An Eye for Style
Destinations for the aesthetic traveler
Destinations for the aesthetic traveler
Signature black-and-white striped floors are synonymous with the hotel’s style.
EAST SIDE STORY
For more than a century, The Mark has defined NYC chic
By Caitlin White
In a city where hundreds of hotels vie for the chance to host luminaries for a night, this New York City landmark has welcomed celebrity guests for nearly a century, since it opened in 1927. One block off Central Park, THE MARK is steeped in the elegance of the Upper East Side and frequently touted as the unofficial fashion headquarters for the annual Met Gala at the nearby Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2005 the hotel underwent a complete renovation helmed by French designer Jacques Grange, who designed the signature black-and-white striped floors; the property also showcases work by Ron Arad, Vladimir Kagan, Mattia Bonetti, and Karl Lagerfeld, among other artists and artisans. The luxurious 106 rooms, 44 suites, and three penthouses feature heated towel racks, fine Italian linens, and Crestron panels that control temperature, lighting, and entertainment. A spa is slated to be added for summer 2026, and a recent coffee table book, The
Mark (Assouline, $120) captures the exclusive hostelry in all its glory. The Mark Restaurant by Chef Jean-Georges serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and also offers 24/7 in-room dining. themarkhotel.com
“In 2005 the hotel underwent a complete renovation helmed by designer Jacques Grange.”
Lowcountry Highlight
John Derian designed the Derian suite at The Dewberry
Coastal setting, historic architecture, and the eternal appeal of Lowcountry cuisine make Charleston, South Carolina, a prime destination. John Dewberry’s namesake luxury hotel, THE DEWBERRY CHARLESTON, has consistently been recognized as one of the best in the region. “The Dewberry honors Charleston’s historic architecture and culture through a disciplined, contemporary lens,” he says. “I assembled a team of architects and designers, and together we were able to combine locally sourced materials, custom craftsmanship, and enduring finishes to create a setting that’s warm, refined, and distinctly Charleston. Every detail reflects intentional design, functional luxury, and a modern interpretation of Southern hospitality.” Furnishings have been sourced at auctions worldwide, and custom Stickley-style armoires and Vermont Danby marble bathrooms impart glamor to the 153 guest rooms. thedewberrycharleston.com
Photography by Andrew Cebulka
DESERT DREAMING
The landscaping on this vast estate has been updated to feature a local drought-tolerant plants
Celebrating its 100th birthday this year, the status of LA QUINTA RESORT AND CLUB as a stylish escape in the California desert has only become more established with time. An extensive renovation, led by architectural firm Leo A Daly, was completed last year to update and refresh the structures with contemporary comforts. Contrasting with the cream-colored stucco of the architecture are plentiful fuchsia bougainvillea, and the 45 acres of this desert oasis are planted with citrus groves, cypress trees, and cacti. As for amenities, the resort boasts 5 golf courses, 42 pools (some at private villas), 21 tennis courts, and 6 restaurants. Body renewal treatments, massages, and facials are available at the 23,000-square-foot Spa La Quinta, and a new adults-only plunge pool is another recent update. On-site dining options are a highlight, particularly at the Adobe Grill, a Oaxaca-style Mexican restaurant with award-winning tamales and free-flowing margaritas. At Morgan’s in the Desert, the iconic steakhouse atmosphere serves as a reminder of why this hotel became a Hollywood retreat in the first place. laquintaresort.com
Must Do
From the legendary $50 martini to the Warhol painting on the wall, Bar Cecil continues to surprise and delight Palm Springs with its endless cachet, impeccable service, and showstopping cocktails. If you can get a spot, there’s no better place for a drink, dinner, and fascinating people watching—except maybe its brand-new sister bar next door, Beaton’s. barcecil.com
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Game On
Mahjong madness has taken over, so why not dedicate a magnificent and maximalist room to your addiction?
Mahjong madness has taken over, so why not dedicate a magnificent and maximalist room to your addiction?
FROM TOP LEFT: Various mahjong sets, from $425, themahjongline.com. Scarlet and Gilt Tole Hall Lantern, $3,000, chairish.com. Crown Armchair in Tiger Mountain Chenille, $1,600, interioricons.com. Scalamandré Tigre Gold Rug, from $139, ruggable.com. Woven Rattan and Wood Boxes, $149, potterybarn.com. Shell Panel, $3,500, luludk.com. Green Cocktail Set, $888, foundbymaja.com. Worlds Away Burlwood Game Table, price upon request, at Cabana Home.
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His ‘n’ Hers
HOUSE RUPERT is a full-service interior design studio founded by Santa Barbara native Bailee Roberts.
