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JULY | PAGE 22 | 2015 from friends with children, Paula traveled alone to Morocco. It was the first extensive trip she'd taken since the twins were born. She spent two weeks trekking and camping out with a nomadic goat-herding family and, like the family, she slept on the ground, sans pillow. The experience "pushed me beyond my comfort zone," she says. "I learned that the things that often make us comfortable and happy are not what feed your soul." The trip also provided a rare chance to search for textiles for Gaia at the souks in Marrakesh, where she also found several rugs for their house. Back home and rejuvenated, Paula was able to focus on Gaia with new energy, along with pulling together their home's interiors. Filled with handmade items from all over, inherited pieces from both sides of the family and favorites purchased before they met, the Minnis abode is a culmination of the things that matter to them. "I haven't used a decorator in years," Paula says. "The imperfections in a home are what make it human." A Parsons coffee table from the 1970s that once belonged to her parents holds memories. "I've taken it with me everywhere. I remember dancing on it in my apartment in San Francisco," Paula says. Todd's favorites are also a part of the mix, including a tree trunk table and contemporary paintings he purchased at TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art before they met. Most of their furnishings and accessories, if they were not acquired in an exotic locale, have ties to far-flung places and are eco-friendly: A walnut-sided, Deco-style De La Espada sofa was handcrafted in Portugal; a papier-mâché bull's head was made by artisans in Haiti after the hurricane; a bone-inlay table from Morocco once belonged to Paula's mother; a lampshade Paula had made from Japanese handmade paper tops an IKEA lamp; and, of course, most of the pillows throughout the house are handcrafted from vintage textiles by refugees employed by Gaia. Home, work and passions — if you're lucky, they all dovetail. "I realize that if you have a job that allows you more time with your family, that's the key," says Paula. "I love beautiful textiles, and I love providing employment to women in need." Charlie, Paula, Gabriella and the family's golden retriever, Murdoch, in the screened-in porch off the master bedroom. Rattan sofa from Lamps Plus. Paula made the macramé planter at a class at Oil & Cotton Creative Exchange. Charlie in his bedroom. Gold Moroccan pouf and Moroccan table are vintage. The chair is covered in vintage fabric found at First Monday at Canton. Hand-embroidered pillow from Anthropologie. The colorful tiles in the master bath, which looks into the screened-in porch, were already in place when the Minnises moved in. Vintage artwork. In the master bedroom, Paula had a vintage chest lacquered white. Vintage Buddha head from Brittany Cobb's Dallas Flea. The photos and artwork are mostly flea-market finds, but the photo of a school in Zanzibar (right) was taken by Paula on her honeymoon. One of the paintings at left is by the artist-husband of a woman employed by Gaia. On the screened-in porch, a chair from Wisteria and a table from World Market. Pillow and vintage Tuareg rug from Marrakesh. Vintage sofa draped in vintage textiles.