At Home with Ross Mathews

Food Network's frequent visitor takes Food Network Magazine on a tour of his Palm Springs house.

From: Food Network Magazine

Photo By: Jessica Sample ©Jessica Sample

Ross Mathews loves a good meal, and he has enjoyed quite a few of them on Food Network and Cooking Channel — stopping in on Dinner at Tiffani's, judging Food Network Star and competing on Celebrity Food Fight. He's also a committed home cook, particularly on the weekends, when he's at his house in Palm Springs, CA. He first visited the city in 2003, when he was "Ross the Intern" on The Tonight Show — and he loved it at first sight: "I was like, This is the mother ship. This is home," he says. Ross, now a host of Hollywood Today Live, and his boyfriend, Salvador Camarena, a stylist, bought a Palm Springs fixer-upper in 2012, flipped it and upgraded to this modern two-story house. During the week, the couple and their three dogs live in L.A., but they spend most weekends here. Unlike their last place, this one was move-in ready, with lofted ceilings and an open floor plan that's ideal for cocktail parties. They painted a few walls, changing oranges and greens to white, then gave the place what they call "Palm Springs pop" with a yellow front door and flamingo decor. Otherwise, the house has been totally low-maintenance: When they arrive on Friday night, they just throw down their bags and start relaxing. "It's like a succulent plant," Ross says. "You sort of don't even need to water it."

Photographs by Jessica Sample

Living Room

The living room gets plenty of sunlight, and sliding glass doors allow for easy access to the pool area during Ross and Salvador's wine and cheese parties. The couple decorated the space with a mix of vintage finds (they scored the blue velvet sofa for $300 at a tag sale) and new pieces, like a life-preserver print by their photographer friend Gray Malin.

Living Room (continued)

Beside the front door (right) is one of Ross's favorite thrift-shop finds: a midcentury side table–lamp combo. "As a kid, I loved when the table was part of the lamp," he says. "I remember thinking, That's fancy."

Dining Room

The couple bought one big statement piece for the dining room: a large black-and-white print of Roger Moore in The Saint. Salvador refurbished the bar cart himself, transforming a rusty thrift-store find with gold spray paint. "He saw it and said it had bones, and I was like, 'You're nuts,'" Ross says with a laugh.

Kitchen

Ross loves that the kitchen is so open: He can prep and hang out at the same time, whether he's cooking for a crowd or just making soup for Salvador. "He could eat soup seven days a week," Ross jokes. (Ross credits home cooking for his own recent 30-pound weight loss.) They decorated the counter with vintage canisters and a vibrant Trina Turk ice bucket.

Guest Room

Ross used patterned bed linens and a flokati rug to warm up the lofted space overlooking the living room — and he brought in lots of pillows. "I have an addiction to throw pillows," he says. "I have 76 of them in our Los Angeles house." The room also functions as an office for Ross, who steals away up here to prepare for shows.

Backyard

When Ross and Salvador moved in, the pool area was a bare expanse of concrete. They brought in a resin wicker love seat, side chair and mod cage chair to create an outdoor living room.

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