Written by Hana-Lee Sedgwick
Photography by Erin Feinblatt
Bailee Roberts
HOUSE RUPERT is a full-service interior design studio founded by Santa Barbara native Bailee Roberts. After more than 15 years in London working in fashion and traveling extensively, Roberts returned to Santa Barbara with her young family during the pandemic—a transition that transformed her long-held passion for interiors into a deeply loved profession. Encouraged by a friend at a respected design firm, she enrolled in an interior design course at Santa Barbara City College and quickly found her calling. While pursuing her interior design degree, Roberts worked with a top local designer before launching her own firm in 2022. “Design and architecture were interests of mine from a young age, but it wasn’t until moving back to Santa Barbara that this passion resurfaced,” says Roberts. “Once I committed, things fell into place organically, and I feel incredibly fortunate to create spaces that are both beautiful and functional for my clients.” Focusing primarily on residential projects, House Rupert’s design aesthetic blends European sensibility with California chic. Roberts and her team are careful to honor the integrity of a structure while thoughtfully reflecting each client’s taste and vision. houserupert.com
Nod to the Neutrals
Interiors dynamo Diego Monchamp shares his layered go-tos for 2026
Manifattura is around the corner from our studio, but feels as if is around the world. If it’s full (which it usually is), I walk over to Aperitivo, their other outpost.
A coveted bar spot at Loquita for El Facil cocktail and Jamón Tasting.
I’m so happy to see more men’s stores opening in Santa Barbara. Clothes by NN.07, Samsoe Samsoe, and Scaglione are now at The Optimist at The Post.
Tortoise sunglasses by Salt from Cynthia Benjamin at Montecito Country Mart.
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Blooming Business
Tucked into a corner of The Post, Montecito’s boutique shopping center, you’ll find SCENERY, a floral design studio founded by Tedde Minogue.
When Emma Lauter designed the florals for a friend’s wedding a decade ago, she wasn’t planning on starting a business. But when guests began to ask her to create arrangements for their events, “I realized this passion could become something far greater than I imagined,” she says. The result was EMMAROSE FLORAL. When it comes to floral design, Lauter lets the blooms set the tone. “I have found that simple can be best, and a few varieties are often all you need,” she says. “I love the idea of allowing natural beauty to speak for itself.” Her arrangements favor restraint over excess, highlighting texture, movement, and seasonality rather than spectacle. “Flowers teach us that beauty lives in presence,” she says. “Nature reminds us that beauty is not meant to be possessed, but experienced.” emmarosefloral.com
We Love
When printmaker, artist, floral designer, and candlemaker Louesa Roebuck talks about beeswax, she does so with reverence. Her love and appreciation for the balm produced by honeybees is tied to her family’s beekeeping heritage in Ohio, including apiarist and beeswax candlemaker
A. I. Root. “Everyone has a nostalgic sensory response to the scent of beeswax,” Roebuck says. “It’s comforting, golden, warm, and ancient.” Rather than work with synthetic aromas, she makes candles that celebrate the smell of beeswax and, she says, “occasionally the botany adorning each candle.” The majority of her candles have a gothic look, but Roebuck refuses to be typecast.Her custom creations for a Wicked cast party included one for Ariana Grande—a springy and feminine candle reflective of her character Glinda. louesaroebuck.com
Perfect Setting
Tucked into a corner of The Post, Montecito’s boutique shopping center, you’ll find SCENERY, a floral design studio founded by Tedde Minogue. The art historian approaches her arrangements with a discerning eye, often incorporating ceramics into the work, which she calls “vessel-forward florals.” The result is a deliberate interplay between bloom and container, with florals and vases in harmony. “Scenery is here to cultivate beauty, and the ritual is a part of our process, but our customers [are] as well,” Minogue says. “I love seeing what people create from blooms we’ve selected or what a certain vase looks like in their home.” 1809 E. Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara, sceneryflorals.com
Must Have
Candle in the Wind, $175, highcampsupply.com
Gather Ye Rosebuds
Forage Florals embraces local blooms.
FORAGE FLORALS in Santa Ynez started in 2014, “from a love of working with natural materials and creating arrangements that feel organic and artful rather than overly structured,” says founder Jill Redman. Staying true to its namesake, Forage believes in being “collaborative with nature,” creating locally sourced arrangements that embrace imperfection. The flower studio also functions as an event space, hosting private parties, receptions, corporate events, retreats, and more. “The goal is to create arrangements that feel effortless and natural,” Redman says, “as though they belong exactly where they are.” forageflorals.com
Written by TM
Photography - Emmarose Florals: Elizabeth Messina; Louesa Roebuck Candle: Mariana Schulze Studio, Scenery: Emmy Laine Pickett; Forage: Sister B Studios
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Re-Vision Quest
Founded by David Weber in 2008 as David Weber Architecture, the Santa Barbara firm was reborn eight years later as Anacapa Architecture, a sustainability and innovative-solutions-focused architecture and interior design firm.
