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From Kim:

Perhaps because I'm the daughter of an architect, I have always loved the art and discipline of architecture, across the multitudes of landscapes, cultures, times and expressions it inhabits.  Pictured above is a portal in a traditional Moroccan Riad, the exquisite Riad Camilia in Marrakech. I am a fervent fan of Le Corbusier with his Ronchamp Chapel high on my "must see" list.  I am head over heels for Angor Wat and Philip Johnsons Glass House for entirely different reasons.  Soon the world will know a lot more about another famous architect and her exquisite work with the world premier documentary of Lutah Maria Riggs showing soon at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.  Learn more about Lutah at Lutah.org

From Kim:

If you must leave your cozy nest, one of the best escapes around is into another time and era at Cold Spring Tavern.  I've been visiting since a child and it never fails to delight.  Built in 1865 as a stagecoach stop; a place to change horses and nourish passengers, it's now a living example of a fascinating and bygone aspect of American history. I particularly love to dine in the tiny room with the stone fireplace roaring. From there, and glancing out to the other portion of the restaurant, I half expect to see a lady in a gown pass by and hear the spurs of a cowboy rattle along the ancient wood floor. Famous for their game menu, it makes a marvelous destination for lunch or dinner.

What distinguishes your interior design sensibility?

I mentally refer always to travels and experiences of having lived all over the world in my youth. I encountered so many different ways of living and aesthetics that I became convinced that there is not one particular style of decorating to love. I guess you could say that a curated but eclectic mix of furniture, antiques, and accessories would be my signature. I love lush fabrics and textiles. Morocco blew me away at 18 years old. It opened my eyes to how I wanted to live. I like surprising artful interiors whether they be modern or traditional. The architecture usually dictates the story and I try to pick up on the narrative! Visual interest and insight into the inhabitant are the key, while harmony, beauty and happiness are the result.

What inspires you? 

I am inspired by novels, movies, fantasies of grandeur and glamor. The 70s! Music and art. Punk and modern art. England, France, and Italy. Fashion and art plays a big part in my inspiration. I have the Orient on my mind too.  Sometimes I will think of a room inspired by a designers theme of their collection. I am very feminine in that way but like a practical Brit, I like my clients to be comfortable  and chic at the same time. I don't like to churn out the same interiors for everyone! Sensuality inspires me....it's a love affair.

How do you incorporate your client’s style into your work?

Ask them what their fantasies are and how they would like to bring them to life in their environments. It is their world, I just like to supply them with the best choices to pick from within the look we have chosen and hopefully inspire them with my ideas and to really educate ourselves.

What are your favorite 3 most important rules of interior design? 

Balance- I like to feel that a special room in which to inspire needs balanced scale, good proportions, and light to dark to add drama. Softness is balanced out by very graphic art or surprising accessories and there is visual interest all around you. I am not keen on bland rooms with no books!

Drama- I adore giant dramatic fireplaces and artwork. I love surprising juxtapositions and I love it when people are taken aback by scale when they walk into a room. The drama is just so important to me. A worldly stage in my own back yard.

Comfort- many seats, many different places to sit in different lights. Reading lamps, drinks table, cushions, furs rugs and textiles, soft downy sofas and stacks of interesting books and objects to enjoy.  A wood fireplace. That is comfort to me.

How do you describe your own personal style?

I try to emulate my favorite style icons such as the Rolling stones, David Bowie, Anouska Hempel, Fleetwood mac, Yves St. Laurent and Andy Warhol. I keep abreast of all new stores and designers and I try to stay ahead of the curve, but let's face it, life is fluid so I like to accumulate grounding pieces that remind me of where I came from. I think my personal style is pretty English. I learned from the best.

What are your favorite Mantras? 

Live life and grow, be cool and listen to others, be free of convention, love yourself and create your own luck!

Thank you Amanda for opening our eyes to your life and inspirations, worldly influences and amazing interiors!

To learn more about Amanda and her work

 please visit Amanda Masters Design

From Kim:

Paris is often called the "City of Light," described as such, because it was the first city in Europe to use gas lamps to light the Champs-Élysées.  This 19th century moniker remains apt, as pictured here on a moon lit night, with I.M. Pei's brilliant pyramid lit up like the tip of a magnificent diamond embedded in the courtyard of the Louvre.  Over the years, I have been in Paris many times in January to attend the gift show there, and I highly recommend "La Ville -Lumière" at this very off season.  I am especially happy when it snows - it's absolutely magical.  If you can plan a winter trip there and celebrate the New Year, (complete with champagne of course), it is sure to be memorable! Bonne année where ever you are~

-Santa Barbara Magazine, Winter 2014

-Shop our Super Sale!

From Kim:

After all the festivities and busyness of the Holidays, a wonderful way to start the New Year is with a visit to Alchemy Arts Center located in downtown Santa Barbara. Step inside the doorway of this handsome building and you are immediately transported to a beautiful and dreamy get-a-way right in our own backyard.  It's truly one of the most beautiful spas I have ever been to, with handsomely carved wood window screens that softly filter the sunlight shining through the palm fronds outside. The environment is earthy and elegant, mindful and sensual all at once.  A beautiful linen robe awaits you in the changing room; arrive early so you can lounge and soak up this peaceful environment before your treatment.  There are a myriad of beauty and wellness treatments to indulge in and they will work their wonders from the inside out.  Make sure to allow time to enjoy a meal at the café! They have one of the most wonderful kale salads imaginable and the always delicious and nutritious soups and beverages.  Treat yourself to a rejuvenating experience!

What distinguishes your interior design sensibility?
All 3 of us were born and raised in Southern California, went to college in Southern California and now reside with our families in Southern California. We make traveling an important priority to our design aesthetic but, whatever we bring back home with us, we reinterpret to complement the lifestyle we have here in Southern California.

