Q&A with antique EXPERT and treasure hunter: Carolina Pierpont.
As the owner of Méditerranée, Carolina Pierpont travels the world in search of the gorgeous goods that fill her elegantly curated Carpinteria store. It’s the kind of place where vibrant vintage African textiles and local contemporary art live in complete harmony with soulful Santos from Brazil, 18th Century Italian trunks and lux bubble bath and lotions. Carolina is a delightful wealth of knowledge and her passion for beautiful things is infectious. Stop in and indulge in the ever-evolving inventory and update your space with a one-of-a-kind vintage find or a special little something new.
When did you first start collecting antiques? I started collecting when I was a teenager, at around 14 years old. I am especially attracted to Spanish colonial pottery, art and furniture.
With access to so many markets, treasures, and auctions how do you go about deciding what makes the journey home and onto the store floor?
Initially, the piece has to grab my attention and be interesting, whimsical and well made. This criterion applies to furniture, art and accessories.
The retail space is so wonderfully eclectic with the modern, whimsical, and folk mixed with some rather serious 17th and 18th Century designs. How do you go about curating the space and making it flow so seamlessly?
We look at the space based on what we have in our collection at the time, starting with the art on the walls, then moving onto the furniture, and finally the decorative objects. It’s always fun putting it all together, especially hanging the art from all the local artists we represent.
In addition to the fabulous local and European art and antiques, what other accessories and gift items do you offer?
We have added many new gift lines, such as soaps, perfumes and creams from Italy and France, and my favorite - jewelry! We have four beautiful collections, as well as vintage Mexican silver pieces and a great selection of home and kitchen items and hand-crafted games and kites.
If you can’t make it to the store, you can shop 24 hours a day online. Look for our shops on Chairish.com,
Onekingslane.com and of course MediterraneeAntiques.com. - Carolina Pierpont
4193 Carpinteria Avenue Suite 6, Carpinteria (next to Calibressan Chocolates)
Hours: Tues. - Sat. 11am to 4pm • 805.695.0910 • mediterraneeantiques.com