Have a look in your pantry, or perhaps on the shower shelf. You probably own (or perhaps have coveted) something created by Alison and Jay Carroll. They’re the couple behind Wonder Valley, the CA olive oil co. that’s since expanded to include skincare and hair care, all in beautiful packages. (We have been guilty of leaving a bar of Wonder Valley soap by the sink, unused, because the wrapping’s too pretty to undo.)
“This year we celebrate our tenth harvest year,” Alison and Jay write. It’s not the first thing they’ve created together: She has a background in marketing; he in fashion design, creative direction, and photography, and together they’ve renovated a desert homestead in Joshua Tree, a beach shack in Maine, and a historic motor court in Santa Fe (see: El Rey Court).
Today Jay writes in with book (and movie) recommendations, an idea for an architecture themed cross-country drive, and a paint hack…then tune in tomorrow for a tour of their Maine cottage. Read on:
You’re invited to dinner. What’s your go-to gift?
A bottle of the best Wonder Valley olive oil, of course.
What’s on your bedside table?
Books! Right now Land Between the Rivers by Battle Bull (Jay) and Wellness by Nathan Hill (Al). A small touch lamp. Catchalls with the day’s accessories” ring, silver cuffs, watch, chain, etc. And a big glass bottle of water.
What’s your desert island design/art/architecture-related book?
Jay: Wenche Selmer’s book Norwegian Wood.
Al: A Pattern Language, Christopher Alexander.
Collective answer: In Praise of Shadows, Jun’ichirō Tanizaki.
What podcast or playlist do you put on when you need inspiration?
I love to make playlists for inspiration. I’ll send you one. Working on a new one now for the next issue of Desert Dispatch, Wonder Valley’s hi-dez, lo-fi, atlas, almanac, fanzine and bulletin board which comes in the form of a biannual newspaper. Other than that, lately I’ve been really into the podcast “60 Songs That Explain the ’90s”. The host’s monologues offer an incredibly hilarious and very personal take on some of the best and biggest songs to come out of the decade.
What’s a film or TV show whose aesthetic has stuck with you?
Jay: Almost any Almodovar film… especially All About My Mother, Talk to Her, The Skin I Live In.
