Design lovers have a new store to visit in Sonoma County to shop for household items, gifts, and – our favorite pastime – window shopping.

Storia Home, owned by San Francisco designer Gina Gutierrez, opened in Sevastopol in October. The store offers design items that tell a story, says Gutierrez, who carefully selects items for his store that “(share) the narrative of women-owned businesses, people of color (and) the LGBTQ + community.”

Gutierrez sources textiles, housewares, furniture and gifts for his store from designers and artisans in the Bay Area, including Oakland ceramist Sara Kersten and Latina firm Nopelara (also in Oakland), which specializes in in botanical bath and body products made from the nopal cactus. She also works with companies on the west coast, such as Esthète Tea, owned by QBIPOC, in Portland (QBIPOC stands for Queer Black, Indigenous, People of Color).

“I like trends, but I also want to create pieces that stand the test of time,” says Gutierrez, who operates her residential interior design studio, Gina Rachelle Design, in her Sebastopol store. She often advises her clients to ‘pull off trends’ that can be easily swapped out – such as a patterned pillow or throw – while choosing designs that will stand the test of time for their home’s most permanent features. . She hopes Storia Home will become a favorite place for people looking to add contemporary flair to their home.

Gutierrez brings his own story to Storia Home. She began her career in the world of fitness, where she worked in fitness management following a master’s degree in kinesiology. She had an eye and interest in design and took online courses and workshops to hone her skills. Finally, she made the big leap into the world of interior design.

“There were times when I had to be vulnerable and ask questions,” says Gutierrez of those early days of working with architects and contractors. Since then, she has built a reputation for designing Victorian homes and other San Francisco properties, which she enjoys infusing with a modern yet comfortable style that encourages spending time with family and friends.

Spending time together is something that has always been important in Gutierrez’s Italian-Mexican family and it is a theme that continues in his store. Her husband helped build the store and her twin brother Dan Gutierrez helps run it. Dan recently moved to Sonoma County from New York City, where he starred in the Chicago Broadway production before the pandemic closed. After successful years in the center of American theater, he was ready for a transition to a more leisurely pace.

Gutierrez looks forward to continuing to design homes that are comfortable, welcoming and inviting people to come together.

“I hope all of my spaces have this element,” she says. And that includes its own store. “I want the space to be very inviting (and) open to everyone.”

Storia Home, 961 Gravenstein Hwy S Suite 130, Sevastopol, 415-501-0024, storiahome.com