Star Kitchen: Tyler Florence

When they moved into their Mill Valley, Calif., home, Tyler Florence and his wife, Tolan Clark Florence, had three weeks to overhaul the outdated kitchen so they could shoot Tyler's book Dinner at My Place. "It looked like IKEA circa 1982 in here," Tyler says.

Every morning, Tyler and Tolan get their caffeine fix from this Italian-made Gaggia Platinum Swing espresso machine ($1,499; amazon.com). "If R2-D2 were a barista, he'd be this machine," he says.

The couple built a cabinet around this 1,000-pound butcher block, which they found at a furniture-restoration shop. It was originally used in a Berkeley restaurant in the early 1900s. "It took six guys to move it," Tyler says.

"I collect vintage knives like some people collect snow globes," Tyler says. His drawer is packed with 250 of them; he keeps five or six sharpened for regular use. The standbys: his Beriti chef and paring knives handmade in Tuscany.