Architectural Digest: What city do you live in?
Eva Mendes: Los Angeles—but we travel so much! Right now, I am in London, but I try to bring a little bit of home anywhere we go, so I always have my certain things that make it feel like home.
Have you brought the sponges along with you?
Always.
How would you describe the style of your home?
Wabi-sabi. Nothing is thrown away because it’s broken. Maybe an appliance, but certainly not, like, a vase. We don’t drink, but when people come over and there’s a wine spill, it’s just an instant memory. I have this really cozy round swivel chair, and one day my dog Hugo, who’s passed, was left at home a little too long and he just ate it. And I will never have it redone or reupholstered. Your house can then have so many stories that it tells.
Do you have a favorite gadget or appliance?
An IQAir purifier. It is huge; it is not attractive. And it took me a while to make peace with that. But it’s an amazing air purifier, and it’s big because it has so many filters. I also use it as a sound machine at night, so it does double duty for me. But it is really, like….
Like R2-D2 size?
Totally. And almost like R2-D2 vibes. I kind of had to play a game with myself and be like, “Yeah, it’s from the future,” to make it cool, because it’s not my [thing], but it’s an amazing product. I couldn’t live without it.
What is your bedtime ritual?
It changes. My little one just turned eight, and then I have a nine-year-old. I think it’s because we travel so much, they need us at nighttime. And it’s not always the case; some nights are more extreme than others. I just know that they won’t need me for that much longer. So I really give in to their bedtime requests. It could be reading books, it could be giving them a late night snack—I know that’s against the mom rules, but sometimes they’re like, “Mama, I’m still hungry!” They’re going to grow up. In five years, they’re probably not going to want anything to do with me.
What’s your favorite room in your house and why?
Kitchen, for the obvious reasons. That’s where memories are made. Food is so emotional. And in my kitchen, [the kids] do homework and we talk. It’s the heart of the home, for sure. But I love my bedroom. I don’t have too many things in it, because I don’t want to wake up or go to sleep with lots of scattered things. The books I have next to my bed are curated, because if it’s a dark book that I’m reading, I won’t read it at night. I create my safe space in my bedroom; I really love it there. Just soft colors, soft fabrics. And then the dog sleeps with us, and the kids end up sleeping with us. It’s just really relaxed and chill.
