Category Archives: Business

Bringing Brass Ring to Home Decor

Posted on by

Bringing the Brass Ring to Home Decor, Urban-Equestrian photos by Amy Barnard. Originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent on May 20, 2021.

A new line of luxury accessories by designer Joel Chauran melds his years as a professional horse trainer with his longtime career as a home furnishings product developer for brands such as Pottery Barn, Pier 1, Target, Neiman Marcus, and Williams Sonoma.

In addition to horse-inspired bags, jewelry, and accessories, Urban-Equestrian’s line of feather pillows embraces the sturdy yet elegant materials of contemporary riders. Coronado suede, Coronado cowhide, and Adagio cowhide leather pillows are
available in a variety of colors, shapes, and styles, all of which are designed to work
together with an emphasis on both style and comfort.

“I like to layer pillows together,” said Chauran, working from his studio in the hills near the Santa Barbara Bowl. “Refreshing your pillows and even rearranging the ones that you have really is a quick fix to give new life to an old room. I’m always thinking about how I could put this one together with that one; I always have different combinations in my head when I’m designing.

Though he designs all sorts of items, textiles are particularly dear to his heart. “I’m just drawn to all of the different techniques that you can do with fabric to customize things, and so it becomes this playground of different embroideries and different stitches and different folding and ruching and whatnot,” said Chauran. “I just can’t seem to get enough of it.”

Urban-Equestrian pillows are available at Lily in Montecito (lilyinmontecito.com), Cercana in Ojai (cercanaojai.com), and online at urban-equestrian.com, where 2 percent of online sales are donated to Love This Horse Equine Rescue.

Originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent on May 20, 2021. To see the story as it originally appeared, click here.

Gratui-Tees

Posted on by

Gratui-Tees, originally published in the May 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.

Looking for a way to support Santa Barbara bars and restaurants, Beau Lawrence, owner of Ace Rivington (acerivington.com) clothing store, created the SB Monster Tour Tee, a
100 percent–cotton t-shirt with an illustration of a monster printed on the front and a list of the date-night hot spots in the city that Lawrence and his wife Yasmin have enjoyed on the back. For each t-shirt sold, Lawrence will donate $10 to what he considers a tip-sharing pool that will be divided among the establishments on the list.

“The idea is that the monster is waking up as things are opening up, and it’s time to have some fun and come alive again,” says Lawrence. “It’s also about wanting to come up with a creative way of supporting local bars and restaurants.”

Recognizing longtime favorites, such as The Andersen’s Danish Bakery & Restaurant and Harry’s Plaza Cafe, as well as newer venues, like Venus in Furs bar and bottle shop and Yona Redz taqueria, the tees are available at the Ace Rivington website and store in Santa Barbara’s historic La Arcada Plaza.

805 Living Cover, May 2021, photo by Gary Moss.

Click here to see this story as it originally appeared in the May 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.

 

Biking Bliss

Posted on by

Biking Bliss was originally published in the April 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.Specializing in electric bicycles, Montecito’s new Mad Dogs & Englishmen (maddogsenglishmen.com) bike store offers a wide selection of high-end e-bike
brands for sale and rental.

Like the other locations in Mill Valley, Carmel-By-the-Sea, and Monterey, the recently opened outpost on Coast Village Road also carries helmets, some of which are disguised as pretty straw hats, and sporty sidecars—a fun way to turn an e-bike into a cargo bike, or carry kids and dogs (up to 100 pounds) as passengers.

Owner and CEO Jennifer Blevins has a passion for the e-bike. “It’s like a magic
carpet that lets you discover more, go to more places,” she says. “You can see more
and enjoy more on a bike. Perhaps ditch the car and take the kids to school by bike.
Or cycle down to the beach with your pup. The e-bike levels the playing field and
eliminates all obstacles—and makes biking fun again for many riders.”

Click here to see this story as it originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.

Cabin Chic

Posted on by

Cabin Chic, originally published in the April 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.Building on the success of Yarfa, the Joshua Tree rental-cabin company’s owners started Campover (campover.com), an online home goods business inspired by the cabins.

Now they have opened a brick-and-mortar store in Los Alamos to showcase their wares.

“We’re drawn to simple, well-designed,
and functional products,” says co-owner Lindsey Woitunski. “We also carry a selection of home goods inspired by the local vibe of Los Alamos.”

Among the offerings are an assortment of linens,
Hasami ceramics, locally made pottery and
cutting boards, and vintage finds.

 

 

Click here to see this story as it originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.

Room For Change

Posted on by

Feng Shui Collective, originally published in the April 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.

If home has become a bit too familiar of late, this might be the year to take spring cleaning to a more transformative level—perhaps with the help of feng shui.

“Feng shui is not just about creating lovely, inviting spaces,” says Lauren Bragg (below, left), who cofounded the Santa Barbara-based Feng Shui Collective (fengshuicollective.com) with her mother, Pamela Abbott-Mouchou (above, right),
in October 2019.

“Just as importantly, it’s about change and being the architect of change in your life.”

