A stack of swatches representing seasons to come border an oversize window projecting the busy Mission neighborhood below; A jar of cherished pencils sit quietly on a smooth vintage desk that is free of wires and weightless of LCD injected monitors. It is here where Coyuchi Design Director, Laura Jo Wegman, retreats and dilates her fine tune focus of nature’s arbitrations, letting each outside force be heard clearly on the surrendered sketchpad at her fingertips. 

Wegman’s home is unique from the mere first steps through the front door. There are no digital faces, electronics, or screens to be found. All tools, appliances, and reference to the outside world are low-tech, manual, or rotary operated. This flashback feeling is sung throughout family activities. Weekends involve baking with simple first steps such as grinding grains and pulverizing oranges over a hand crank juicer. A steeping mound of rich coffee brews over the stovetop while the family rumples through a freshly printed New Yorker. Wegman feels most at home without technology. The low-tech lifestyle leaves the household members more refreshed and present in their every day lives, not to mention the capture more zzZ’s.  

This shift towards low-tech living has received attention in the last decade. The National Day of Unplugging started in 2009, challenging households to power down for 24-hours and reflect on how it affected their lifestyle.

When asking Laura-Jo about un-plugging, it was clear this lifestyle may not be for everyone. However, it is easier to achieve then some may perceive.

Where did you grow up and were your childhood memories with or without technology?

L.J.: I grew up in Washington, D.C. our family wasn’t into the current technology trends. We had a neighborhood bonding that required all of our energy as kids: plays, hikes, creeks.

Do people react when they first visit your unplugged home?

L.J.: People tend to phrase my house as “calm.” They often comment of the art on the walls, or the different textures since these tend to take the spotlight.

Do you influence others to lead a low-tech lifestyle?

L.J.: People often tell me they love how the low-tech lifestyle feels, but they aren’t quite sure how to do it themselves. I always advise them to identify the task at hand, and then find the simplest solution. For example, I want coffee. What is the simplest way to get it done?

So you don’t need an alarm clock, a flashlight, and a milk-frothing wand on your coffee machine?

L.J.: (Smiling) No, you really don’t.

What’s your favorite space in your home?

L.J.: My couch in the kitchen, it frames some of my favorite trees.

Is there anything you always do before you start work?

L.J.: I remove all distractions.

What are you most inspired by?

L.J.: Color!

Favorite item(s) currently in the line?

L.J.: Our Cozy Cotton Blanket and the Color Wheel Pillow- I own both!

Your favorite shop (of the moment) in San Francisco?

L.J.: Arch art supplies in Portrero. 

What’s the one thing in your home you cannot live without?

L.J.: My coffee pot. 

 More images of Laura-Jo's un-plugged home can be found here. Photographs by Thomas J. Story.

We think it’s best to lead by example. Cue our quest to become the first United States bedding companies to earn Global Organic Textile Standard certification (GOTS). This certification is the toughest organic-textile standard in the world. From harvesting and fabric finishes, to the supply chain and social impact- each step is carbon footprint minimal and ensures the purest end product for our customers.

 To obtain a GOTS "organic" label, a product:

For the past twenty years, Coyuchi has persevered to produce the highest quality, natural, sustainably sourced products on the market. We see this benchmark as something even greater. With our GOTS certification, the bar has been raised for all textile manufacturing. It’s as a win-win, both for you the customer, and earth’s vast, growing marketplace. To read more about GOTS standards, visit our FAQ page. Visit the GOTS website to get more specific information.

Shop our GOTS certified products here.

With each floor plan, an opportunity, with each room, attention and thought. Dorothy Macik's approach to interior design is quite simple: practical, unique, and elegant. From here she is wide-eyed with inspiration and hands on from drawing board to construction. See how she mixes Coyuchi's collections with fresh style for one summer dwelling retreat. 

Welcome to Agoura Ranch, located in the Agoura Hills of Los Angeles, California.

