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A whimsical statue of Don Quixote stands in oration on the black granite counter in the kitchen. ‘He used to have a lance, but the grandkids lost it,' Margaret Romero said.

By Diane S. Morales, Caller-Times

May 22, 2005

After 33 years of marriage, Margaret and Dr. Richard Romero are starting a new life together. Their children are grown and gone and so is the responsibility of running a huge household.

Simplicity is the Romero's new luxury and they love every minute in their new courtyard home.

"This was one of the most liberating feelings because it's new and we have more space," said Margaret Romero, 63. "It's very much a sense of renewal — a new place with new friends."

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Pink New Guinea impatiens, pink hydrangeas, Aztec grass, thyme dusty miller, podocarpus and other plants were part of Margaret Romero's master plan of "over-planting to see what grows." A decorative fountain vase adds the soothing sound of flowing water..

"It's better because we're closer," Richard Romero, 73, said while they sat at the dining table. "Here we're together, not far apart like in our other home."

Romero, the academic director of the family practice residency program at Bay Area Medical Center, and his wife moved to their 1,600-square-foot Las Terrazas courtyard home on Briecesco Street in September. The couple downsized from their 4,500-square-foot home near Ocean Drive after living there for 32 years and raising their five children.

The couple sold all of their oversized furniture from their previous home and learned the art of scaling back. They purchased new furniture to fit their fuss-free lifestyle.

Developing area

Moving from an established part of the city to a rapidly developing area on the Southside was quite the change of scenery for Margaret Romero.

"I thought, my God I'm living in a cornfield. I had to get used to the flatness and not seeing the water," she said. "It's a side of Corpus Christi I didn't know."

And it's a side of the city the couple has embraced, taking the opportunity to shape their two -bedroom, two-bath home into a Mexican-Manhattan home for starting the second phase of their life.

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The Todd Oldham designer sofa with a modern geometric pattern balances the one-of-a-kind, modernist artwork created by Richard Romero's father, who was a nephew of Pablo Picasso.

Blooming orange and yellow ixora line the walkway to the brown Spanish style gate that opens to a verdant courtyard, tended by Margaret Romero.

Determined to enliven the few white oleander bushes dotting the courtyard, Margaret Romero's creativity focused on filling her landscape with colorful plants and flowers.

"I want people to feel instantly warmed and welcomed when they enter. Just a special time and place," she said.

The couple hired International Tile Company to install Saltillo tile in the courtyard with colorful tile accents to help create a Mexican style garden and outdoor dining area.

Inside the home, the Romeros surround themselves with books, art, family photos and mementos.

Casual dining area

The front door opens to a view of a casual dining area and kitchen separated by a curved opening to the living room.

Shades of blue dominate the casual living area where a Todd Oldham blue and gray sectional with a geometric pattern complements the modernist art created by Manuel Romero Muñiz, Dr. Richard Romero's father, who died several years ago.

"He painted for joy, not commerce. He never sold a piece or had a show," Margaret Romero said.

The couple proudly displays 16 of the artist's works. Masters Cezanne, Matisse and most importantly Pablo Picasso, Romero Muñiz's uncle, influenced him.

"It's such an honor to enjoy his artwork every day," Margaret Romero said.

Eddie Seal/Caller-Times

Above the buffet in the dining area hangs another abstract art piece by Romero's father, Manuel Romero Muñiz. ‘When our friends visit, they don't remember some of the art because it was spread out in our other home,' Margaret Romero said.

In the kitchen and dining area, two large picture windows overlook the covered patio at the home's entrance. A long black granite bar, the only addition the couple made to the kitchen, provides more seating for family and guests, where traffic can flow comfortably around the kitchen and dining area or out to the covered patio.

"The size doesn't stop us from entertaining," Margaret Romero said.

More Mexican art influences the kitchen's décor with talavera pottery lining the kitchen shelves and sun masks hanging vertically between the picture windows.

Down the hallway, colorful framed priest stoles from Mexico and El Salvador line the walls along with framed embroidered placemats in fuchsia, orange, turquoise depicting a wedding, a harvest, fishing and other life moments.

Art from Mexico

"We were visiting Lake Patzcuaro in Mexico and I saw these women talking and making these pieces of art, "Margaret Romero said. "I had to have them."

The framed placements create a border near the ceiling, an idea passed along by Margaret Romero's sister Mary Glasgow, who suggested the placemats be displayed as art.

Just past the picture windows overlooking the patio is a crisp white guest bedroom accented with funky pink lampshades complemented with pink parrot artwork and of course, rows of books to spark the imagination.

On the other side of the home is the cozy master suite that overlooks the covered patio. Flowing Thai silk drapes with a broad ivory and gold stripe pool to the floor.

The couple had bookshelves installed to house walls of books on the artwork of Cezanne and Matisse and works by Shakespeare, Poe and other literary classics.

When Romero isn't reading in the master suite, he's reading in his study down the hallway. Both voracious readers, the Romeros enjoy mystery novels. "He says they're like eating potato chips. You know what's going to happen, but you just keep eating them," she said.

Contact Diane S. Morales at 886-3758 or moralesd@caller.com