Some say home is where the heart is, but for ER nurse Diana Alonzo-Donjuan and her husband Miguel Donjuan, a middle-school teacher by day and artist by night, home is where it has always been — nestled deep in the heart of Oak Cliff, Dallas, TX. Both Diana and Miguel grew up in this established, older town — and long before they met at the local college, their family homes were mere minutes apart! Since tying the knot 11 years ago, they’ve settled into this 1940s cottage-style, single-story home with their cats Kobi Bear and Uka in the historic district of Elmwood. Just a stone’s throw from their parents’ homes, their spot is just far enough away from the bustle of the city, while still being close enough that heading out when they crave some nightlife is “just a ruckus ride away.”

Despite her day-job, Diana typically has at least one DIY or home renovation project on the go and describes her home as “a hot mess of many styles,” that complement the home’s original features; such as their creaky, hardwood floors. Though her uncle advised them to take it “one room at a time,” when Diana and Miguel first moved in, they tackled almost every room at once. As a result, some projects took a whole year to complete, namely their backyard patio. Diana and Miguel sourced classified ads for free dirt for months until they were able to get enough to fill a few trucks. After spreading all the dirt by hand to level the ground, Miguel laid wood beams and spent Diana’s birthday last year unloading black star gravel and carrying it by shovel-load across the property. Diana says of the day, “When he asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I replied ‘a finished patio,’ I didn’t think he would literally have us finish it on that day!”

Another laborious project came in the form of their bedroom, where carpet was installed atop original hardwood. What they thought was going to be a weekend-long project ended up taking a whole month (which meant sleeping on an air mattress in the living room for weeks)! The carpet was adhered with so much glue that Diana and Miguel spent six days on their hands and knees scraping it off using goo-gone and metal palette knives. But that ordeal was hardly the worst part: to their surprise, the couple discovered that between each wood plank were runs of live electrical wiring. “Fire hazard, anyone?” Diana recounts, “Years ago, we learned that previous homeowners created this add-on which rests on a pier and beams atop a slab, so in order for the addition to receive electricity, they [ran] the hot wires between the wooden planks, visible and exposed!” After spending days removing and re-re-routing the wiring, sanding and refinishing the floors, they were finally able to rest and relax in their beautiful bedroom they had worked so hard on.

Besides those few adventures in renovating, the rest of their home has, in hindsight, been a breeze to remodel. “Painting and sanding seem like no big deal after those stories,” Diana says, “but the process continues as we are the type that enjoy evolving. As soon as we are done with a room, there’s another.” But each long, tiring day they’ve spent working on their home has resulted in a spot that is not only a representation of who they are, both individually and as a couple, but one that is a welcoming, comforting place for friends and family — and one that has seen countless backyard bonfires and many movie-nights-in with large bowls of popcorn. Diana says of their space, “We are thankful that it provides stories and creates memories! This little home provides us with not only shelter, but brings to life our oasis, our world!” —Sabrina

Photography by Nine Photography

1/29 Centered in their living room is a fireplace that no longer functions. Rather than rip it out, Miguel and Diana decided to keep it as a focal point and, instead use it to display the letters SG, which represent Miguel's art collective group, Sour Grapes.

2/29 Diana and Miguel standing proudly in front of their old, but charming cottage. On the front porch, they often enjoy their morning coffee and breakfast, or visit with their neighbors. "Mornings are always glorious here!" Diana says.

3/29 "The lighting in here is amazing in the afternoon," Diana explains, "Our cute coffee tables have to be the most unique items in this room -- and the best part is that they were made by me and my father!" Diana cherishes the memories that they hold and carries the lessons she learned about sanding and varnishing. "I still use his lessons to this day!"

4/29 A close-up of the handmade coffee tables.

5/29 Just a few inspirational books from Diana and Miguel's collection.

6/29 This art print, which was a gift from a friend, remains one of her favorite items in the entire home. it hangs above this vintage dresser found at a local flea market.

