Read Ranch & Coast Virtually Anywhere
Issue link: http://ranchandcoast.uberflip.com/i/1534893
his father is a custom builder whose handmade creations took shape around him. "e role of art and objects in the home should not be simply to be acquired and viewed from a distance, but rather to inspire this joyful, creative, thoughtful approach to life," Michael says. After college, Michael landed his dream gig with Brixton, then a scrappy O'side hat purveyor. Fun fact: He was the first employee alongside the company's three founders, later becoming design director. For 11 years during the brand's evolution to a global apparel titan, Michael led product design, quality control, marketing, and art direction, useful skills when he successfully launched his own company. On an old avocado grove in Vista, the magic happens. Or more accurately, artistic freedom. is is where he and his namesake father, Michael Upton, designed and built a live/work studio for him and his wife, two children, and their growing brand. Here, on a half acre, he experiments, dreaming up the next product and dabbling in color swatches. A dalliance of hues are enlisted for art and powder-coated products like LP holders, available in seven magnificently muted shades like canary yellow and collegiate burgundy. "A lot of it comes from play," he says. "If I have an idea, I'll make a prototype in cardboard. We wanted a wine rack, so I designed one. We were redoing our house plants, and I couldn't find a good plant stand… " An artist's work is never done. @ranchandcoast