Susan Keeney of LUCCA. 
LUCCA’s new showroom is in the historic Old Firehouse at 1486 East Valley Road. 
Birgit “Bee” Klein of Birgit Klein Interiors. 
The showroom of Birgit Klein Interiors includes work by Una Malan, who launched her own company in 2016. 
Birgit Klein Interiors has set up shop at 525 San Ysidro Road, Suite B. 
Interior designer Marc Normand Gelinas.
Four bold, new design resources have established themselves in Montecito’s Upper Village.
LUCCA, Birgit Klein, Una Malan and Marc Normand Gelinas all have showrooms that are open to the public and within walking distance of each other. Collectively, they bring upscale home and commercial design and goods to a neighborhood that has been somewhat limited in its choices.
“Designers have been starved for high-end resources and variety,” Teri Walker of Teri Walker Design told Noozhawk. “While we have some beautifully curated shops in town, it has been difficult to furnish an entire home in Santa Barbara.
“Now with these new resources, it can be done!”
LUCCA
Late last month, LUCCA opened a 6,700-square-foot, renovated-beyond-recognition showroom in the historic Old Firehouse at 1486 East Valley Road.
Owned by the husband-and-wife team of Susan and Stephen Keeney, the inviting showroom — and a sister showroom in Los Angeles — is stocked with beautiful merchandise with an emphasis on updated antique furniture and objects.
“I have always loved the American Riviera to live and to work,” Susan Keeney said. “My Montecito store will showcase my appreciation of fine antiques, architectural elements, and my passion for creating designs from old materials and fine objects.”
Birgit Klein Interiors
Based in both Montecito and Los Angeles, Birgit “Bee” Klein and her Birgit Klein Interiors is a full-service interior architecture and design studio. Klein’s local office, at 525 San Ysidro Road, Suite B, followed offices she opened in London and Los Angeles.
Her own home was featured on a recent cover of California Homes Magazine.
Una Malan
Una Malan’s journey in the design world began in London, where she studied interior design. She brought her work to Los Angeles after becoming West Coast director at The Rug Company and, in 2016, launched her own company in the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. She is working out of the Birgit Klein Interiors space.
Marc Normand Gelinas
Having taken over the cozy space next to Montecito Executive Services, interior designer Marc Normand Gelinas — now located at 1482 East Valley Road, Suite 153 — concentrates on his classic designs, reflecting his knowledge of color and art background. He believes “each of my projects should reflect the personality and personal style of each client, giving them a well designed, comfortable and functional space.”
— Judy Foreman is a Noozhawk columnist and longtime local writer and lifestyles observer. She can be contacted at news@noozhawk.com. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are her own.