Carlota Espinosa and Kelly Lynch and Ram, photographed at the home of Kelly Lynch and Mitch Glazer.
Where are you from?
C: Los Angeles
K: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Where do you live now?
C: Hollywood Hills
K: I live in a John Lautner house that sits on top of the Hollywood Hills, and a Richard Neutra weekend home in Lone Pine, CA.
What do you love most about where you live?
C: I’m a California girl, I love taking long drives up the coast, cooking at home and hiking in my neighborhood, the laidback lifestyle where jeans, a t-shirt, and a kitten heel is dressing up.
K: I love everything about our beautiful California. A place that has inspired leagues of artists, dreamers and nature lovers including many great architects who built some of the best examples of Mid-Century residential architecture in the world. I believe great architecture enhances your life. As a devout preservationist, having the opportunity to restore two historic homes with my husband Mitch Glazer, has been thrilling and rewarding not only for us, but also for our friends and family as well as the architectural community we have shared them with.
Vintage 1970's Mies van der Rohe furniture set, Murano glass, 1960's "Miracle Chandelier" from Bakalowits, Vienna, and vintage Flokati rug.
What do you do?
C: I am an advisor, investor, producer, and co-founder of LACaKe and On Approval. In my previous life, I was a TV news producer for Fox covering everything from the OJ Simpson trials to the Academy Awards. I was also Co-Founder and Vice President of HauteLook.
K: I’ve had the great blessing of making a living at doing something I love: acting. From Roadhouse and Drugstore Cowboy, to Magic City and Mr Mercedes, I’ve had the pleasure of losing myself in great roles and collaborating with true artists for the past four decades. I started as a model in Paris and NY where I got to work with legendary photographers, editors and designers who inspired me, shaping my sense of and love for style. I have also embraced the world of design and Mid-Century architecture as a historic preservationist and modernist champion. I was honored with House Beautiful’s Giants of Design Award for my preservation work, and have been featured in the documentaries Visual Acoustics: The Modernism Of Julius Shulman, Infinite Space: The Architecture Of John Lautner, and The Oyler House: Richard Neutra’s Desert Retreat. I’ve also been a speaker at various Palm Springs Modernism Week Symposiums and at the Getty. With LACaKe I get to share all of my design, fashion and lifestyle passions, knowledge and experience with like-minded new and old friends.
Lifegoals?
C: It’s interesting how my goals have evolved as I get older. I simply want to be healthy and happy. I wish that especially for my family and friends.
K: To wake up curious, happy, healthy and ready to face a new day and more adventures with the man I adore beside me.
Favorite hobbies?
C: Spending time at home, movie marathons, a good book, currently reading The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Larson and The Ride of a Lifetime, by Robert Iger. I also love practicing Kundalini yoga in the morning.
K: Getting lost in a great book or film. Currently reading In Love With The World, by Buddhist Monk Youngey Mingyur Rinpoche and just screened the amazing documentary The Painter and the Thief, I’m happiest outside exploring new trails hiking, riding or cross country skiing when I’m not focused on architectural restoration, reading scripts or learning my lines for a new project!
What inspires you?
C: Everything around me inspires me.
K: I was in a really terrible head-on collision at 20. Both of my femurs were so badly shattered that my doctors were certain they would have to amputate them. I spent months in the same bed in the same room in the same hospital dreaming about the future and the possibility of walking again. There I dreamed the dreams I am living today.
A Florence Knoll sofa and Pendleton pillows.
What do you like most about your work?
C: I am so fortunate to be in a position that I can work with people I know and love. LACaKe was created with one of my closest friends, Kelly Lynch, because we wanted to share everything that we love to wear, shop, eat and live. Our tagline is “Everything we’re crushing on."
K: The People. People are my favorite thing. Whether it’s playing them as an actor, teaching them about preservation, design and architecture, or sharing with them all of the great finds and tips with one of my very favorite people, Carlota Espinosa, on our LACaKe.
With LA Cake, how do you divide and conquer? Where do you want to take it?
