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    What Makes Cindy Crawford's House a Home

    By | Work + Money – Thu, Jun 24, 2010 10:10 PM EDT

    She can still rock a runway, but at 43, Cindy Crawford knows that home is where her heart is. Her new home collection, Cindy Crawford Style for JCPenney, channels her knack for comfortable, versatile fashion. We caught up with Crawford to find out what makes her house a home.

    What makes a house a home?
    The most important thing is comfort. I want my home to look good, feel good, and smell good. I want it to be inclusive, to reflect the people who live there.

    Try these easy ideas to add some comfort to your home.


    How do you achieve that?
    Each year I frame one of the kids' drawings or paintings. It's amazing that when you put it in a frame - it doesn't have to be expensive one - it becomes art. In the kids' playroom, I have all of those pieces, one for each year, together on one wall. When you put them all together, they tell a story.

    Crawford's line is full of simple touches, like this serving tray ($50) that adds a comfortable elegance to the home.


    How do you entertain?
    We have friends over for dinner, but it's very casual. I am usually in jeans and bare feet, and that sets the tone for everybody. My husband is the ambiance guy. He's always in charge of music and the lighting - candles and incense. We have a fire pit outside and have hors d'oeuvres there. Because we have kids and most of our friends do, we plan around them. We start a little early and we put the kids at one end of the table, because after eating they will evaporate and do their own thing. Then the grown-ups sit there and enjoy the company for another hour or two.

    Wow guests with a delicious Greek menu.


    Do you cook?
    I am not a fine chef, but I can certainly get dinner on the table for 14 people. With that many, I try to keep it simple: salmon, mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach, and salad. For sure, I do the desserts. I make a coconut cake, which is actually easy, and a carrot cake, which my husband loves so much we had it for our wedding cake.

    One night, Presley and I had a pie contest. He made strawberry rhubarb - I gave him my recipe, but I didn't touch his pie - and I tried a new one: peach blueberry. And I said, "We won't tell who made what, and we'll have a vote." And his pie won. I was outbaked by my 10-year-old!

    Not pie literate? Anyone can make these amazing two-ingredient desserts!



    Is there a place in your house that makes you especially happy?
    I finally have the closet of my dreams. It is just awesome. It has French doors and windows, so I can see the kids in the yard, and there is so much great natural light. I have a makeup area, a phone, a TV. A lot of times the kids will be in there, but sometimes I'm like, "Out!" It's very therapeutic for me to organize and get rid of things; it stresses me out to have too much. Everyone is jealous of my storage room, where I have everything organized in Tupperware boxes.

    Claim some space in your home that's just for you.


    PLUS: Read the rest of Cindy Crawford's interview.

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    Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.