The Kitchen is the Heart of this Berkeley Home

For most families, the heart of the home is the kitchen, but that is doubly true in the home of cookbook author, blogger and photographer Erin Scott. (Her gluten-free cookbook Yummy Supper just came out two weeks ago!) Thirteen years ago, Erin was living with her husband Paul in the Berkeley hills and on their drives to and from home, they would pass an old Craftsman house that was being fixed up. They often remarked to each other how much love and care was obviously being put into that house. Surprisingly, just a year or so after the house was renovated, it was put on the market. Paul and Erin went to the open house and Erin says that when she walked through the dining room and into the kitchen – which was filled with sunlight and opened onto a small back garden – she turned to Paul and said, “This is my dream house.” Other than tearing out the carpet and refinishing the wood floors, Paul and Erin have made relatively few major changes to the home. They have kept the house clean, white and airy, while infusing their personality into the home with a sentimental mix of objects that spans their years together. For example, their dining room table is one of the first furniture pieces that they bought as a couple 20 years ago, and the chairs surrounding the table are from Erin’s mom’s childhood. Paul and Erin have also gathered art over the years: paintings from Dennis Ashbaugh, photographs from Alexandra Penney, an aboriginal painting from Australia by Marcia Turner Petyarre given as an anniversary present, prints from the amazing Dan Miller (a Creative Growth artist), and tons of gorgeous ceramics from Paul’s father and potter John Scott. Every object in their home has special meaning for this family of four. And Design*Sponge isn’t the only one with a big birthday this year – this 1914 Craftsman is celebrating its 100th birthday in 2014! -Amy

Image above: “That’s my photography studio (which was featured in What’s in Your Toolbox back in 2012),” Erin says. “It’s like a little cottage tucked away in our backyard garden.”

Image above: “The old O’Keefe & Merritt came with our house and I adore it. It may not be fancy, but it makes me smile every time I cook here. I live for my cast iron pans – those babies are serious workhorses. The ceramic canisters and pitcher in this shot are old Roseville pieces and those beautiful hand carved kitchen tools are by Josh Vogel at Blackcreek Mercantile.” (Ed note: Check out our peek into Josh Vogel’s Hudson Valley home.)

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