I still remember the first time my husband and I walked into our California house and imagined the kitchen alive with family and slow meals, like a postcard come to life. As a mom in my forties, raised on Sunday dinners with my parents and cousins, I love filling a room with warmth and personality. My son and daughter, ages 8 to 12, race in after school and turn any counter into a homework station or a science experiment, but I also want the space to feel calm and inviting. Between packing lunches and calling my sister to share decorating…