Star Kitchen: Valerie Bertinelli

The kitchen is Valerie's favorite room in the house: "We hang out here all the time," she says of the space she and her husband, Tom Vitale, a former investment banker, often share with their blended family of her son, Wolfgang, plus Tom's four kids. The couple kept big family meals in mind when they renovated in 2011, installing his-and-hers sinks for prep work, a Wolf range (a nod to her son's name) and an oversize island where everyone can roll out dough on pizza night. Valerie also wanted to make sure the kitchen felt personal, so she stocked it with her favorite collections: olive oils, ceramic bowls, cow-themed decor. "I spend so much time here," she says. "It's important to have things that make me happy."

Valerie and Tom keep a gratitude jar on the island. Whenever they have a bad day — or a great one — they write something they're thankful for on a piece of paper and slip it into the jar.

Valerie found this butcher block at Bed Bath & Beyond and had it cut to fit over the island sink. "If you have a saw, you can do this," she says. 

Valerie's ceramic pig is from the set of Hot in Cleveland, the TV Land show she starred in with Betty White (it ended last month after six seasons). When the show stopped filming, she says, "Everyone wanted that pig."