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FROM L.A. TO ROUND TOP BY ANNE LEE PHILLIPS. PHOTOGRAPHY JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON. C isco Pinedo has been visiting Round Top for two decades — but it took a pandemic for him to realize he wanted to be more than a visitor. Pinedo unveiled the first Texas location of Cisco Home, his go- to Los Angeles source for furniture, on Highway 237 just in time for the winter show. Cisco Home, which is also sold via a shop-in-shop at ABC Carpet & Home in New York City, is handcrafted in the United States with responsibly harvested and sourced woods and low-VOC wood stains, goose feathers and down, and natural linens, cotton, and wool. La Tiendita, a friend's coffee-and-gift concept, will open for spring in Cisco Home. This month, Pinedo also debuts Oak Bones, a boutique retreat on Highway 1457 in Round Top, created by Cisco Home. Pinedo, along with his daughter, creative director Maurishka Pinedo, fell in love with the property, which formerly served as a quilting retreat. Pinedo's concept for Oak Bones, which is named for the native oaks and adjacent cemetery, is to create a home away from home where you can gather with friends and family, meet new people, enjoy creative pursuits, and hang out like you're at summer camp. The property had a series of small structures already in place, including five cabins, work sheds, a store, and an industrial communal kitchen, all with good bones. Pinedo changed few exterior elements but has given the interiors a Cisco Home facelift. The Pinedos have great respect for the property and spirit of what they acquired, hoping to continue the mission of a peaceful gathering of creative people. All together, Oak Bones sleeps 35 and has a private movie theater with a stage for live performances, commercial kitchen, and dining area that seats 30, with an outdoor kitchen and patio, pool, and gym. We caught up with Pinedo to find out why he expanded from L.A. to Round Top, and his history as an Instagram sensation. What drew you to Round Top. CP: I used to go to the South of France to buy antiques. Then the Euro got crazy, and it didn't make sense for us to buy goods there. When that happened, I started coming to Round Top, and I pretty much fell in love with the place. But, of course, I didn't do anything about it for 20 years! How a Cisco Home ended up in Round Top. CP: In the last five years, Round Top has taken a whole other direction. It seems like a lot of people are coming just for the fun of it and not exclusively looking for antiques. They're enjoying shopping here, they like the open space, and how informal and relaxing it is. We noticed there were no vendors or shops with upholstery goods made in the U.S. We saw a niche and thought maybe we should open a shop. Tell us about sustainability. CP: We were the first company in the U.S. to move to Sustainable F u r n i s h i n g s C o u n c i l ( S F C ) certified woods. From there, we decided to take that journey and source not only the wood but the rest of the ingredients, too. We found sources for natural wool and organic cotton and created a product that's healthy for people's homes and for the environment. You founded your company in a recession (1990), and now you're branching out in a pandemic. Talk about your appetite for risk. CP: Appetite for risk is good! I'm going to quote you on that and keep it. I get inspired by the movement of people. I'm a nomad type of person. Round Top is a nomad culture. You get all these gypsies coming from all over the world to either find treasures Cisco Pinedo, owner of Cisco Home Cisco Home, here and below (Continued on page 90) 88