MODERN ROMANTIC

MODERN ROMANTIC MODERN ROMANTIC is located in Solvang, California. it is our wish that our unique pieces will inspire you. be the thing you reach for often.

MODERN ROMANTIC is the in-house line of artisanal products sold exclusively thru ENCANTO + authorized boutiques. these charming pieces are a collaboration with designer christy martin + the artisans she has encountered in her travels. or, even better, make your signature piece.

We’ve officially gone “BERZERKELY”!Drove up North on Hwy 101 yesterday to Berkeley where we started our 4 day “junket” s...
04/19/2026

We’ve officially gone “BERZERKELY”!

Drove up North on Hwy 101 yesterday to Berkeley where we started our 4 day “junket” splitting our time in half btw berkeley + napa.
After settling into our airbnb, we got on our walking shoes.
👞 👞
First stop:
This is sooo very special, natural perfumer extraordinaire Mandy Aftel, her husband Turner and their son Devon have created the most amazing scent museum - a must see + experience for any perfume lovers +/or makers.
Our timing was so perfect as all of her beautiful roses (i think there’s 100?) were all “popping”.
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Next stop: bar for a very light supper. Tip: get there at least 15-30 minutes early as there’s a huge queue by 5 PM when they open no rezzies!
Alice Waters never disappoints, the viniagrette on the little gems with the tiniest of radishes were so lovely.
🥬 🥬 🥬 🥬 🥬
Walked the streets + poked into a few shops along Shadduck, a main street…def got in our steps!
Last stop: with an amazing blues trio called . Guitarist/vocalist/harmonica player JoshHowell has a great delivery with great phrasing + clear vocal tones + stellar blues guitar playing. Backed up with a great stand up bass player Joe who kept the rhythm going and newcomer Jay on the drums delivered. Owner Sam Rudin played some very impromptu but impressive keyboards on a couple tunes. Super entertaining. ❤️
Onward to find some fresh juice at organic greens (no IG) this fine Sunday, another perfect walking day.
There’s a rose garden to visit, an organic vegan lunch , some more music back at Sam’s place at 3 with young players called CRYUNCLE ….then later tonight some Irish music on the patio
Cheers to this beautiful Spring day. Enjoy!

Soooo….our wee house in California is still in the process of getting a major kitchen update - not always easy to do a r...
04/07/2026

Soooo….our wee house in California is still in the process of getting a major kitchen update - not always easy to do a redux when you are living in the space but i like to be here to supervise all of “the deets”.
The delicate fluted glass light fixtures with old porcelain sockets and white twisted wire are giving late 19th century vibes, my favorite era. Kinda needed a little feminine touch with all of the countertops now in thick butcher-block. The fixtures are quite old but they have never been used, so I guess you could say that they are dead stock? So glad they still exist.
This formerly blank wall serves as a great opportunity to create more storage, well, because nobody ever once said “we don’t need any more storage” !
in this case, we will be storing liquor bottles with a nice collection of amaros/digestifs that we have been collecting for quite sometime now. Always fun to pull a couple of them out after dinner to amuse our guests. 🙃
Finally major upgrade: adding tile to the bare wall behind the kitchen sink (will go to the ceiling) and stove area. It already feels so much more sophisticated even though our ace tile setter’s work is still in process. More photos to come when everything is put back together, hopefully soon! Stay tuned for the finished product.

POV : when your neighbor cuts back their massive rosemary hedge and leaves the trimmings on her curb to soon be discarde...
04/06/2026

POV : when your neighbor cuts back their massive rosemary hedge and leaves the trimmings on her curb to soon be discarded…and you just happen to be out on a walk…What’s a decent herbalist to do? PS thank you for making this beautiful still. Stay tuned. 🥰

MUSINGS FROM MY RABBIT HOLE After cobbling together my workspace to create the “organ“ as mentioned/shown in the previo...
04/04/2026

MUSINGS FROM MY RABBIT HOLE
After cobbling together my workspace to create the “organ“ as mentioned/shown in the previous post, it’s time for the intro to the 18 single note essences.
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🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
First step: classifying the 18 notes - remember it’s only naturals here (mostly essential oils were provided in the kit but there’s also the occasional absolute).
is it a citrus? Is it an agrestic, like fresh mown hay? Describing the fragrance - what are your impressions? Any associated nostalgia? What color do you associate with the note?
Now i am in the “volatility” study part, pics shown here, smelling the same note, but at different times to determine the scents own top note, its body note and its dry down time. So yes, there’s a top note in your top, middle + base notes?!
it’s really interesting getting to know each of these notes so very intimately in this way and i really appreciate Mandy’s “Slow Scent” approach, where you really have to take pause and really really think about each note + try to unravel its uniqueness + ….it’s mystery. 👁️
I know that this slow methodology will most definitely pay off in the end, but (honestly) I am soooo chomping at the bit to make a “bouquet”! 🌺

