At Home With The Browns

Texans Duane and Devi Brown (Photography by Max Burkhalter)

EVERYTHING STARTS AT HOME, AND NO ONE KNOWS AND APPRECIATES THAT MORE THAN HOUSTON TEXANS SEVENYEAR LEFT TACKLE, TEXAN DUANE BROWN AND HIS WIFE OF THREE YEARS, DEVI.

The home, one Duane bought during his rookie season, was remodeled two years ago adding the couple’s tastes, bright colors and natural light in every room. “We wanted to bring a lot of light in. I’m super-weird – I want everything to tell a story,” Devi ecstatically says, pointing out some of her favorite pieces, many of which they’ve picked up along their travels. The couple is busier than most, but they’re quick to realize everyone has a different definition of busy. Duane, busy with OTAs getting ready for the season, and Devi, an on-air personality and music director (not to mention studying to become a meditation teacher), have nearly opposite hours, sometimes with less than 15 minutes a day together. “Sometimes we have a moment in the driveway – we take what we can get,” Devi jokes in seriousness.

When they do have time, they enjoy their togetherness. The pair are big TV bingewatchers. A rainy afternoon can find them in the midst of a marathon of one of their favorite shows: “Game of Thrones,” “Mad Men,” “Black-ish,” “Modern Family,” “The Prophet,” “Shark Tank” and “Downtown Abbey.” The two say they are “A+ commentators” and get into play-by-play television. The house is filled with notes of prayers and mantras taped or laminated on the walls to serve as a reminder to stay centered. Of them all, this Rumi quote is their favorite: “Seek the wisdom that will untie your knot. Seek the path that demands your whole being.” “It’s the mantra of our lives right now, in this very moment,” Devi explains. “It goes along the lines of us wanting to be the best versions of ourselves and wanting to be the best versions of ourselves for each other. It’s not easy; it’s a challenge every day,” Duane adds.

While their days are equally jam-packed, the couple maintains a morning ritual, even if just for a few minutes, where they plop down on the bedroom floor and meditate together. “It helps center you. I think we both work in worlds that are kind of an emotional rollercoaster – there are so many things that can weigh you down, so I think being able to center yourself and calm your thoughts is a good way to start the day. It helps us as individuals on how we process things and also our relationship and marriage – how we treat each other and love each other better,” Duane says.

The house has some amazingly unique features – a fairly new collection of singing bowls, their staircase which showcases a wall of their favorite Instagram photos strategically framed, a larger-than-life man cave with five TVs and a projection screen, a she cave Devi refers to as her “little nook” where she feels grounded and includes a sounding board for her voiceover work – but the best part is in their kitchen, and it has nothing to do with cooking. “I always wanted a chalkboard in my house because I’m big on vision boards and I’m one of those quote people, so we had the idea to paint one on the wall and then build a frame around it,” Devi says of the spot where the two leave inspiring notes and quotes for each other and sometimes the occasional Pikachu drawing (one of their many inside jokes). It’s clear this duo is religious in setting their intentions every day; it’s paid off not only in the form of two legendary careers in the making, but a beautiful home and a blessed marriage.

[Speaking of legendary, not pictured is Legend, the couple’s 11-month-old silver lab who was off playing at daycare while mom and dad were busy working.]

This article ran in the July 2015 print issue of Local Houston Magazine and can be found online here.