Form and function are the two key elements of every Anacapa Architecture project.
Written by Dewey Nicks
Photography by Dan Weber
Founded by Dan Weber in 2008 as Dan Weber Architecture, the Santa Barbara firm was reborn eight years later as ANACAPA ARCHITECTURE, a sustainability and innovative-solutions-focused architecture and interior design firm. With more than 20 years of experience in creating engaging environments, Weber has assembled a diverse team of architects and designers who transcend their professional, multidisciplinary roles to create immersive, narrative-driven experiences that seamlessly blend traditional and modern elements.
From a modern farmhouse in the Santa Ynez Valley with its stone exterior sourced from nearby quarries (and installed by local stonemasons) to a custom home in Montecito inspired by the region’s traditional hip-roofed homes, each project is an exercise in raising the bar of aesthetics and function through design. As for the Dawn Café and Dusk Bar on the ground level of Santa Barbara’s popular Drift hotel, those boast contemporary interiors that, according to the firm, “celebrate the dance between light and darkness, offering a space where every moment is an opportunity to savor the beauty of life’s daily rhythm.” anacapaarchitecture.com
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Garden Glory
This year the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden celebrates its centennial of championing native plants.
Over the decades, visitors have reveled in the sight of brilliantly blooming poppies in the Meadow, where the backdrop of Cathedral Peak provides one of the quintessential vistas at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.
Written by Joan Tapper
Photography courtesy Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
This year the SANTA BARBARA BOTANIC GARDEN celebrates its centennial of championing native plants. Founded in 1926 by Anna Dorinda Blaksley Bliss with a focus on California species, the garden has grown from 13 acres in Mission Canyon to more than 78 acres, including new paths and family features in a Backcountry section. More important, its mission has expanded from showcasing the 1,000 indigenous species on its grounds to carrying on extensive conservation, preservation, and research programs throughout California.
Visiting the garden—with its sections of redwoods, desert flora, manzanitas, meadow, and more—remains a delight in any season, but there’s also vital work behind the scenes in the Pritzlaff Conservation Center, home to laboratories, the Clifton Smith Herbarium (with more than 230,000 specimens), and the Seed Bank, a repository of more than 4 million examples of 424 rare plants. How better to honor a century of success than by ensuring the future of native spieces for centuries to come? 1212 Mission Canyon Rd., Santa Barbara, sbbotanicgarden.org
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Coup De Jardin
Author, TV personality, and gardener Martha Stewart is the special guest at this year’s Lotusland Celebrates: Botanical Splendor gala on July 18.
Martha Stewart
Written by Joan Tapper
Author, TV personality, and gardener Martha Stewart is the special guest at this year’s LOTUSLAND CELEBRATES: BOTANICAL SPLENDOR gala on July 18. Hosted by actor Jane Lynch, the always sold-out event is a fundraiser for Ganna Walska Lotusland to support plant conservation and its horticultural education mission. The festivities begin with cocktails and a garden walk—with surprise performances and installations—and continue with an alfresco dinner and a lively auction with one-of-a-kind items. lotusland.org/celebrates
A planting of agave, cacti, and other greenery at Lotusland.
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Change of Scenery
Walking into The Well in Summerland or Montecito, one thing is immediately clear…
Well, he’s gone and done it again
Patina-rich antiques lend warmth and character to Shane Brown’s curated outdoor living spaces.
“When people walk into the store, I’m looking for that immediate ‘Wow’.”