AFTELIER RABBIT HOLE : 🐇 🐇 🐇 🐇 🐇 🐇 🐇 🐇 It seems that all of my very favorite people are the ones that are prone to falli...
03/30/2026

AFTELIER RABBIT HOLE :
🐇 🐇 🐇 🐇 🐇 🐇 🐇 🐇
It seems that all of my very favorite people are the ones that are prone to falling down rabbit holes … as do i! 🙃
The curiosity + passion + excitement found in the process of discovering something brand new is completely + utterly irresistible.
(And maybe it’s partly the Danish in me that never wants to stop learning?)
So i have the great pleasure to be taking a “SLOW SCENT NATURAL PERFUME” class from Artisan perfumer extraordinaire, Mandy Aftel , who may be in fact the ultimate consummate 🐇 hole diver of all time…!
It’s been such a gift to read her books + to meet the world of natural perfumery thru her fantastic mind, incorporating magic + alchemy + mystery along the way.
NOTE: i have just created my “organ” today - see last photos here - albeit it’s a bit sparse - for now.
The Left side are TOP notes, middle section are MIDDLE notes, right side are BASE notes (+ all of the EO’s are alphabetized in true Virgo fashion).
Some of these little cubbies contain essential oils that we distilled ourselves at our farmstead during C-19 - various types lavenders, rose geranium, rosemary, even spearmint!
Stay tuned as I continue on my scent journey.

MANY DIFFERENT PARKS IN CD MX🍃🍃🍃So fortuitous that the powers that be planned ahead with providing so much green space a...
03/13/2026

MANY DIFFERENT PARKS IN CD MX
🍃🍃🍃
So fortuitous that the powers that be planned ahead with providing so much green space amidst this buzzing busy place.
Favorite is probably the one with all of the geese 🪿that also had another garden space with a “SlLENCIO” policy - they piped in “woo woo” music playing, quite wonderful actually. Many readers, meditators, + no children allowed in this particular area of the park?!

ORÍGENES PRINCIPAL CACAOS Y CAFES MEXICANOS☕️☕️☕️What a Special treat! We had the best time learning all about cacao fro...
03/11/2026

ORÍGENES PRINCIPAL CACAOS Y CAFES MEXICANOS
☕️☕️☕️
What a Special treat! We had the best time learning all about cacao from the delightful owners, Hernan and Sara; if you like drinking chocolate, you will enjoy this revered special drink that derives from ancient Mexico.
i had the monkfruit version (no sugar) and B had the “chak” version, made with 4 types of chilies. ¡Delicioso!

LARDO🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃Located in the Colonia Condesa (aka Condesa) neighborhood of CD MX this very popular spot is run by a woman c...
03/11/2026

LARDO
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Located in the Colonia Condesa (aka Condesa) neighborhood of CD MX this very popular spot is run by a woman chef, Elena Reygadas, who is considered to be the best female chef in the world! She’s also written this cookbook called Rosetta, which I am hoping I can find in English. the food was very simple + very delicious, using a forno (pizza oven) for cooking. She has also created a scholarship for women to aid in learning the art of gastronomy.

EXPENDIO DE MAIZ 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽24 lucky diners await at community style picnic tables (6 per table x 4) to a surprise incredibly...
03/10/2026

EXPENDIO DE MAIZ
🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
24 lucky diners await at community style picnic tables (6 per table x 4) to a surprise incredibly delicious Michelin Star homemade meal. 🥘 No rezzies, no takeout.
They received Michelin stars in 2024 + 2025, gourmet “street food” at its best!

SUVAI🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽“‘Spicy’ meaning food made with lots of spice, with lots of flavor; not meaning “hot-spicy”, like most of you...
03/10/2026

SUVAI
🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
“‘Spicy’ meaning food made with lots of spice, with lots of flavor; not meaning “hot-spicy”, like most of you Americans think. That’s what i miss the most. The food!”

I remember once talking with a young Indian man that was now living in the states about what he missed most about India + he enlightened me with his thoughts about “spicy” foods.
Though a very fleeting conversation, his comment has stuck with me all these years…+ every time i eat Indian food, i think about his commentary.

B + I went for our second walk of the day, exploring CD MX , + fell upon + what a wonderful surprise it was to find such beautiful SPICY food. Highly recommended ifor your next visit to ciudad mexico🇲🇽

CHUI 🍃🍃🍃Wow! Such a “desayuno delicioso” in this gorgeous verdant setting, just blocks from our place. Freshly made juic...
03/09/2026

CHUI
🍃🍃🍃
Wow! Such a “desayuno delicioso” in this gorgeous verdant setting, just blocks from our place.
Freshly made juices + such delicious food. Shakshuka (vegan) for me (hey it’s grandma’s recipe!) + chilaquiles for B. .cdmx

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Solvang, CA
93463-93464

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805.722.4338

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