Aaron and Kao. Kao and Aaron. First-time homeowners, full-time go getters and newest edition to that DIY Life.

Last summer after a very short search – these two are decisive as hell – I had the legit fortune of helping them buy a three-bedroom, two-bathroom traditional home in a killer location. It’s North Dallas, right by the Tollway in a convenient little pocket of a neighborhood that feeds into Plano ISD. Not at all relevant to this write-up, but now you know.

ANYWAY, like I said, the home is traditional on the exterior, but thanks to Aaron + Kao’s vision, she’s getting a real modern makeover.

Aaron and Kao have incredible taste AND they have that one very special quality, vision. They found a home with solid bones that needed a little updating and basically said in unison, we’re on it.

Before they even moved in, they got to work scraping the popcorn off the ceilings. Like, all the popcorn. Off all of the ceilings. And they did it themselves. Once it was time to smooth the ceiling, they discovered the most fun lesson of DIY, sometimes it’s better to call in the pros. Turns out hanging upside down with a tray of mud and a blade is a bit much.

After the ceilings were smoothed, it was time to pick a paint color…and flooring.

They went with luxury vinyl plank flooring from All American Flooring. It’s super popular because price + durability and there are SO many options.

Aaron wanted to go with commercial grade because he’s just that practical. (Lasts forever and ever.) But after seeing the limited options, Kao said nah. They settled on a flooring that worked with the existing fireplace, fresh new paint color and on-the-way sectional. The lighter walls make the room look so much bigger and brighter. And picking the perfect white is so much fun. That’s sarcasm. It’s a pain in the butt. Thanks to Kao, though, you don’t have to suffer. You can just borrow Alabaster from Sherwin-Williams which is what they went with.

Here’s one thing you’re not even thinking about, but at some point you’ll have to decide – which way do those planks lay?!? Kao said they deferred to the installer and went vertical. She said there’s an area where the hallway comes in at an angle and they wondered if they should follow the diagonal, but their main man said nope, keep it consistent

The results are nothing short of freaking ridiculous. It’s shocking what a little inspiration, a whole lotta hardwork, a few cans of paint and a full palette of gorgeous new flooring can do.

Aaron and Kao aren’t done yet, either. Kao said they’re still picking art for the walls, and they just finished sodding their yard. Up next: The Primary Bathroom that currently has brass fixtures and Hollywood vanity lights. Though I can honestly say, not for long and I can’t freaking wait.

You heard it here first, unless you subscribe to Domino, then you heard it here second, black granite is making a comeback.

Oh hello 1990s. Bring us your plastic chokers, cropped crochet tops and wispy straight-to-video bangs. And now, for the love, bring us your dang countertops.

In an effort to save you one whole click, here are the highlights of the Domino article…

Prior to the Carrara White Marble craze, black granite ruled the world and still has “a certain understated luxury, especially when honed.”

The new take on black granite? Mixing it with other materials like a butcher block island, selecting a granite with “wild veining” to mimic marble, going with a leathered finish for “a slightly matte appearance” or heading down monochrome road by pairing black with black.

Now, wouldn’t it be really awesome if I shared some actual granite you can actually purchase? OH MY GOD I’M THE BEST. SEE BELOW.

Copacabana Granite

AKA, My Total Favorite^TM. Good Lord, get a load of this one. “An elegant black granite with lush gold and grey veins throughout.” You know it’s fancy because they swapped that “a” for an “e” in gray.

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Virginia Black Granite

Love this one too. “A consistent dark grey granite with white speckling and veining.” Looks suedey. Like something you’d find at Wilsons.

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Black Galaxy Granite

“A very consistent solid black stone with scattered, copper-colored flakes.” You also might call it an understated dream machine.

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SenSa Orinoco

Not my Total Fave^TM, but she’s a real statement and I’m into the drama of it all. “White, amber and gold snake through a jetblack backdrop.” Ooh la la.

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Silestone Eternal Marquina Quartz Black

Here’s a non-granite stunner from Silestone. And while I still don’t fully understand what Silestone is, I do know a) it’s super durable and b) here’s a quote about it. Wait, did I just provide countertop ideas AND I know how to copy and paste? You guys, I’m the WHOLE package.

“Silestone® is the hybrid surface of premium minerals, quartz and recycled materials more advanced and sustainable on the market, manufactured with the exclusive and innovative HybriQ® technology.”