Walking into THE WELL in Summerland or Montecito, one thing is immediately clear: Owner Shane Brown of Big Daddy’s Antiques has mastered the art of creating immersive environments. Rather than modeling his stores after conventional furniture shops, Brown designs interiors that shift the focus from a single item to the room as a whole, inspiring patrons to re-create that feeling at home. “When people walk into the store, I’m looking for that immediate ‘Wow,’ ” he says. “Not a day goes by without someone saying, ‘I want to live here,’ or ‘I want my own property to look like this.’ ” In April, Carpinteria becomes home to Brown’s newest outpost: THE WELL GARDENS. With nine acres of land (including more than two acres of greenhouse space), olive trees, coastal plants, and landscapes featuring water elements and gathering areas, The Well Gardens is envisioned as both a retail space and a community hub focused on botanicals, design, and California outdoor living. Says Brown, “As Big Daddy’s roots expand along the California coast, the mission remains unchanged: to design a living, timeless story—yours and ours—with a palette of historic antiques binding human experience with botanical life.” 3376 Foothill Rd., Carpinteria,thewellbybdantiques.com
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Renaissance Man
David Cameron demonstrates the art of the pivot
David Cameron demonstrates the art of the pivot
David Cameron
Written By David Nash
Photography by David Cameron
There’s no pigeonholing DAVID CAMERON, but there are more than enough adjectives to describe the California-born creative. He’s an aesthete of the highest order, having launched a ready-to-wear line in the mid-1980s that appeared on the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar (with clients including Bianca Jagger and Paloma Picasso frequenting his atelier). He’s an advertising revolutionary who was commissioned by Absolut Vodka in 1988 to create its first fashion-inspired advertising campaign, shot by Steven Meisel (and featuring top model Rachel Williams). He’s an auteur who directed music videos for artists such as Sheryl Crow and Eric Clapton, and a lensman who’s shot television and print brand campaigns featuring everyone from Kate Moss to Halle Berry.
“If it feels like we’re trying too hard, we probably are.”
For his latest act we find him at the helm of DAVID CAMERON STUDIO, a residential and retail design-focused creative consulting agency. Founded in 2020, the studio is an amalgamation of his achievements in fashion, film, photography, and branding that showcases a West Coast spirit through interior design, architecture, and restoration. Projects like the complete refresh of a classic ranch house in Montecito, originally built by famed local architect Chester Carjola in 1948, bring his wide-ranging talents into view. He says, “With restoration especially, I ask a simple question: What’s worth keeping, and what’s just in the way? We preserve the soul, upgrade the function, and try not to overcomplicate it. If it feels like we’re trying too hard, we probably are.” davidcameronstudio.com
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American Riviera Restoration
A luxurious enclave is a well-kept secret getaway
A luxurious enclave is a well-kept secret getaway
Exterior of Villa Magnolia, part of the Paraíso collection of retreats in Montecito.
By Hana-Lee Sedgwick
Photography by Sara Prince
The moment you step into PARAÍSO, a collection of six vacation cottages in Montecito, it feels like you’ve discovered a well-kept secret. Tucked at the end of a quiet street near Miramar Beach, this private retreat embodies understated luxury and coastal refinement, channeling an earlier chapter of Montecito through a modern lens. Paraíso is the vision of Michael Hurst and Ian Harrison, partners in work and life, who transformed the former family compound of architect William Painter into a thoughtfully designed short-stay enclave. Seeking to honor Montecito’s Spanish-Andalusian architectural heritage, they spent more than two years preserving and restoring the original buildings and handcrafted details while adding contemporary furnishings and original paintings to give each residence its own character.
With a discerning eye for design, the duo shaped each space to feel elegant yet livable, pairing tranquil hues and abundant natural light with contemporary comforts, such as fully equipped kitchens, Sferra bed linens, and fireplaces. “Our goal was for each residence to offer a unique expression of thoughtful California living but to do so in a cohesive way,” Hurst says.
The collection includes one- and two-bedroom casitas, such as the cozy Terraza del Sol, two-story Casa del Olivo, and coastal-influenced Cabaña de Playa, among others. The largest, Villa Magnolia, features four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and multiple indoor and outdoor gathering spaces. Intricate design elements—from the serene private courtyard to the carved original wood ceilings and intricate tile work—lend architectural interest to the home.
Outdoors, natural and reclaimed materials (including stone, gravel, and brick), antique fountains, and hand-carved benches are set among native and imported plantings, including a century-old olive tree brought from Northern California. “We took inspiration from the courtyards and gardens of landscape architects like Scott Shrader but adapted that sensibility to fit Montecito’s landscape,” Harrison says. “When guests step outside their casita or villa, we want them to feel immersed in nature—whether they hear the creek running behind the property, admire the redwood and magnolia trees, or smell the scent of lavender in the air. It’s about creating a sensory experience, indoors and out, that will stay with them.” Collectively, the six residences, with optional concierge services, can accommodate up to 24 guests, making the property well suited for intimate retreats.
Balancing privacy and style with a strong connection to its surroundings, Paraíso offers a quiet expression of a luxury getaway—one grounded in the enduring charm of Montecito. 150
Loureyro Rd., Montecito, paraisomontecito.com
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Star Power
There’s no icon in Montecito more beloved by the community than Lucky’s steakhouse, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this past weekend.
Everyone was up all night at Lucky’s 25th
Written by Caitlin White
There’s no icon in Montecito more beloved by the community than Lucky’s steakhouse, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this past weekend. In recent years the restaurant has expanded to other locations like Malibu and even to the East Coast, but there can only ever be one original. The legendary chophouse has long been a haunt of celebrities and luminaries in the Santa Barbara community and beyond, including 92-year-old Carol Burnett, who recently held her cover shoot for one of our recent issues there.