The mother-daughter team offers services ranging from one-time visits to intensive consultations to a six week fundamentals course.

Click here to see this story as it originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.

Pillow Power: Montecito’s Indian Pink Pillows

Posted on by
Pillow Power originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.

Pillow Power originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.

Few decorative updates are as easy to pull off as simply adding some stylish throw pillows to a space. Lending a pop of color and rich texture, they draw interest to sofas,
beds, windowseats, and chairs while providing extra comfort.

Montecito-based Indian Pink
Pillows (indianpinkpillows.com/pillows) introduce an exotic vibe.

The vibrant, one-of-a-kind pillows
and bolsters come in assorted sizes
and incorporate vintage textiles from
around the world.

“I am passionate about vintage
textiles,” says Tamara Cajuste, who
co-owns the business with her husband
JP. “The texture, the story, the wear,
the quality—it all just sings to me.”
Pillows “can make or break a
room,” Cajuste says. “I like to anchor
the sofa with larger neutral pillows,
then add a smaller pillow with pattern
or color. I also like to use color or
pattern on a side chair to make it
complete. But I don’t overdo it. There
needs to be a nice balance.”

Click here to see this story as it originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.

Ecosmarts: Dressing for the Great Outdoors

Posted on by

Ecosmarts, originally published in the March 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.With time on her hands during the
pandemic stay-at-home orders, 12-year-old Santa Barbara tween Reese Large
launched Real Life (wearreallife.com), a
clothing company devoted to spotlighting
nonprofit groups that support activities
she cares about.

“When choosing nonprofits, I thought about things that I missed doing during the coronavirus pandemic,” says Large. “A lot of that had to do with outdoor activities.”

Her line of sustainable, sweatshop-free hoodies, sweatshirts, and tees supports outdoor-oriented organizations such as the National Park Foundation; the American Eagle Foundation, which protects various birds of prey; and Project Aware, which is dedicated to shark conservation and the elimination of marine litter.

Click here to see this story as it originally appeared in the March 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.

An Uncommonly Common Kitchen

Posted on by

An Uncommonly Common Kitchen originally was published in 805 Living Magazine in March 2021.The restaurant industry has become one of the latest to adopt the shared workspace concept, and a prime example is set to open in Santa Barbara later this year. Kitchen 530 (kitchen530.com), a communal food-production facility, public market, and culinary incubator in the works at 530 State Street, is what Chris Chiarappa,
one of the project developers, describes as “a bit of a Swiss Army
knife for the food world.”

The brainchild of Chiarappa, a partner in Mesa Burger restaurants, and Diana H. Pereira, founder of Kiva Cowork shared workspace in downtown Santa Barbara, Kitchen 530 will have 10 hot-preparation facilities, 10 cold-preparation facilities, two baking stations, a show kitchen and event space, a retail market, and a public restaurant.
Diners will be able to enjoy food from multiple tenants but order in one place. A full bar and coffee shop are also planned along with special event space for tenant use.

Click here to see this story as it originally appeared in the March 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.

Cheetos are Hot!

Posted on by
Cheetos are Hot! originally appeared in the March 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine. Photo by Gary Moss.

Cheetos are Hot! originally appeared in the March 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine. Photo by Gary Moss.

An old snack food, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, is having a new culinary moment, and local food pros are making good on the trend.

In Port Hueneme, Carnitas El Brother (carnitaselbrother.com) dishes up the Hot Cheetos Taco: a handmade Flamin’ Hot Cheetos tortilla filled with carnitas and melted cheese and topped with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. “It has to be one of the most popular items on our menu,” says co-owner Maria Reyes.

In Santa Barbara and Goleta, Dave’s Dogs Grill (davesdogs805.com) uses the spicy crisps to enhance menu items like the Hot Cheetos & Cream Cheese hot dog.

Michoacanita Ice Cream Company (michoacanitaicecream.com) in Oxnard crumbles Flamin’ Hot Cheetos to make a coating for cobs of corn and to top its Flamin’ Eloté, Mexican street corn made with fresh-off-the-cob corn, mayonnaise, melted butter, cheese, and spices.

Click here to see this story as it originally appeared in the March 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.

Style Domicile

Posted on by

Purveyor of designer fashions Elyse Walker opens her newest store in Calabasas. Courtesy photo.

A new women’s fashion hub opens at The Commons at Calabasas this month. Set among luxe velvet furnishings with chandeliers and marble accents, the 2,343-square-foot ElyseWalker (elysewalker.com) showroom features collections from iconic brands such as Celine, Chloé, Dior, and Givenchy as well as emerging designers like Anna Quan, Isabel Marant Étoile, Moussy, Staud, and Ulla Johnson.

The establishment is the third location of the globally recognized brand, which also has stores in Pacific Palisades and Newport Beach.

Founder and CEO Elyse Walker says she has always loved the Calabasas neighborhood and is “excited to introduce the Elyse Walker point-of-view to the community.”

 

Click here to see this story as it originally appeared in the March 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.