Cindy Pawlcyn's Napa Valley deck

Photo: Melanie Acevedo

Valley View
Chef Cindy Pawlcyn's sunny deck, a frequent spot for entertaining, is topped by a custom-built metal canopy.
Cindy Pawlcyn's Napa Valley kitchen

Photo: Melanie Acevedo

Now She's Cooking
Larger than any other room in the house, Cindy's soaring kitchen features an enormous tiled Moorish-style oven ("We'll do whole pigs and lambs and roasts," she says), French advertising posters from the 1920s and '30s, and a cherrywood central island that combines oak cutting boards, Carrera marble countertops, and zinc panels for appliances.

Refrigerator, Sub-Zero
Mask from Oaxaca, African necklace, and French pitcher

Photo: Melanie Acevedo

International Flavor
Artifacts from around the world fill the house: here, a mask found in Oaxaca, a West African "medicine man" necklace, an antique French pitcher.
Cindy Pawlcyn's Napa Valley swimming pool

Photo: Melanie Acevedo

Still Waters
"I like to swim in the morning," says Cindy of her gunite, black-bottomed pool. "When it's really hot, I'll just jump in first thing and then take an outdoor shower."
Chef Cindy Pawlcyn's bedroom in her Napa Valley home

Photo: Melanie Acevedo

California Dreamin'
The serene bedroom is filled with light (pouring in from ample windows and a skylight) and "books, books, books!" says Cindy. At the foot of the bed are Ashanti stools from Ghana.

Bedding, Home Treasures; throw, Textillery Weavers
Chef Cindy Pawlcyn's living room in her Napa Valley home

Photo: Melanie Acevedo

World Beat
Cindy's casually chic living room holds a trove of global treasures. The red Howdah chair from Thailand (right) is traditionally used for riding elephants. The antique Yoruba Egungun mask (foreground) is from Nigeria, the rugs are Afghan kilims, and the teak table and bench are Indonesian. Over the fireplace is the mixed media Untitled, by Minnesota artist Stephen Hartman—"the first piece of art I ever purchased," says Cindy. The orange-and-cream pillows by NV add a shot of brightness.
Chef Cindy Pawlcyn's cookbook library in her Napa Valley home

Photo: Melanie Acevedo

Delicious Research
Cindy's cookbook library comprises roughly 4,000 volumes—everything from M.F.K. Fisher to Julia Child to Marcella Hazan to José Andrés—and is organized by regions of the world.
Chef Cindy Pawlcyn's tent cabin near her Napa Valley home

Photo: Melanie Acevedo

Hilltop Hideaway
Two invitingly roomy backyard tent cabins from Sweetwater Bungalows, complete with cedar plank decks and an outdoor shower and sink, serve as a guest bungalow (left) and an office. The office houses the overflow from Cindy's cookbook collection.
Dog painting, chairs, and fireplace

Photo: Melanie Acevedo

Fetching Portrait
The painting in the bedroom is by local Sonoma artist Chester Arnold. Meyer lemons from Cindy's garden sit on a delicate Chinese rosewood chair.