Burnett is such a regular at Lucky’s that the servers know to bring her a chilled pink Cosmopolitan whenever she sets foot in the building—but for plenty of patrons here a classic martini is in order. That’s what her friend and cover-story interviewer, Dennis Miller, gravitates toward when he’s here. Along with his wife, Carolyn Espley, he was on deck for the celebration. Burnett and her husband, Brian Miller, showed up promptly at 5 p.m., which is her preferred dinner time, and they were easily the guests of honor at the soiree.
The drinks were flowing on Sunday as a Hollywood who’s who, including Kevin Costner, Michael Douglas, Christopher Lloyd, Michael J. Fox, and Larry David, nibbled on trays of caviar and sipped champagne, two other staples at this institution. Lloyd and Fox represented an unexpected Back to The Future reunion, the kind of thing that could only happen at Lucky’s. Meanwhile Costner was fresh off a flight from Las Vegas for the opening of his new club, Zero Bond. Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt made an appearance, while Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Matt Sorum, of Guns N’ Roses, also showed up with his wife, designer Ace Harper. Rounding out the VIP guests were Lucky’s cofounders Jimmy Argyropoulos, Gene Montesano, and Herb Simon.
The restaurant’s general manager, Larry Nobles, another beloved member of the community, was also in the building, making sure everyone’s night was running smoothly but taking a little bit of time to celebrate his own legacy with the company. The next generation of Lucky’s leadership, Sarah Simon and Gianni Montesano, will take the restaurant forward into its new era. Their sights are set on a location in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles, which will introduce a new clientele to the iconic restaurant. But no matter how far the brand reaches, the classic Lucky’s will always be the one on Coast Village Road, the one that has been a haven for this community for the last quarter of a century. Raise a glass, wherever you are, to the next 25 years and beyond.
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Home Is Where the Film Is
SBIFF settles into its new location
SBIFF settles into its new location
Written by By Josef Woodard
For the 2026 edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, most roads led to 916 State Street, home of the newly and proudly renovated and rebranded McHurley Film Center. And it opened just in the nick of time, with a much-buzzed-about ribbon cutting just two days before the festival’s opening night.
While the Arlington Theatre continues to be the home base for celebrity tributes, film industry panels, and other events, and the Riviera Theatre had its own magnetism on its scenic perch on the Riviera, the Film Center became the centerpiece real estate for a steady flow of screenings over 10 days and nights. For the record, “McHurley” is the portmanteau moniker of generous patron Nora McNeely Hurley and her husband Michael, who are behind the philanthropic Manitou Fund.
SBIFF, which has long been Santa Barbara’s flagship cultural event of the season, changes and grows even as it stays the course of its agenda, now stretching to its 41st edition. The festival both satisfies the public hunger for face time with celebrities during the hot awards-season publicity circuit and champions the cause of lending a broad-minded showcase to cinema from around the world and across the spectrum of genre and taste.
Escapism is not the rule here, and current events and sociopolitical conditions were not avoided, beginning at the beginning of the festival. While introducing the opening film, A Mosquito in the Ear, festival head Roger Durling gave a rousing speech about the dangers of authoritarian rule and the importance of the arts. He cited the film Cabaret, in which Nazi storm warnings intersected with the artistic ferment of Germany’s Weimar Republic, linking that period to the present state of the arts. “The arts ultimately unite,” Durling concluded. “Two thousand of us are together, under one roof.”
On the celebrity front, audiences got up close and relatively personal with the Oscar-nominated likes of Adam Sandler (from Jay Kelly), Ethan Hawke (from Blue Moon), a sensational triple booking of Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro, and Sean Penn (from One Battle After Another), seasoned Swede Stellan Skarsgård (from Sentimental Value), Michael B. Jordan (for his double role in Sinners), and Kate Hudson (from Song Sung Blue).
On the critical international cinema front, a slate of films handpicked by SBIFF programming director Claudia Puig and her team—with 50 percent directed by women—the screening options literally spanned the globe. A short list of strong titles included Abril(Costa Rica), Don’t Call Me Mama(Norway), Lost Land(Japan), Silent Rebellion(Switzerland), Versailles(Mexico), Broken Voices (Czech Republic), and, from Africa, Diya and The Fisherman.
Pop culture grabbed the spotlight in the documentariesPeter Asher: Everywhere Man, If These Walls Could Rock (about a legendary rock star hangout, the Sunset Marquis hotel) and A Cowboy in London, about country star Charley Crockett. Canadian comedy icons who populated SNL and Second City had their origin story told in the doc You Had to Be There, in sharp contrast to Steal This Story, Please!(winner of both the Santa BarbaraIndependent–sponsored Audience Choice and the Social Justice awards).
