Design Driven
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