Oh Good Lord. I freaking love this lady. I met Melissa Smrekar for the first time in Intro Improv. We had to pair an adjective with our name, and I don’t remember mine, but hers was Bitchface Melissa. Hearts and stars, y’all. Kind of been obsessed ever since.

She’s one of the most elegant and tasteful people I’ve ever met. Her style is all her own and even though she has literally introduced me to some of the most incredible fashion brands out there, Show Pony is all about that house hustle and not a shocker, hers is impeccable.

She’s been featured in Southern Living, she’s created a collection of stitch-painted canvases for Lycette, she’s written and performed countless comedic essays and she’s the freaking epitome of class.

She is many, many things, but the way she describes herself is simple – “Creative Girl,” borrowed from the business card of author Kate Schelter. For her “9-5 job” she fundraises for the arts. Outside of that, she’s “a jack of all trades, master of none.” She’s also “an interior design enthusiast” and “loves championing her friends’ dreams and happily flexing her strong opinions whenever solicited.” It’s her way of dodging the dreaded “creative consultant.”

Now get ready for enough quotes to fill some moats because when you interview a writer, they tend to nail every freaking answer and sometimes you just can’t improve upon exceptional. Like hello, she described the color of her dining room “Calamine Pink” and again, not to harp on it, but totally to harp on it, she’s the best.

And away we go. All answers provided by Melissa. Thoughtful and probing questions provided by me.

I think you do such an incredible job of mixing styles in your home. New and vintage. How do you go about putting a room together? Do you start with a rug or a couch or do you pick up things you love and then pull it all together?

I’d be lying if I said I created moodboards or designed an entire room before purchasing a single thing. I don’t. I wing the entire thing based on my instincts. By “instincts,” I mean that I buy things that have an internal magnetic pull for me. I operate with the Dorothy Draper belief that “if it looks right, it is right.”

Decorating a room almost always starts with One Thing. In my living room, it was the Farrow & Ball paint color “Setting Plaster,” which reminded me of a crumbly Italian villa at dusk. In my kitchen, I started with two Scandinavian pendants bent like bows. For my bathroom, I bought a 1940s rattan heart chair from a vintage French patio set and designed the whole space around it. In my dining room, it was the wallpaper I refused to take down.

What’s one item every homeowner should splurge on?

My best piece of advice for a new homeowner is that you can do anything, but not everything. When your ideas are bigger than your budget, remind yourself that you can do anything, but you can’t do everything.

When custom drapes in a glorious Schumacher print exceeded my budget, I happily elected to add designer trim to personalize my existing window treatment so that I could order my bespoke sofa instead. Besides, if you get everything you want in your first home, what is there to look forward to?

Where are your favorite places to shop for home furnishings?

Lula B’s in the Design District for midcentury home decor accessories. Society Social for the most affordable and high-quality semi-custom furniture pieces made in North Carolina. Curiosities in Lakewood for quirky bits and bobs to layer in a room. But really, eBay is my favorite.

Who’s ready for a post that’s as dry as toast?!!! WE ARE!! Lately I’ve been noticing a lot more Listings going from Active (For Sale) directly to Pending (Out of Option, No Contingencies). What does that mean?!!!?!?!? A couple of things.

First, the Buyer is waiving the Option Period. (That’s the 3 to 5 days when Buyers pay a typically nominal fee to “hold the house off the market” so they can complete inspections, negotiate repairs, etc.)

If it’s Pending right away, does that mean they full on waived an inspection? Not always. Most Buyers will still complete an inspection, they just don’t have any intention of negotiating repairs. Free Tip from Me to You? Always get an inspection.

Second, Pending means there are no contingencies. (Like full financial approval instead of the Pre-Approval required to make an offer.) That can be one of two things, the Buyers are paying cash OR they have a Lender that has taken the loan almost through Underwriting. Meaning, they’re solid Buyers and their loan is a go.

One more option is popping up lately. There are companies out there that let you ACT like a cash buyer just in case you’re not sitting on top of Money Mountain. How does THAT work? The company basically buys the house for you then you turn around and pay a service fee (1.4% to 1.9% of the Loan) and buy the house from them.

And THAT’S how you write a post that is truly as dry as toast. Now please enjoy this picture of a lady in a Peeps Hat as a reward for making it through that snoozer. P.S. I want one.