Star talk landed almost nightly in the Arlington, with mostly full houses. Hudson, whose award presenter was her longtime friend and Santa Barbara resident Gwyneth Paltrow, asserted that “now, more than ever, I really want to make movies that put people in the theater. … There’s nothing better than this industry, and the fact that I get to work in it is such a privilege.”
DiCaprio spoke about his transition from childhood acting on television to his breakout role in the film What’s EatingGilbert Grape in 1993. “I really didn’t necessarily understand the culture of making movies, the seriousness that goes into it,” he told the Arlington audience. “I gave myself almost a big yearlong self-tutorial on cinema and film history. I just fell in love. I want to somehow stand on the shoulders of the giants.”
Some certifiable cinema giants paraded across the Arlington stage during the festival. Another Santa Barbara film star, Josh Brolin, was in the house to present the award to Skarsgård, who spoke about his Sentimental Value role as an aged director seeking to reconnect with his family. “He tries to reach out and tries to be emotionally adult and capable with his daughters,” noted the actor. “He says the wrong thing; he does the wrong thing. But at the same time, he is very comfortable as a director.
“Many directors I know are like that, and many artists. They’re obsessed by their art, and their art is also a way to find refuge, because they can perform it in a controlled way. It’s more difficult to patrol the emotional life of the family.”
On the Outstanding Directors panel at the Arlington, Oscar-nominated directors showed up to talk about the art and their prize-worthy projects. One was sometime Ojai resident Chloé Zhao, whose Hamnet is an acclaimed Shakespeare-once-removed film. She ventured, “I believe actors are modern-day shamans. They channel spirits, as medicine…. Filmmaking is a sacred ceremony.”
On the same panel, Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho, creator of the much-buzzed-about film The Secret Agent, extended a similar semispiritual meaning to the movie theater itself—a gesture befitting the Arlington or the McHurley Film Center. “This is a place of congregation,” he said. “This is not a religious place. But it can be religious depending on how you describe your relationship to cinema. These places are incredibly important for life in society. And this is why I think we all should fight to keep the cinema-going experience alive.”
That could serve as a mantra for SBIFF, 41 and counting, and with a new artful multiplex to call home.
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No Place Like a Festival Home
SBIFF opens its new McHurley Film Center and rolls out a packed 10-day slate of premieres, tributes, panels, and standout films across Santa Barbara.
Don’t miss these SBIFF highlights
By Josef Woodard
If the big news at last year’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival was its grand ceremonial 40th birthday, this year’s model will be remembered as a grand housewarming season. This week, the festival officially opened its ambitious McHurley Film Center, a lavishly renovated—and redesigned—five-screen complex that gives the festival and official home base after decades of camping out in rented theaters.
On Monday evening, longstanding SBIFF head Roger Durling presided over the film center’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, with commentary from mayor Randy Rowse and significant patron and Center namesake Nora McNeel Hurley. An eager throng filtered into the hip, elegant ambience of the newly christened space, with champagne and popcorn in hand and mouth. The Center has been under construction since last year’s festival and, as promised, is ready to wear just in time for this year’s 10-day cinematic tapestry, opening on Wednesday night with the World Premiere of A Mosquito in the Ear.
As usual, SBIFF’s full slate of films drawn from around the globe, Oscar-timed celebrity tributes, panels, and more will take over the city and extend its appeal to many demographics of film fans and cinephiles, serious and casual. The festival has gained considerable ground and clout in the international film festival scene in the past two decades since Durling took the reins in 2004.
Apart from the Film Center homebase, screenings will also take place up at the festival’s existing, lofty Riviera Theatre outpost. Up State Street, the Arlington Theatre assumes its traditional role as the historic site for the opening and closing films, daily free screenings and a list of starry tributes. Among the honorees coming to town, all having earned recent Oscar nom cred, are Ethan Hawke (from Blue Moon), Michael B. Jordan (for his double role in Sinners), Adam Sandler (from Marty Supreme), a triple crown booking of Leonard DiCaprio, Benicio Del Torro and Sean Penn (from One Battle After Another), Stellan Skarsgård (from Sentimental Value), and Kate Hudson (from Song Sung Blue).
Panels include directors of note (and nominations), screenwriters, producers, women in film, and the “Artisans” tribute focusing on vital film craft artists just outside the spotlight. One special feature this year is a tribute to painter/director Julian Schnabel, surrounding the U.S. premiere of his new film In the Hands of Dante.