Above and below master bedroom: A natural pine back wall is the backdrop for a custom upholstered bed and chaise. Coyuchi Honeycomb Blanket in Mustard, Rippled Stripe Duvet Cover and Shams. Below: Custom print art of birds on a wire by Dorothy Macik.

Name: Dorothy Macik

Resides in: Los Angeles, CA

Occupation: Interior designer

Best known for: Timeless merge of old and new

Above and below guest bedroom: Twig art, vintage lamps and Coyuchi Pleated Sateen Duvet Cover in Dark Indigo with Honeycomb Blanket in White. Coyuchi Blue Light decorative pillow.

Q: Antique or modern?

DM: Organic Modern.

Q: City or country?

DM: There is a place for both, I love the liveliness of a city, and I have to have the peace and tranquility of the country.

Q: Which colors do you use most?

DM: I like to use a palette of neutrals, and always bring in color gradually and in various tones.

Above: Dining Room has Vintage Barn Lighting over a 13-foot natural pine table custom made by Under Construction, Rafael Moyal. Below: Master Bathroom Retreat has Coyuchi Air Weight Bath Towels in Taupe.

Q: Favorite materials or textures?

DM: Organic cottons, linens, and muslin are my favorite fabrics to use in a home. Anything that you sleep on must be the most amazing fabric you’ve ever felt. Any blanket you cozy up to needs to be something you never want to leave.

Q: What is your favorite interior design related word?

DM: Simple Elegance. The most important aspect in designing a space for me is how it will be used. I strive to create rooms that are inviting, beautiful, and completely usable.

Below: The living room overlooks the ranch pool and gardens. Coyuchi Honeycomb Blanket in Mustard, Willow Weave Sham in Mustard.

Q: Does a room need a view? 

DM: Every room needs to be special, well thought out and planned.  If there is not a view, one can always be created. Most important is how the room functions to make gathering spaces for the people using it.

Q: Favorite designer or architect?

DM: Kelly Hoppen is someone whom I admire for designing beautiful homes.  Philippe Starck’s innovation inspires me.

Q: Which design blog, website, TV show, or magazine would you be lost without?

DM: I can't live without Remodelista.com. It’s the first blog I ever started following and it never disappoints.

Below: Equestrian Art custom designed and printed on Windfall Reclaimed Wood by Dorothy Macik.

Above: Adventurers kids' bedroom with tepee features an old inspired locker bed with Coyuchi Embroidered Pebble Duvet Cover & Shams and Sateen sheets in Brick. Below: Family media room with sliding barn doors for the television where the family enjoys time together.

Q: What qualities do you most admire in a room?

DM: Clever artistic spaces that are imaginative and unique.

Q: Design rule you like to break?

DM: Matching sets. I like to have eclectic design with each piece carefully chosen. I believe you must choose well, and choose less.

Q: What is your favorite room in the house?

DM: The Master Bedroom and Bathroom are my favorite to design. This is the retreat where you unwind and are most relaxed. Here attention to detail and comfort is crucial.

Q: What is your most treasured possession?

DM: My tape measure and my pencil. It must look good and fit!

Below: Guest Bedroom has a linen slipcovered upholstered bed and White Swiss Dot Duvet and Shams and Tangerine Blanket. Oak tree on Kirei board by designer.

Q: What are you afraid to DIY?

DM: Nothing, I make everything, furniture, art, lighting, tables, I am obsessed with learning how all things are made.  Most of my projects involve custom pieces that I am hands on in creating every step of the way.

Q: Have you ever had a change of heart about an object or a style?

DM: My style is constantly evolving, I never discard any old furniture or fixtures, I will always find a way to reinvent it and use it differently or in an alternate space.

Q: What is your favorite design errand or journey?

DM: Designing a home is a process, one that you are truly never finished with.  My goal is to make timeless livable design that can grow with you as you evolve.

Q: What's your favorite hotel?

DM: The London in West Hollywood. There is beauty in its simplicity. The SLS in Beverly Hills, there is liveliness in its abundance.

