The Halsted House | The Design Story

May 7th, 2023

One fall Friday afternoon, stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic making my way to a small Dutch town nestled in the Santa Ynez mountains, I was on my way to the wedding of 2 Chicago friends – Connor and Christina. Solvang should’ve been a 2-hour drive from LA, but I was unfamiliar with the possibility a Friday afternoon on the 101 had of doubling my travel time. At a standstill, my anxious nerves were bubbling up with my booming awareness of what I signed myself up for that weekend – attending this wedding alone, knowing very few people and being very much outside my comfort zone.

When I received the invitation a couple months prior, my heart leapt in excitement. I wasn’t expecting to be invited to this wedding, but when it came, I jumped at the opportunity – the opportunity to experience the beautiful Santa Ynez, get closer to a couple I always adored as friend of friends, and maybe meet someone special. My prospective partner in crime couldn’t go, so I decided to wing it on my own. I put my discomfort aside and RSVPed 'yes.'

To alleviate my nerves, I called the hotel I was staying at to beg for an over-the-phone check-in. Thank goodness I did, because there was no record of my stay, and the hotel was booked for the weekend… in fact the entire town was booked for the weekend no thanks to the half marathon and wedding visitors. They offered to put me up in the next town over… oh great, alone and 30 minutes away from all wedding events that were based in a desolate area with little to no ubers. This really wasn’t an option, as I fully intended to drink this weekend. I begged and pleaded, got my computer out on the passenger seat, and searched for my confirmation email to prove my right to a room at the hotel that evening. After much pleading, multiple calls and my proof of confirmation, the manager put together ‘the absolute last room they had available by some fluke.’ THANK GOD. Wiping down my sweat drenched face, I put on my welcome party makeup in the bumper-to-bumper traffic in Santa Barbara – now with under an hour until the dinner I begged to be a part of (so I didn’t have to show up alone). I arrived at the Hotel Vinland with 15 minutes to check-in, throw my dress on and put some waves in my hair. It was a blur, but by some miracle I did it. Stetson in hand, I was ready to party.

The weekend was off to a strong start. I met the NICEST group of girls – Christina’s Santa Clara besties. We immediately hit it off, and I couldn’t have felt more embraced by a group. They even invited me to get ready in their room the next day, introduced me to all the Santa Clara friends, and I truly felt like I met my own long lost best friends. Who are these amazing people?! We had an epic night, setting the stage for the rest of the weekend. So much so, I really struggled getting up the next morning. Once I had the strength to face my hangover, I hopped in my beetle convertible and took a drive through the rolling hills under the beating sunshine, blasting the kind of music that makes you know it’s going to be a good day. I made myself a gluten free sandwich from the market and retreated to my room to get ready in time for pre-ceremony drinks.

The ceremony was set in a stunning Spanish Mission. The doors closed, and the parade of bridesmaids proceeded, followed by Christina in the most beautifully detailed form-fitting gown. She took everyone’s breath away. Between Christina and Connor’s locked gaze, the adoring and proud father on her arm and everyone overflowing with love for the couple, the room filled with the magic you can only dream of on your wedding day. This was going to be a night to remember.

We made our way to the Alisal Guest Ranch, where guests got on wagons and drove 30 minutes into the mountains. Nestled in the mountainside under a canopy of twinkle lights and softly swinging oak trees was the most beautiful setting I’ve ever seen. We made our way to the drink line, where an older man introduced himself. His name was Peter, and he and his wife were the in-laws to the best man. In our brief exchange, Peter and I discovered our many similarities, including our time in Evergreen, Colorado, and the more we talked, the more we got along. And after bumping into each other multiple times throughout cocktail hour, we ultimately decided their daughter and I were bound to be friends. None of us were quite sure of the energy in our meeting, but we were on a mission to see what would come of it. Something was in the air!

In walks Tina – a bridesmaid, the daughter I had to meet and the sister-in-law to Connor and Christina. We immediately hit it off. I couldn’t believe our chemistry. We dove right into conversation, somehow making our way to discovering our mutual love of rattan. Tina and her husband Mike – Connor’s older brother just purchased a house on Armitage and Halsted, had a huge renovation on the horizon and were in over their heels, both in grad school at Kellogg and their hands full with a toddler and golden retriever, Buckley, all while juggling impressive careers and businesses. Expressing my passion and pursuit of interior design, Tina and I decided we would tag team the renovation, and there under the pink Santa Ynez sky, all the twinkle lights and drapey tress, my first real project was born… along with a new best friendship, and I hope to call forever friends.

We threw our design plans together, picked materials, and sourced pieces to compliment the Brown’s beautiful art and antique collection, all within a couple weeks, but it turned out beautifully, anchored in black herringbone tile, lightly veined quartz, and Carrera marble. Our consistent themes of a coastal color pallet and warm neutral rattan pieces tied it all together. The project took us about 6 months. A lot of lessons were learned, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the experience and our new friendship. We had a ball placing art, re-arranging furniture and bargain hunting, mixing drinks and coffee dates in-between. With Mike and Sam on handyman duty, Christina photographed the project, I staged, and Tina directed. It was entirely a team effort.

Maybe you’re wondering who ‘Sam’ is? Well, I did meet someone special that weekend… Connor’s friend from Deloitte – bonded by the late hours in accounting and their love for water polo. That night under the drapey trees, Sam Baker grabbed my hand through 2 layers of friends, and I locked eyes with the kindest soul I’ve ever seen, looking down on me like I’d never been seen before and pulled me in to twirl me around the small space we had. Naturally, I spent the rest of the night running from him, chasing me all the way to our first date back in Chicago… with a bit of mutual chasing down in between. We’ve been together over a year now, and I couldn’t feel luckier for taking that leap of faith all the way to Solvang.

My favorite part of the design of this home is how personal each detail became. From the textiles designed by Tina's sister JJ, her mom and JJ's art represented in each room, and the coastal pieces that bring Santa Barbara to the city and their family heirlooms, such as the black cane chairs I begged Tina to take out of the trash, every corner of The Halsted House breathes this family's legacy and what they represent. They are so special, and now so is their home -- a welcoming oasis that is a constant comfort and reminder of who they are and where they come from.

That’s the story of the Halsted House. A project born one serendipitous night, surrounded in friendship, love and a little bit of magic. A huge thanks to all those mentioned here, and especially the Brown’s. Without you, I wouldn’t have had this beautiful experience, new friendship or Sam.

✥ Lauren