Eva Mendes Says Home Now Means 'My Man and My Kids' to Her: 'Wherever They Are, That's What It Is'

Hama Saunders Eva Mendes

For Eva Mendes, home is where the heart is.

With a decades-long career that's often taken her around the world, the actress and business woman — who's married to actor Ryan Gosling — says "my man and my kids" now represent home to her.

"Wherever they are, that's just what it is," Mendes, 48, told PEOPLE on Tuesday at a brunch celebrating her latest partnership with Skura Style held at Ardor at The West Hollywood EDITION.

(The star — who has two daughters, Esmeralda Amada, 7, and Amada Lee, 6, with Gosling, 41 — is a new co-owner and brand ambassador for the lifestyle brand, which offers a line of kitchen cleaning tools.)

Mendes hasn't taken on an acting role since 2014's Lost River, and she previously told Sunny Hostin on The View that she would only return for a "nice and clean" family-friendly project.

Sonia Recchia/Getty Images Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling

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In recent years, she's been focused on family, her fashion collections with New York & Company — and expanding her ever-growing empire.

"It's one of those things where it's the same way I was when I was 23 going into the business becoming an actress," she says of finding new business ventures. "I stay open to things, and when an opportunity presents itself — or now I'm at the point where I can create opportunities — I just follow what I'm passionate about."

Fifteen years ago, the star teamed up with Macy's for a bedding collection, and "I designed plates that I still use today," she adds. But with the demands of her acting job, "those were short-lived," says Mendes. "But I've always loved anything having to do with the home and making it more beautiful and more clean."

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With two young kids, it's not always easy to keep a tidy house — and Mendes says she's learned to embrace the mess.

"My house is not always clean. I open my closet and it's messy and it's okay! I have two children so it's impossible," she says. "Having kids, you have to be okay with a mess. But the point is when my house is clean, I feel better. My mental wellness is literally connected to how clean my house is. I just don't like dirty — there's a difference for me."