For a spring zhuzh, 'bring in nature'
Today, Stephanie Payne-Campbell — owner of local homewares and clothing shop Domecíl — shares her mission, personal style progression, and tips for reinvigorating your space as the seasons change. Happy (almost) spring!
Origin
I grew up in Santa Barbara. I left when I was 19 and went to Paris for a couple years, before living in San Francisco and later Los Angeles. Life was good in LA, but I always knew I needed to get back to Santa Barbara. So, when the pandemic hit and everything went remote, we sold our house in LA and moved back here to be with family.
I’ve learned it’s all about being in alignment. When I moved back here, that’s what happened. I felt aligned. And things happened that I’ve always dreamed of.
Before we opened Domecíl in our current space (1223 State St.), I had a little side gig making linen aprons and other home linens, and I was doing well. I would do crafts markets and sell to stores. I’ve been going down to Southern Chile since I was 25, to an island that’s the gateway to Patagonia. I completely fell in love with it. It’s so beautiful, the people are so kind, and it’s got an amazing mythology. I was fascinated by that aspect of it. But also the crafts! I started bringing back handmade baskets, hand-carved pieces, and hand-spun wool I got there, and reselling them in my little 10x10 pop up shop. Even then it was called Domecíl.
I remembered our current retail space from when I was a kid because it was a beautiful shop. This Victoria Court area is super charming, too. I knew it had the potential for being what Santa Barbara used to be more known for, which was sweet independent shops. So, when this space became available in 2023, I said, ‘Okay, I’m ready.’ Our growth and evolution has been pretty organic, and this location feels like home.
A mission to connect
Domecíl is about connecting makers with people who are yearning for a healing connection. Telling customers about the artist who made a certain piece, or how and where it was made, enriches their purchase. And it’s wonderful to support artists. There are so many local artists working here who also are selling their work in prestigious stores in LA and beyond. A lot of times people don’t see the value in what they do. So that’s one of my missions, too: to bring out that discovery for people.
Quality and integrity are threads that go through everything here, whether it’s made locally or far away. People come because they know they can feel good about provenance – knowing where something came from, and how it was made. When you bring something into your home, there’s an intangible knowing if something was made with love and integrity. It affects how we feel.
I love to experience that in the store. There's almost like a chemistry that happens when people find something they really love, something that speaks to them in some way. It could be clothing, but a lot of times it’s art or ceramics. Using these things in everyday life just elevates your experience.
We also host classes and workshops to introduce the community to new people and arts. A couple weeks ago, we did a dumpling making class with a Japanese chef. We have a local artist doing a water color, book making, and bird drawing series. And we have a kintsugi master from LA coming in a couple months to do a class on repairing ceramics with gold.
We know so many interesting people who have skills and talents to share, and all of our customers want to connect and explore.
How to zhuzh up your space as seasons change
It’s all about bringing in nature. We’re really lucky because we live in such a beautiful, natural place. At home, I love playing with different flowers and plants in season. For me, even poppy season is a season! It’s so special.
A lot of times you can find branches that need to be pruned or are about to bloom at Trader Joe’s or elsewhere, and those are great. Citrus is big for me. When I think of Southern California seasons, I remember December was always about bright and rich reds. After the holidays, I put the holiday reds away and then it’s all about bowls of lemons or oranges. Just having that citrus around is indicative, to me, of a Southern California winter.
For vessels, some of my favorites are bud vases. I raised my kids to bring in whatever is happening outside, and I still believe in that. I think it's really nice to highlight things that are seasonal in nature. Maybe it’s a flower that only blooms in the winter here. I also love grasses, too, and things that dry. But with a bud vase, you can put one thing in that you admire – maybe it’s a gladiola, or something you’ve been growing and it’s finally blooming, or maybe it’s a leaf or a feather you found. I love highlighting little things like that especially with a small vase. Putting out one item as opposed to a larger arrangement is lovely.
There’s a certain kind of purge associated with spring cleaning that‘s good. I try to keep things calm and peaceful at home, and that means going through piles of paperwork, finishing things that need to be finished, swapping out heavier blankets for lighter blankets, embracing lighter colors, etc.
Easy ways to revamp a space are with throw blankets, because you can change so much with a little color and texture. Pillowcases are great, too. You don't necessarily need to buy new pillows but you can buy new pillow shams and that's a really nice way to shift things up. I love home linens, so I also recommend changing your dish towels or hand towels in the bathroom. Even just adding a nice soap in a special soap dish can do wonders.
But if all else fails, simply decluttering, decorating with fresh flowers, switching out art, and moving things around are great ways to switch up the vibe of a space.
The personal style journey of a creative, Paris-loving, California mom
When I was 19, I went from Santa Barbara to Paris and lived there for a couple years. That’s when I knew that I loved to dress. I loved to pay attention to details in what I was wearing, and I really felt like I could express myself that way. Since then, I’ve always wanted to find that again. But we live in such a casual place. And with kids, you're always pushing a stroller and wearing your comfy clothes because it’s just easier.
I went to London to visit a friend by myself a few years ago and I remembered again how much I loved dressing. Now I don't care if I’m going to the supermarket or to school or wherever — I dress the way that makes me feel good. Although I do feel like Mr. Rogers sometimes because when I get home I take it all off, and immediately put on my slippers and my cozy clothes.
But I definitely love to express myself through fashion and clothes, and being in the shop gives me a great excuse to try and elevate my style. Right now I’m in the market for more supportive shoes for walking around the shop on our concrete floors, and I’ve got my eye on some silver Onitsuka Tigers.
With my personal style, there’s this fine line between masculine and feminine. Actually, I don’t even call it “masculine,” instead I call it “handsome.” I wear a lot of skirts, but I’m not super feminine. And certainly my palette is less colorful. I try to keep an open mind, but I tend to always go for navy and cream.
I love this denim dress (above). It really reminds me of Georgia O’Keeffe. There’s a classic photograph of her sitting wearing something exactly like this, but in black. Buying this dress was so fun. It was one of those things where I was just looking, I wasn’t planning on buying anything. But then I saw the dress and when I put it on I was like, “Okay, this is just me.” I bought it without hesitation.
We have that happen in Domecíl with some of the wide-brimmed hats we sell. They’re sized in ⅛ increments, so they don’t necessarily fit just anyone who tries them on. But there are times when someone puts one on and it’s like ohhh! This is it! It fits perfectly and you just know. Same thing with the Le Mont St. Michel chore coats, also in our shop. Literally people get transformed when they put those on. You can see it on their face.
When I bought this [Soeur] dress, and knowing how much I love it, I realized I’m never gonna regret these kinds of purchases. The ones that just make sense in that way. But I always say: You gotta wait until you really feel it.
As told to Cami Garcia in March 2025~
Love this! Such a gem, and how cool to live in Paris and find that the place where you learned to dress. So many talented people living here in Santa Barbara and I love how Domecil is a space to welcome them into the shop for workshops and other events. Love this!
One of my favorite shops in SB. So nice to learn more about the owner.