Santa Ynez
Wine, windmills, and wide-open spaces set the stage for design-detailed lodging, home, and garden havens
Written by Anna Ferguson-Sparks | Photography by Sara Prince | Illustrations by Digital Sunsets
Surrounded by rolling vineyards punctuated by old oaks, Santa Ynez Valley design gurus create and merchandise meticulous collections of home and garden goods that reflect the region’s rarified ranch lifestyle. There’s everything from modern home furnishings with neutral color palettes to vintage rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia and dreamy succulent gardens. Bodega Los Alamos opened in 2018 as a wine and beer garden, retail shop, and greenhouse, focusing on natural wine, unique beer and cider, and handcrafted items. The lounge-y vibe has since extended to the property’s renovated 1920s farmhouse, with the Bodega House guesthouse. Solvang-made shrubs and vinegars from Broken Clock Vinegar Works add flavorful flair to home bar carts and kitchen pantries. The innovative culinary products here incorporate locally gleaned fruits and herbs, some from their own garden. Scandinavian design reigns inside The Copenhagen House in Solvang. Embodying Nordic design traits like minimalism, innovation, and a penchant for light, the portable, rechargeable Carrie LED lamp effortlessly illuminates spring’s outdoor dining venues, pampered picnics and campsites, or indoor desks and bedsides. Fresh ideas are in bloom at Forage Florals in Santa Ynez, like the recently added DIY Herbarium—a planting area stocked with air plants, succulents, specialty vessels, and other terrarium accoutrements. Also new: a take-home flower-arranging kit complete with video instruction and supplies.
The Global Eye Art Collective, an all-handmade gift and home store in Los Olivos, recently grew into a larger space where new clothing, jewelry, and milliners’ lines coexist with owner-designed art installations and ceramics. Spring brings outdoor items such as crocheted hammocks and picnic supplies and floral and botanically inspired ceramics. Boho chic meets Santa Ynez Valley ranch style at HÛS by Anouk Designs, which has a new Ballard home. Delightful finds include contemporary Western art, handmade jewelry, leather goods, one-of-a-kind hats, vintage rugs and textiles, and laidback fashion for luxe country living. J. Woeste in Los Olivos has been bringing smiles to gardeners’ faces since 1998, with its eclectic maze of treasures displayed inside and around a turn-of-the-20th-century farmhouse. The Landsby’s hygge animal and abstract artwork by Rachel Brown is available for purchase in the Solvang hotel’s intimate lobby boutique; the rest of the inventory is curated by Santa Ynez General. Elizabeth Poett of Rancho San Julian—the 14,000-acre family ranch that produces delectable jarred honey and offers premium beef delivery parcels—has a new cooking show on the Magnolia Network (streaming on Discovery+) called Ranch to Table. Santa Ynez General, the home store known for bringing signature Valley style to design-savvy tabletops and interiors, is expanding its flagship location in downtown Santa Ynez this spring. In 2012 Lisa Boisset Babcock launched Soulstruck Vintage, a tasting lounge and feast for the senses in a former production warehouse at Babcock Winery. Groove to iconic ’70s tunes while shopping well-curated vinyl, fashion, jewelry, and home décor.