Above: Guest Bedroom with found mirrors above headboard, custom turquoise chairs, Coyuchi Striped Wool Blanket in Graphite with Aqua, Coyuchi Seersucker Duvet and Shams in Charcoal. Below: The ranch is full of kid friendly fun including horse riding, egg harvesting, a vegetable garden, fruit picking and a tree house, built for the kids and friends. Built by Under Construction, Rafael Moyal.

Q: What does "sustainable design" mean to you?

DM: Reducing our personal impact by adopting better habits of waste reduction and striving to have earth-friendly buying practices whenever possible. By educating ourselves and adopting better practices we in turn inspire our friends to also implement environmentally friendly practices as well. 

Q: What is your favorite product in the Coyuchi line?

DM: Mediterranean Euro Shams and Duvet. The most fine, luxurious, softest, bedding I have come across. I recommend it for all my clients.

1984: Owner and visionary Alta Tingle opens a small shop in Berkeley, California, focusing on the life of a gardener- indoor and out- embracing a back-to-the-land movement of farm to table. What starts with the land and the farmer, ends at the table where community and family gather. As a former garden designer, lecturer on landscape design, avid gardener, and photographer, Tingle began curating an assortment of her favorite accessories and furnishings that spoke to this philosophy.

Fast forward to 2013: The Gardener has expanded to a larger storefront in Berkeley's popular shopping district, 4th Street. In addition to this expansion, two new shops have opened: A brick and mortar in Healdsburg, California and a storefront in the historic Ferry Building, located near the Financial District of San Francisco. Tingle's keen eye has earned avid followers and local loyalists who anticipate the shops' seasonal assortment of ceramic bowls, oversized wool throws, teak furniture and organic, one-of-a-kind gifts. 

Above: General Manager Kathi Demarest and buyer Mary Gale, in front of the Berkeley shop. Below: A tree of market baskets, all shapes and colors, eagerly await a trip to the farmer's market.

Q: What are your three favorite things about owning a local business?

Kathi: Having the opportunity to curate a mix of unique accessories and furnishings for indoors and out guided by the influences of the season. 2. Engaging with three different communities. 3. Selling beautiful functional items is fun, but the best reward is working with a dynamic group of passionate folks in a place where people grow and thrive.

Q: The neighborhoods that The Gardener resides: What are they like?

Kathi: Fourth Street is a stretch of small businesses mixed with chain stores surrounded by industrial buildings inhabited by artists, designers and various eclectic businesses. Healdsburg is nestled in the wine country with a large garden surrounding the store (barn). The San Francisco Ferry Building is a hustling, bustling metropolitan food and shopping marketplace.

Q: What are some of the challenges you face and how do you overcome them?

Kathi: The greatest challenge to all small brick and mortar retailers is the immediacy of the internet and how to be fresh and different in a world where everything is easily accessible. We attempt to overcome this by staying true to our original mission and knowing who we are versus the rest.

Top image: Teak table with a burnt finish to give a petrified appearance supports palms, tableware, and Coyuchi's Aspen Weave pillow in Charcoal. Above image: Ceramic bowls, perfectly un-circular, stack together to form kitchenware that is as attractive as is useful. Below: Fresh floral cuts come from the Healdsburg shop on a weekly basis, bring elements of the garden into each display.

Q: Where do you see the store in five years?

Kathi: We do not have plans to expand, with the exception of potentially adding an online store or expanding opportunities in our Healdsburg garden property.

Q: What is your favorite Coyuchi product?

Mary Gale and Kathi: (In unison) Coyuchi nightshirts and pajamas!

Above: Local kitchen, INNA jam makes their small batch preserves in Emeryville (less than 5 miles away from the shop). These spreads come in incredible flavors such as Polka Raspberry and Meyer Lemon. Fun fact: The organic fruit is grown within 150 miles of their kitchen. 

Q: What does the term intentional lifestyle mean to you?

Kathi: Our intentional lifestyle is to be true to natural materials, authenticity and recognize that even the most avid gardener lives indoors.