A short list of recommended films from advance screeners I’ve had access to: Abril (Costa Rica), Space Cadet, Little Lorraine, Perla, Don’t Call Me Mama (Norway), Viral (Japan), Lost Land (Japan, about Rohingya refugees in flight), On the End (starring a frumpy Tim Blake Nelson), and the documentaries Dear Lara, A Life Illuminated, and Steal This Story, Please! (winner of this year’s Social Justice Award). For comic relief, check out You Had to Be There, about the wealth of influential comics who descended from Toronto into the SNL/SCTV cultural swim.
For festival-goers of all intensities, over the next ten days, most all roads will keep leading to 916 State Street, the McHurley complex. There’s no place like a home to call a festival home. For more information, sbiff.org.
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Subtle Splendor
Manifattura shares the intimate atmosphere of its popular sister restaurant, Aperitivo, with one key difference…
Sculptural lighting and warm wood and set the stage at Santa Barbara’s newest Italian-inspired restaurant.
Written by Charlotte Bryant Medina
Photographs by Schepps
MANIFATTURA shares the intimate atmosphere of its popular sister restaurant, Aperitivo, with one key difference: Instead of the usual line of hopeful patrons stretching down the block, guests can make a reservation. Vintage tiles, brass fixtures, and hand-fitted walnut paneling from Miramar Building Co. adorn the warmly lit space, visible through the large windows facing State Street. The midcentury-style interiors and terrazzo tables set the stage for the star of the show: fresh, handmade pasta prepared in-house daily.
Another key difference is the addition of a full kitchen, allowing for a larger menu that still focuses on small plates and pasta, eschewing larger proteins in favor of more focused fare meant to be shared. Although the menu and space have grown (still small by most standards), the cozy charm remains. There will also be space held for walk-ins each night, while Aperitivo returns as a wine bar just steps away. 413 State St., Santa Barbara, manifatturasb.com
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Design Driven
The enormous red Adirondack chair fronting William Laman Furniture Garden Antiques on Montecito’s East Valley Road is a treasured local landmark.
William Laman
Written by Lorie Dewhirst Porter
Photography by Sara Prince
The enormous red Adirondack chair fronting WILLIAM LAMAN FURNITURE GARDEN ANTIQUES on Montecito’s East Valley Road is a treasured local landmark. It’s also the shop’s logo, paired with the witty slogan, “Not what you need, but what you want.” Owners William Laman and renowned interior designer Bruce Gregga have been tempting locals and tourists alike with items they don’t need—but want to have—for three decades.
“I can’t believe it’s been 30 years,” Laman says. “The time has gone by so quickly, and we’ve developed so many wonderful relationships with clients and designers and people within the neighborhood that we feel very much at home.”
For Laman, home is the operative word, as the shop is located in a 200-year-old board-and-batten cottage he and Gregga discovered after relocating to Santa Barbara from their native Chicago in 1995. “We tried not to touch any of it architecturally because it was so beautiful,” Laman says. Indeed, the cottage itself and its curated panoply of goods (including antiques, furniture, art, accessories, and gifts) made Veranda magazine’s list of the 27 Most Beautiful Designer-Owned Shops in the World three years in a row. This seemingly effortless success belies the duo’s behind-the-scenes efforts, including yearly buying trips around the globe and the constant rejiggering of the shop’s display, which is Gregga’s signature expertise.
William Laman Signature Candle, $40
“I’ve seen Bruce walk into a room and change it six or seven times, completely, and when people come in, it may be the same merchandise, but they rediscover it each time,” Laman says with pride. Of course, both he and Gregga possess the one essential element that makes it all possible: exquisite taste. 1496 East Valley Rd., Montecito, williamlaman.com
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Reflections
Light-filled, airy, with soaring ceilings, Cassandria Blackmore’s new gallery, Blackmore Studios, is the perfect showcase for her innovative reverse-painted glass creations
Cassandria Blackmore’s luminous glass creation Vathia Ble Thalassa Stripes adds to the exhilarating atmosphere in her new gallery space.
Written by Joan Tapper
Light-filled, airy, with soaring ceilings, Cassandria Blackmore’s new gallery, BLACKMORE STUDIOS, is the perfect showcase for her innovative reverse-painted glass creations. In vivid colors the shattered and reassembled works shimmer on the walls, their dappled surfaces reminiscent of sunlight on a lake. The new space allows Blackmore to exhibit her oversized pieces—“I like to work big,” she says—but it also exudes intimacy. Located a block from West Beach, next to a lush walled garden, the rooms seem to invite you to the inner sanctum of an artist. That feeling may be rooted in the place’s history, she adds. Built by the Gledhills in 1907, a married couple who photographed the notables of their time, the building later housed the studios of a succession of artists, including Diego Rivera. “There’s a ton of art energy here,” Blackmore says about the live–work space. Visits by appointment only. 805-895-2447, cassandriablackmore.com
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Seat Filler
Items likely to be found in Miranda July’s luscious curls
Author, filmmaker, and performance artist Miranda July comes to Campbell Hall January 20 to unpack her 2024 novel All Fours and her boundary-pushing career.
