Food Network Stars at Home

Marcela Valladolid, the spirited star of Mexican Made Easy and cohost of The Kitchen, always knew that she wanted to raise her son, Fausto, 10, in an old house. And a year ago, she found it — a 1912 Cape Cod–style home that sits on top of a hill in Chula Vista, CA. "I wanted the place to identify with Mexico without hitting all the stereotypes," she says. So she dreamed up a signature style she calls Euro-Mexican. "No serapes or sombreros. I wanted something more clean, crisp and subtle."

Much of Marcela's furniture, like the wood-backed sofa and tufted ottoman, was custom-made by her interior designer, Kari Arendsen of Intimate Living Interiors. But the house is also filled with thrift-store finds, like a bar cart she scored at the Salvation Army.