below)///

Tiki Torches

Hammock

2 Cinderblock Benches

Cinderblock fire pit

White stone fire pit area

10 Stepping Stones

3 Strands of Cafe lights

2 Bird feeders

Lots of drought tolerant plants, soil, and clay pots

Fresh paint jobs on planters, cinderblocks, stepping stones, picnic table, and porch table

Grill

2 hanging planters

Flamingos

This project is far from over, but I’ve reached a nice point where I can share it with you and enjoy it for myself. Stay tuned for more updates on these areas – fire pit, front porch and the GARDEN before the end of the summer. I can’t wait!!

Click HERE to see Brandi's Backyard Makeover

Brandi and I used these hashtags on Instagram. Check them out to see our process from the beginning. 

#TheBuenoOasis   |   #BuenoBuenoXHomeDepot   |   #VamosAhacerlo

AROUND MY HOME /// Mark Salvie

Name /// Mark Salvie  

Age /// 26

What would you call your decor style?

Quirky, modern, comfortable, curated, and cheeky.

How long have you lived here?

Since November 2012.

What is the square footage?

A little over 2,000 square feet.

Favorite room in the house or where you spend most your time?

With two roommates, a dog, plus all our friends/families/neighbors/lady friends/supper groups/couchsurfers/etc constantly visiting, my home usually feels like a frat house or youth hostel.  So I'm VERY grateful my bedroom is so calm and relaxing, as it provides a temporary retreat from the glorious insanity of the rest of my house!

Where do you gather inspiration from?

My mom, traveling, cool restaurants, old photographs, Wes Anderson's color choices, my hip friends' Instagrams (especially instagram.com/sarakatestudios), Liz Lambert's hotels, the internet.

Favorite Design Blogs or Magazine?

I don't really read these too often anymore, but when I first bought my house and felt pretty overwhelmed, the following few websites were lifesavers and/or great inspiration:

apartmenttherapy.com

designsponge.com

manhattan-nest.com (hilarious and good encouragement to take on more DIY projects)

theselby.com

inthechoirs.com

What is your biggest challenge in decorating?

A lot of my walls have curved edges, which makes multiple paint colors rather tricky.  Also, my ceilings are fairly tall so scale is really important to consider when purchasing art and furniture.

Do you follow any rules when shopping for your home?

I have a few general rules.  First, everything I buy needs to either a.) serve a very specific function or b.) spark curiosity, creativity, or whimsy.  Second, I try to buy from a lot of different sources.  Nothing feels more sterile than walking into a room and everything's straight out of a Ikea or Restoration Hardware catalog.  Finally, I try to always buy original art.  Original art doesn't have to be any more expensive than the mass-produced junk from Target or Pottery Barn, and it has a much greater impact on a space's identity.

Go to places to shop for home goods?

Reeves Antiques is by far my favorite store here in Houston.  The owners are honest, hilarious, and have impeccable taste, plus two Jack Russell Terriers hang out at the store most days!  I also like Native Citizen, The Guild Shop, and Kuhl Linscomb here in Houston, although the secret of the Guild Shop is officially out and the selection is pretty picked over these days and I can't really afford anything in Kuhl Linscomb.

Every time I'm in Dallas I'll pop into We Are 1976, an effortlessly cool store that sells awesome screenprints, custom lighting, and random knick knacks.

I shop online fairly often at CB2, Joinery NYC, Etsy, and Amazon.

Finally, I really like buying art and "home goods" as souvenirs when I'm traveling.  Shipping and transport can be difficult sometimes, but I enjoy seeing little reminders of fun vacations scattered around my home!