melinda's story

Welcome! Rincon Road is my personal lifelong journey and I am excited to share it with you. I’m a born and raised California girl, living on my family’s avocado ranch in Carpinteria. I never felt the need to move far, did I mention the avocados? I was taken along on many of my parents adventures. We would drive from horse show to horse show, across the country we would travel, a bit like gypsies. Always off the beaten path, finding the hole in the wall restaurant or discovering a new trading post along the way. I loved this time with them, and the treasures we collected.

When I wasn’t traveling with my parents, I spent a lot of my time with my grandmother and her two sisters. Coming from a strong Italian immigrant family and living through the Great Depression really left them no choice other than hard work, family, and tradition. I spent many a back patio afternoon sipping iced tea and enjoying the stories from their childhood and adolescence. How “Mamma’s” pan was the best to use for polenta, or the story of how they found a chandelier on an evening walk through Montecito. I just fell 

so in love with their stories, and am lucky to hold pieces of them now. (That chandelier now hangs in my dining room.) And while we sadly lost all three ladies within a year, this has only proven to give the stories more meaning. For it’s these strong ties to things we have that hold history that inspires me, this is why I want to keep the stories alive!

I’ve always loved design and art. After graduating with my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design from the Design Institute of San Diego. I returned home, working for prominent Santa Barbara based architecture and design firms, providing me with invaluable relationships and experiences. Rincon Road design studio was founded in 2009, after becoming a mother. I created a line of hand printed home and lifestyle goods while continuing to work on interior projects. We enjoy a simple life on our ranch close to family, and our growing animal menagerie. I’m so happy to be able to pass these stories and traditions on to the next generation, and to continue doing what I love to do.

Respectfully yours,

Melinda Trembly