California Home and Design

PROFILES

THE MAIN EVENT

Interior designer Erin Martin takes CH+D inside some of her favorite stores and galleries around St. Helena's Main Street.

BY JENNIE NUNN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEN SISKA

Erin Martin hardly ever sits still. Perhaps it’s because the self-taught interior designer and proprietor of Martin, a high-end design shop filled with an eclectic mix of goods, is busy juggling projects ranging from Napa’s Trinchero Winery to a mansion in Atherton that “you could definitely get lost in.” A native of Seattle, Martin lived in Palm Desert, Morocco and Switzerland before settling in St. Helena and setting up shop on Main Street almost three years ago. Since then, she’s helped design a handful of neighboring stores, including Foot Candy, Pearl Wonderful Clothing and Cook restaurant. Lately, Martin has been planning a furnishings collection that will incorporate unexpected materials like rusted chains and vintage mirrors, but she’s not too busy to share a few of her top local sources. “St. Helena is the closest thing to Europe, it’s just so peaceful.” says Martin. “I’ve always been somewhat nomadic, but this feels like home.”

River House Books, located around the corner from Martin, carries everything from travel guides to cookbooks with a local bent. "This is the type of creativity that Napa Valley needs," says Martin, flipping through Super Potato Design: The Complete Works of Takashi Sugimoto. "He once made an entire wall from corn cobs," she says. "He obviously has a sense of humor." 1234 Adams St., St. Helena, 707-963-1163, riverhousebooksnapavalley.com.

At Caldwell Snyder's newest art gallery, housed in the former St. Helena Star building, Martin and director Karen Caldwell (pictured above) discuss Antwerp-based artist Cole Morgan's mixed-media Use of Tape. "I love the scale," says Martin. "It reminds me of German artist Anselm Kiefer's work." 1328 Main St., St. Helena, 707-200-5050, caldwellsnyder.com.

For Martin's Moroccan-inspired design of Pearl Wonderful Clothing, she hung two canvas tents from the ceiling to serve as changing rooms and chose a document case from Rajasthan for jewelry. "This was a really fun—and fast—project," says Martin, who designed the space in just three months. 1428 Main St., St. Helena, 707-963-3236, pearlwonderfulclothing.com.

At Cook, a favorite lunch spot among locals, Martin goes for the brussels sprouts followed by mussels and clams with sausage in a spicy tomato broth. "It's one of my favorite places in town," says Martin, who decorated the eatery with mercury-glass pendant lamps and a paper stag-head sculpture. 1310 Main St., St. Helena, 707-963-7088.

Scouting items for her store, Martin drives to meet artist David Price, who crafts glossy porcelain bud vases and decanters at his eponymous studio in Angwin, about 20 minutes from downtown. "His work just makes me happy," says Martin, who first spotted Price's work last year. Available at Martin, 1350 Main St., St. Helena, 707-967-8787, martinshowroom.com.

Ceramic tableware by Juliska, an antique birdcage from Belgium and a signed bust by Jean-Baptiste Astier de Villatte are just a few of the unique finds at Napa Valley Vintage Home. "When I come in here, I know I'm getting something that no one else is going to have," says Martin, holding a gold Lagos pillow by German textile designer Anke Drechsel. 1201 Main St., St. Helena, 707-963-7423.

Martin can often be found with a box of Hot Tamales at Cameo Cinema. "It's a funky little theater that always smells like fresh popcorn," she says of the historic movie theater that was built in 1915. "They show art films on Wednesdays and offer film classes here too," says Martin, pictured with owner Shawn LaRue (above). "The roomy love seats are the best part," she says, "and I love that someone always talks to the audience about the movie before each show." 1340 Main St., St. Helena, 707-963-9779.

For more than 15 years, Tesoro has created floral arrangements for hotels and restaurants including the Culinary Institute of America. Owned by Paul Stokey, the shop is stocked with seasonal cut flowers selected daily from the San Francisco Flower Mart. "Sometimes, the only finishing touch you need in a room is a vase of fresh flowers," says Martin, who purchased a bunch of white roses. "These would be gorgeous on a bedside table." 649 Main St., St. Helena, 707-963-3316, tesoroflowers.com.