In January 2024, Daniel and Ivan posted their Chicago kitchen. The internet couldn't stop saving it.
@homewithid has become one of those rare accounts where the design is inseparable from the people behind it — a mid-century modern house filtered through Mexican heritage and South Side Chicago energy. Not aspirational from a distance. Warm, specific, and real.
For this Real Homes feature, they walked us through the decisions that made their kitchen what it is — including the one most people overlook: why even the electrical outlets deserved as much thought as everything else.
How much does your cultural background shape the way you approach a space?
Growing up, design was everywhere! The colors in my grandmother's kitchen, a table always ready to be set for more people than expected, the textures and patterns woven into blankets, pottery, tile. We didn't grow up thinking about "aesthetic," we grew up inside one — and didn't even realize how much it shaped us until we started designing spaces of our own.
Some of it is pure instinct — warm terracottas, rich wood tones, a pattern that feels a little loud and a little joyful. That part just happens. But there's also a very intentional piece, especially now that we are building a brand around it. We want our home and our content to hold both worlds fully, mid-century modern's clean lines and Mexican heritage's warmth and color, not influencing each other from a distance but truly living together in the same room.
That's why authenticity means everything to us. So much design content feels aspirational in a way that's disconnected from real life. For us, showing the kitchen, the renovation chaos, the cultural touches — it's not a styling choice, it's just what home has always looked like to us!
Take us back to the kitchen before the renovation — what was the thing that had to change?
This was actually the very first house we toured when we started our search, and the moment we walked in, we just knew! That vaulted ceiling — so classic MCM — sold us instantly. But there was this huge wall dividing the kitchen and living room, and we knew right away it had to go.
We wanted the main floor to feel like one continuous space for hosting and welcoming people. Open, warm, great flow — the kind of home where everyone naturally ends up in the same room together. And the kitchen itself was crammed onto one wall with zero focal point, so we saw it as an opportunity! We knew that was exactly where we could bring in the magic.
The kitchen went viral almost overnight — what did you think was going to happen, and what actually happened?
We genuinely had no idea what to expect! At the time — January 2024 — there was nothing out there that looked like our kitchen. Walnut brown cabinets and red tile were not exactly trending, so it felt like a big risk. We loved it with our whole hearts, but we had no clue if anyone else would.
We were completely blown away by the response! People went crazy for the color, especially the red, and so many said how refreshing it was to see a kitchen that actually embraced color instead of playing it safe with white and neutrals. But what really meant the world to us was that people picked up on the cultural influences behind our choices. We didn't even have to explain it — they just saw it. Knowing our kitchen resonated with people that deeply, not just visually but personally, is still one of the most incredible parts of this whole journey!
Designing a home with a partner means two sets of convictions in the same room — where do you agree instinctively, and where does the real negotiation happen?
We agree instinctively on the big-picture feeling — warmth, color, that sense of hosting and welcoming people in. Neither of us wants a space that feels sterile or overly precious, so the emotional direction of a room is almost never up for debate.
Where the real negotiation happens is in the details: finishes, exact tile placement, how much pattern is too much pattern! Ivan tends to lean a little more toward restraint and balance, while Daniel is usually the one pushing for the bolder, riskier choice — more color, more texture, more of a statement. Honestly, that tension is a good thing. It keeps us from going too far in either direction, and some of our favorite moments in the house came from meeting in the middle on something neither of us would have landed on alone.
Chicago has a very specific architectural personality. How much does the city seep into what you do inside your four walls?
Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, our world was the sound of families gathering, kids playing outside, that specific kind of neighborhood energy. And then there's the weather! Chicago winters are no joke, so we had to think about how our home would move with the seasons. Sunny, warm days can feel like a luxury here, so warm, golden lighting became a priority for us — we wanted it to feel like golden hour inside our home, no matter what it looked like outside.
That shaped so many of our choices. Warmer wall colors to keep things feeling alive and open, balanced with warm floor tones that ground the space and keep it cozy when it's gray and freezing outside.
Which single detail did you change your mind about the most before landing on the right answer?
The sink wall, hands down! We knew the fully tiled range alcove was going to be the moment in the kitchen, so we went back and forth so much on whether tiling that wall too would compete with it or take away from the impact.
At first we thought about leaving it blank, but with all that water activity right there, we knew practically we needed tile — it just had to be the right one. We went through what felt like endless samples until we finally landed on a tumbled travertine for the backsplash. It was such a good moment when it clicked. The texture complements the perfect imperfection of the zellige without competing with it, so the alcove still gets to be the star while the sink wall holds its own quiet presence.
When people see the kitchen online, what do they always comment on — and what do you wish they'd notice instead?
There's no overlooking the red tiled range alcove — that's always the showstopper! People also love the Mexican masks mounted beside it, and those are some of our favorite details too, so it's fun that they shine the way they do.
What I wish people noticed more is the lighting! The range sconces, sink sconces, and island lights are all built from the same materials — travertine and walnut — so they speak the same language and tie the whole kitchen together. But each one has its own silhouette. It's a small detail, but it's one of those things that makes the space feel intentional down to the last inch, even if it's not the first thing that grabs you.
Most people treat electrical fixtures as functional afterthoughts — what made you decide they deserved the same attention as everything else?
Electrical fixtures are so easy to overlook because they only serve one function, so people tend to just grab whatever's basic and move on. But once we were living with them every day, those plain white outlets started to genuinely bother us! It felt like this one detail was pulling focus away from everything else we'd been so intentional about.
That's when it clicked for us — these pieces are touched constantly, seen constantly, they deserve to be just as beautiful and considered as everything else in the room. So we started treating them like actual design elements instead of afterthoughts, and it made such a difference. Even the smallest details, the ones people might not consciously notice, add up to how a space actually feels.
Antique Brass has a particular personality: warm, lived-in, slightly imperfect. What drew you to it — and how did you know it was right for this space?
Antique Brass just has soul — it's not trying to look brand new or perfect, and that's exactly what drew us to it! We wanted finishes that felt like they'd been loved for years, not something that came out of a box and would look cold under bright light. That warmth, that slightly imperfect patina, it plays so well with the travertine and walnut we used throughout the space. Everything feels like it's aging together instead of sitting stiffly side by side.
We knew it was right the moment we saw it against the tile. It didn't compete with the color — it grounded it. Best of all, we could finally get rid of those stark white covers sitting on our beautiful red tiles and warm walnut cabinets!
Shop our Antique Brass switches and outlets
The kitchen is done — or as done as these things ever get. What detail elsewhere in the home is currently keeping you up at night?
Honestly? We truly love this space and couldn't be happier with it — that's not just an interview answer! If anything is keeping us up at night, it's making sure we always have enough wine on hand for whoever shows up. That's the real crisis around here.
The kitchen that stopped the internet wasn't the one with the most expensive materials. It was the one where nothing — not even the outlet covers — was left to chance.
Follow Daniel and Ivan on Instagram at @homewithid.
