Mid-pandemic,Christy Carlson Romano and her familypicked up and relocated their lives from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas — a cross-country move that came with a lot of changes. But Romano says they already feel so at home in the Lone Star state.
The actress, 37 — who starred in hit Disney shows likeKim PossibleandEven Stevensand movies likeCadet KellyandThe Cutting Edge— and her husband, writer Brendan Rooney, recently opened up their new home to PEOPLE for an exclusive tour and to share a peek inside each of their expertly designed andhighly personal spaces.
As they move from room to room, it’s obvious each was designed with their two daughters — Isabella, 4, and Sophia, 2 — in mind, starting with the living room off the front entryway, where the couple says everyone must “check their ego at the door.”
“This is the fun room,” Rooney says of the bright and airy living space, which features an oversized, “rough and tumble couch” that he jokes the girls like to run laps on daily.
Off the dining room is the kitchen, which Romano and Rooney agree they spend at least a quarter of their time in as a family. While their home back in L.A. had two white marble islands, here, they decided to go for a more rustic butcher block.
“It feels a lot like the landscape,” Rooney says of the dark wood feature, which often appears inRomano’s YouTube videos, where she cooks her favorite recipes and hilariouslyimpersonates other actors.
Before they head downstairs, Rooney shows off one of his favorite features in the kitchen: a bottle opener built into one of the exposed wood beams, which he uses to crack open a bottle of Shiner Bock, a classic Texan beer.
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The brew fits right into the next room they bring viewers into: the billiards room, which Romano admits “is a man cave, but I do have fun [here] too.”
Painted and decorated using moody, dark colors, the pair designed the space to look like a speakeasy. One corner is filled with vinyl records from their collection — “any place that we go to we try to find a record store,” Romano says — and another is decked out with a dartboard that gets lots of use when friends and family come over.
“I like that this vibe and this room just feels like a place we would actually try to get a sitter and go to,” Romano says.
Rainbow-organized books fill the shelves of their production office, and the art pieces on the walls were chosen to represent both of their “energies.” Gold-leaf maps of New York City, where the pair met, and California, where they spent the first part of their lives together, “represent our love story,” Romano says.
The production office is also where they have hung their most significant documents and pieces of memorabilia. For example, Rooney’s honorable discharge certificate from his time in the U.S. Marine Corps is framed, as is a cel (a translucent sheet that animations are sketched on) that the animators fromKim Possiblegifted Romano years ago.
“She’s so awesome and she inspires me on the daily,” she says of the cheerleader-turned-crime fighter character she voiced.
Isabella and Sophia make an appearance near the end of the tour, helping show off their rainbow-centric playroom (conveniently a floor away from the office to minimize noise).
The tour ends with Romano and Rooney sitting out on one of their two decks, enjoying a drink in the sunny weather. Watch until the end to see their incredible views!
“I don’t miss California at all,” Romano admits, looking out and taking it all in. “We are so happy here in Austin.”
source: people.com