What inspires you? 

Every aspect of Southern California beauty. Everything from nature, to fashion, food and lifestyle. We all live near the water and the colors we see at the beaches, in the ocean, to the sunset skies, are reflected in the color palettes we use in the homes we design.

How do you incorporate your client's style into your work?

We love this part of the process and embrace our client's style by asking them to put a design concept book together that reveals to us the things that they love. It is a wonderful tool that we use to really get to know our clients. We tell them not to hold back and it's fun to see what they come up with.  It is also very telling when a client really isn't sure what inspires them. Then we know that we have our work cut out for us, but that's fun, too.

What are your favorite 3 most important rules of interior design?

• Always use live plants and trees in gorgeous containers.
• The use of texture so that a room never appears dull or flat.
• We layer our interiors to give a room life and dimension.

How do you describe your own personal styles?

Casual and luxurious with a little sparkle.

What are your favorite Mantras?
"Stick with your original vision"

Thank you Heidi, Michele, & Jill for sharing your world with us!

Please Visit: Bonesteel Trout Hall

Photography Credit: Karyn Millet

Silk, cashmere, viscose, alpaca and lurex; we have the most sumptuous array of scarves here now for the Holidays! You will find something for everyone on your shopping list including 

the men in your life.

From Kim:

Window Displays are a great art form if you ask me, a former window dresser myself. And, especially wonderful at Christmas time. My all-time favorite windows are that of Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. They are in great company with Barneys, Hermès, Tiffany and Louis Vuitton nearby, all who always have show stopping windows as well. Yet every year I find myself standing on Fifth Avenue between 57th and 58th the longest, soaking up the wit, infinitesimal details, phenomenal fashions and sophisticated spectacle at BG. Shown left, is a detail of one of the windows from two Christmas's ago. There were several themes, all created with a specific color way, medium and material; this one was in black and white paper, which sounds so simple, yet this was the most complex and extravagant expression of paper ever created! I am still awestruck by it and was tickled when the wonderful film "Scatter my Ashes at Bergdorfs" came out and followed the designers and artists behind the brilliance of the windows. After checking out all the windows, and when you need a timeout, enjoy the tea room upstairs designed by Kelly Wearstler or settle into a great film at The Paris Theatre just around the corner. Happy Holidays!

Finally, we are getting a taste of winter with our chilly nights! Alpaca and cashmere fibers have kept people warm for eons - but not with this much panache!  The ponchos are hand knit in Peru in a wonderful weight that keeps you lean and warm - without the bulk of a coat.  They will take you from a trail walk, to dinner and out to a movie with great ease and wonderful style!

From Kim:

Apart from sojourns in Washington DC and San Francisco for 15 years, Santa Barbara has been home. Even still, I discover new wonders in our beautiful city. One of my favorite finds the past couple of years, right under my nose, are the marvels of the Montecito Trails Foundation. Often I head off on a now familiar path, at other times when I have the time, I venture down a trail having no idea where it goes, but I know it will be lovey!  This particular path led me eventually to Cafe Luna in Summerland where I enjoyed their fabulous poached egg huevos rancheros and coffee. Olé!

What distinguishes your interior design sensibility?
After many years now of designing for clients I have grown to understand the importance of removing constraints and rules from ideas. I’m not interested in design that feels contrived or formatted. Great design is specific to the client, therefore every project should be different. I would never want to develop a signature look. There are too many interesting people and therefore designs out there to do the same thing over and over again.

What inspires you? 
God, my husband and children, music, color, kind strangers.

How do you incorporate your client’s style into your work?

When I am designing for a client I really try to get to know them. I consider their tastes, their travels, their hobbies, their quirks…everything. Once I feel I know them, I translate all of these attributes with fabrics, color, textures, furniture and art. Designing for a client is like writing a biography of their life. The stories and experiences are all theirs, but I will use my words to tell their story. The design process has to be collaborative this way.

What are your favorite 3 most important rules of interior design? 

I don’t really like rules, but I do believe in proper scale, good lighting, comfortable seating, and starting with a rug whenever possible.

 How do you describe your own personal style?

My own style feels collected, textured, traditional with a hint of global-inspired touches in every room. I prefer antiques to new pieces, but love to mix the two together.

What are your favorite Mantras?

• Buy the best rugs you can afford.
• Don’t yield to labels: just buy pieces you love.
• Focus on the acquisition of beautiful pieces for your home, not quick purchases.
• It’s more important that your house makes you feel good, not makes you look good.

Visit soon to take advantage of the stellar gift options we have for the men in your life. From bar and cooking accessories to alpaca scarves and sweaters, we have marvelous offerings!

From Kim: 

Another wonderful gift for any architecture/design/landscape loving guy (or gal) is a trip to Philip Johnson's Glass House in New Canaan Connecticut.  It's a very easy train ride from Manhattan and the station is literally across the street from the visitors center where you gather before taking a shuttle to the property. The Glass House is truly iconic and is one of my favorite buildings on the planet. To me, the simplicity of the design is sheer brilliance and a loving ode to the magnificence of nature, and in particular the acres where it resides. 

There are numerous buildings on the property, including an art gallery and sculpture building, all fascinating, but it is The Glass House that is most mesmerizing and enchanting. I highly recommend the "Conversations in Context" evenings when a small group meets with an artist of renown, tours the grounds together in the evening with the trees lit and the house aglow, followed by a brief conversation about their art in context of the influence or inspiration of Philip Johnson.  A wonderful evening!  Then, once back in the city, treat yourself to lunch atThe Four Seasons Restaurant in the Philip Johnson designed Seagram Building on Park Avenue.