Stephanie Payne-Campbell. Photo credit Eamond McGeough
By hand, beautiful and natural
by Leslie A. Westbrook
It’s perfectly “natural” to want to touch everything in Stephanie Payne-Campbell’s lovely home and natural lifestyle boutique, domecíl, tucked into Santa Barbara’s Victoria Court. Each and every beautiful and interesting item is made by hand and from natural materials. Items are sourced from local makers, as well as from other states (like handmade whisk brooms and leather dust pans from Kentucky) and countries, including carved jacaranda wood spoons from the Congo that show the maker’s hand. There are lovely ceramic bud vases and planters from Carpinterian Laurie Stout and earthy charcoal soap balls (oat and honey and Sonoran date and clay) and kokedoma, live trees planted in moss balls, handmade from Santa Barbara’s Rafael Adón.
“I’m focused on items with integrity,” said Payne-Campbell, who grew up in Santa Barbara and returned in 2020. In between, her travels took her to Paris and San Francisco, and on bi-annual trips to Chilean Patagonia, where she sources baskets from women weavers. Then came many years in Los Angeles with her musician/film industry husband and three children. Returning to her SB roots, she opened domecíl in September 2021, after a successful pop-up on Santa Claus Lane, following friend Alyssa Remington of Folly to help downtown Santa Barbara’s Arts District thrive.
It began with aprons designed by Payne-Campbell and grew to “supporting artists.” Her sturdy aprons and linens have enjoyed a strong online and wholesale presence and she recently collaborated with Japanese chef Sonoko Sakai on a beautiful linen apron. She’s also recently expanded the domecíl line to include women’s clothing.
First Thursday events every month are always interesting. Sonoko did a recent cooking demo. And there have been poetry readings, live music, and featured artists including Ray Gabaldon, who creates driftwood spirit figures from Thomas Fire remnants.
Many other goodies await discovery: beautiful items for the home, shelter magazines, books of poetry, and a children’s book corner. But perhaps the best discovery is Payne-Campbell herself. Her taste, passion for connecting people, personal warmth, and good conversation make domecíl well worth seeking out.
domecíl
1221 State St., Suite 7
805.234.4971
