Méditerranée Antiques

2360 Lillie Avenue
Summerland, California 93067
(805) 695-0910
From the moment you slip behind the wrought-iron gate and into a flourishing garden filled with gazebos, imported fountains, sub-tropical plants and hand-carved statuary newly arrived from France, you understand why proprietress Carolina Pierpont was determined to pursue a dream. Scouring the globe for the most distinctive antiques and outdoor décor she can find, the vivacious entrepreneur from El Salvador traded a Central American life style for Santa Barbara bliss.
Step inside Méditerranée’s decorated showroom and inspiring home ideas abound. Specializing in European and Latin American art and antiques, the evolving inventory of antiques includes a selection of fine 17th, 18th and 19th century French, Spanish and Italian trunks, cabinets, credenzas, tables, chairs and other interior furnishings. Antique reproduction furniture, based on 17th and 18th century Italian, Spanish and Portuguese designs produced and manufactured by Francois Paris and Carolina Pierpont eagerly await you and may be customized to individual taste. Interior accessories include silver mirrors and frames from Peru, santos (saints) from Brazil, religious artifacts and other collectables that fit into Santa Barbara’s Spanish influenced style. Whether you’re after a limestone fountain imported directly from France, an 18th century Turkish pot, handmade tiles and sinks from Italy, or classic European hardware for furniture and home, Summerland-based Méditerranée Antiques is worth a visit – if only to explore. “We have hundreds of items that no one else carries,” says owner Carolina Pierpont. “And our friendly staff is always accessible and available to answer any questions.”
Born and raised in Central American’s El Salvador, Pierpont combines her business acumen with an eye for beautiful furnishings for the home. Her good taste and sense of design and style was instilled in her from an early age growing up in a 200 year-old hacienda in El Salvador, surrounded by her father's collection of 12,000 orchid plants. In 1977, after attending Catholic high school in Northern California where she met her future husband, Carolina married and moved to Santa Barbara. The Pierpont’s had three children, Nicole, Ana Victoria and John Michael, all of whom now work at Méditerranée Antiques. When Carolina’s husband took an early retirement, the family relocated to Costa Rica.
“We were going to Costa Rica for a year or two and ended up staying eight years,” recalls Carolina. While in Costa Rica, Carolina opened a retail store, an art gallery and a restaurant. After a divorce, Carolina sold the businesses and returned to Santa Barbara with her children. She soon became a partner in a fine art and antique gallery in Summerland before striking out on her own with Méditerranée.
Today, hundreds of inspirational home and garden decorations are on display at Méditerranée Antiques. Recently, Carolina expanded her business to include Cafe Luna, a casual restaurant/coffee house adjacent to Méditerranée. Utilizing her former restaurant experience, Carolina invites customers to enjoy a fresh-brewed cup of Costa Rican coffee while browsing the gardens in search of that special something. Those who have worked up an appetite can also enjoy a variety of sumptuous pastries as well as soups, salads and sandwiches.
“The garden is just as important as the house these days, especially in California where the weather is consistently sunny and warm,” adds Carolina. And what better way to spruce up your home than a picking up a hand-crafted garden ornament from Méditerranée Antiques.