Illustration by Olivia Joffrey
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Poetry in Bronze
Susan Read Cronin’s sculptures are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Visual puns, clever juxtapositions, playful takes on animals, plants, and body parts (noses!)
Susan Read Cronin’s sculpture The Top Rung seems to lean into the question, “What’s the next step?”
Written by Joan Tapper
SUSAN READ CRONIN’s sculptures are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Visual puns, clever juxtapositions, playful takes on animals, plants, and body parts (noses!)—she directs the viewer’s attention with clever titles that hint at a narrative element. Cronin has cast more than 1,000 pieces since she started making bronze sculptures in 1996, when she and her husband were living in Vermont. A full-time resident of Montecito since 2016, she also works in cut-paper silhouettes and has published three volumes of poetry.
Most of her pieces recently have been relatively small, but Cronin is now experimenting with scale—for example, increasing the size of an initial piece, a 20-inch sculpture called The Top Rung to her own 5-foot-3-inch height. “It’s fun to figure out which pieces might translate” to a larger size, she notes. “And I want to experiment with what technology can do and still have a hand in it.” susanreadcronin.com
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Basque Glow
The latest addition to the arts district, Dom’s Taverna, brightens up a historic building that once served as the headquarters of the California Electric Company
Chef Dominique “Dom” Crisp, previously of the Lonely Oyster
Written by Charlotte Bryant Medina
The latest addition to the arts district, DOM’S TAVERNA, brightens up a historic building that once served as the headquarters of the California Electric Company. Chef Dominique “Dom” Crisp brings Basque cuisine to the fully renovated space, pairing industrial warmth with coastal charm and a light-filled open kitchen. Sip an Espresso Eroa—a Spanish Espresso Martini—at the original Pascual’s and Trattoria Victoria’s marble bar, now reimagined and restored with gold in the tradition of Japanese kintsugi. A Josper oven (a charcoal grill and oven hybrid from Barcelona) infuses a wood-fired smokiness to the menu’s abundance of local seafood.
Winter highlights include oysters, naturally, and Spanish Perigord truffles from partner Raj Nallapothola’s farm north of Barcelona. In his previous Los Angeles projects, Crisp notes that he was “lucky to have one consistent item on the menu that was special as well as local.” Now he is embracing the full scope of what the harbor has to offer. “Having been a chef in Southern California for the past 10 years, it is serendipitous that all my favorite ingredients and farmers reside in this area. Folks doing big things that contribute to a beautiful menu for any chef willing to connect.” 30 E. Victoria St., Santa Barbara, domstaverna.com
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Shock & Awe
An exciting exhibition, The Impressionist Revolution: Monet to Matisse From the Dallas Museum of Art, now on view at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art focuses on Impressionism’s rebellious origins and its extraordinary influence on the art world
Auguste Roedel, Moulin de la Galette (Les Mâitres de l’Affiche) (c. 1896), color lithograph.
Written by Lorie Dewhirst Porter
The history of art is a progression of aesthetic insurrections, and Impressionism, the 19th-century art movement conceived in Paris, remains one of the most shocking visual revolutions of all time. An exciting exhibition, The Impressionist Revolution: Monet to Matisse From the Dallas Museum of Art, now on view at the SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART (SBMA), focuses on Impressionism’s rebellious origins and its extraordinary influence on the art world. The exhibition is chock-full of masterpieces from the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) by big-name artists, including Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse, and Berthe Morisot. Dr. Nicole Myers, the DMA’s chief curatorial and research officer and The Barbara Thomas Lemmon Senior Curator, curated the exhibition and authored the companion catalogue.
SBMA is the traveling show’s only destination in the western United States, and like a gracious host welcoming an important guest, SBMA is displaying works by Monet, Matisse, Morisot, and others from its own Impressionist collection in a companion exhibit entitled Encore: 19th-Century French Art from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
The entry to the SBMA celebrates the museum’s latest show focusing on Impresssionism’s rebellious origins.
Both exhibitions are on view at SBMA through January 25, 2026, and are accompanied by a full slate of public programs, conversations, and performances, including lectures by renowned Monet expert Paul Hayes Tucker and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Sebastian Smee. 1130 State St., Santa Barbara, sbma.net