7/29 Some of Miguel's art hangs on the walls. "Definitely one thing we love most about our home is that no one area goes without displaying art!"

8/29 "It may not look like it, but this shelving unit is extremely heavy," Diana explains, "But we love the storage it provides -- and it gives the illusion that we are organized!"

9/29 The home's one-story floor plan.

10/29 This funky wardrobe from Anthropologie sits in their dining room and is used to store all of their throws and linens.

11/29 "Our dining room is constantly evolving," Diana begins, "but I think we have finally found its voice!" Finding a table that was small enough to be able to walk around, but large enough to seat a handful of people was difficult, but this new addition from IKEA fit the bill.

12/29 The artwork is another one of Miguel's pieces, which sits nicely behind this monstera deliciosa.

13/29 Diana enjoys the rawness of the wood, which makes for easy decorating.

14/29 This yellow enamel bar cart sits on the wall opposite Miguel's artwork. "Can you believe that I got this baby for 5 bucks?!" Diana asks.

15/29 The kitchen is one of the last untouched rooms, although Diana and Miguel are itching to rip it out and start from scratch. "We just can't stand our kitchen," she says, "One day, when we learn how to grow a money tree, the walls will come down, open shelving will be installed, and new wrap-around windows will go in."

16/29 Despite their frustration with the kitchen, one corner that can't be discounted is this neat, original cubby that stores their glassware, mason jars and small bowls and mugs.

17/29 In the hallway leading to their bedroom, they've hung as much art as they can fit. "We are fortunate enough to know several talented people who have been kind enough to gift us with original art," Diana beams. "So we blast it on every wall space we can find!"

18/29 Along with restoring the floors in their bedroom, Diana and Miguel installed the wood planks on the walls to add more warmth and character. "We love everything about this space now," Diana says, "We worked on this room from top to bottom and DIY'd the crap out of it! We will never ever do that again, but we're sure happy that we finished this space!"

19/29 Rather than using side tables and taking up the floor's footprint, the couple installed these floating shelves in an effort to make the room feel more open and airy. That way, they can still store slippers underneath, the cats have a place to rest, and the floor-space looks larger.

20/29 "The natural light in the morning is heavenly!" Diana says. "You can't wake up in here and not feel thankful!" The DIY pillows were gifted from her mother and Diana used them as the inspiration for the decor in the rest of the room.

21/29 This tiny side table, which was found at the side of the road, is host to some extra trinkets and fits between their large, backyard-facing windows.

22/29 This tiny bathroom is on the to-do list for renovations, but they've made it work for now. In fact, the floorboards were once so rotted underneath the toilet that Diana fell through the floor one time, the moment she took a seat. "I literally almost fell through into our crawl space!" she laughs.

23/29 "When we can't find something that fits our budget, we tend to just make it!" Diana says, such as these leather and dowel rods that hold their hand towels. Along with the original open shelving, it makes make this tiny room more functional.

24/29 Their second bedroom, which they use as a studio space. Even though nearly every room in the house has amazing light, this one is by far the brightest, screaming for white walls to help give Miguel the blank-canvas inspirational feel when he's creating art.

25/29 The younger of their felines, Kobi Bear, loves to jump on Miguel's table when he's working and do as cats do: cause a mess. "He knocks over the cups filled with water," Diana explains, "He's even spilled the jars on new paintings -- those are great times!"

26/29 Miguel, or as Diana calls him, the "constant creator!"

27/29 Along with the comfort it brings, Miguel and Diana's home inspires them creatively.

28/29 Their beloved backyard patio, which saw the labor of Diana and Miguel for weeks. "We love how we were able to bring to life our vision," Diana says proudly. "We designed and made this space what it is, and I just adore having fire pit nights filled with friends and family!" As part of this space's remodel, the couple divided it into three levels -- one for cooking, one for eating, and one for lounging.