C: We are loving the journey and are excited about our next steps. We recently launched A Slice of Life inspired to connect with our friends at home who we missed seeing due to Covid.
K: We have approached posting very organically and take turns for the most part sharing things we’re excited about. Next up is the LACaKe website where our followers will get more to explore and dive into. We hope to continue growing and engaging our followers, as we continue learning and sharing the best that life has to offer.
Kelly wearing the Thick Rounded Charm Cuffs and Carlota wears the Rectangle Hoops and Rounded Ring Chain Bracelet. All jewelry available to shop below in gallery.
What do you like about working with Carlota/Kelly?
C: As a friend Kelly is loyal, smart, considerate and a joy to be around, fortunately she’s all those things as a business partner too!
K: Carlota is a breezy and positive can-do person. She has impeccable taste and is full of great ideas and fun.
What’s up next for you? Projects/life?
C: Taking LACaKe to the next level with exciting collaborations we can’t wait to talk about soon, stay tuned!
K: We have some exciting collaborations coming up, starting with our new at home series A Slice of Life on LACaKe that just launched. I’m also working on an organic vegetable garden at our home in LA.
When are you the happiest?
C: Spending quality time with those closest to me.
K: I’m happiest in the company of my beloveds with good food, something to drink, tons of laughter and the possibility of dancing.
What are some of your favorite books/audiobooks, and films/shows?
C: Living to Tell the Tale, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. A Little Bee, by Chris Cleave, one of my favorites we choose in book club. I can watch It’s Complicated, by Nancy Myers on repeat. The Right Stuff, Love & Basketball, The Godfather, Indiscreet, with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman just to name a few. My favorite TV shows right now are Insecure, Billions, and just finished watching War of the World's- can’t wait for season 2.
K: I’ve been reading about life and death recently. Those who have felt death’s glance may always be fascinated by it because we know it’s there. Along with In Love with The World, A Monk's Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying, by Youngey Mingyur RInpoche, I loved When Breathe Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi and Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. I also adored The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah. One of my favorite books of all time is Things That Happened Before the Earthquake, by my friend Chiara Barzini. Both of these wonderful books are being made into films.
What are your favorite places that you have travelled to and where do you want to go when it's safe to travel again?
C: I love traveling to Iceland, Mexico, Miami (my second home) and Montauk all hold special memories. I really want to explore an African safari, the pyramids of Egypt and a yet to be discovered beach.
K: I adore Cuba and anywhere in the south of Italy, but Morocco really got under my skin. We lived there for two months as my husband shot Rock the Kasbah with his best friend Bill Murray. Just let that settle into your imagination! Every day was a Lost in Translation adventure. We went from the gorgeous La Mamounia in Marrakech to the Atlas Mountains, to Essaouira, to Rabat, to Fez and back again several years later when Bill was feted in the Marrakech Medina by 20,000 Moroccan fans who came to watch Ghost Busters. I miss the kindness, humor, and generosity of the Moroccan people I met as well as the exotic beauty of the place. I can’t wait to go back again. I recorded the call to prayer from a mosque that I listen to when I get homesick. I’m also dying to do a horse pack trip up into the Sierra Mountains with my man and my besties and a cute cowboy guide…
Higgins Glass dish and the Twisted Naked Bangles. Bracelets are available to shop in gallery below.
Female hero and why?
C: My beautiful Mother Ana Maria Espinosa. She is fearless, kind, supportive, selfless and taught me no matter what obstacle you face you will make it and survive.
K: My hero is my sister Robyn Lynch, a cancer survivor who taught me about bravery and humor in the face of terror. I never heard her complain once as she battled 2 separate cancers diagnosed a year apart in her early 30’s as a single working mother. She’s better, stronger and more beautiful than ever almost 30 years later. Oh, and she was Prince’s makeup artist too! In a way, I think all women are heroes. Nancy Pelosi is a current favorite.
What would surprise people to know about you?
C: I am fiercely loyal. I think people would be surprised to know I am pretty knowledgeable about sports and a major history buff.
K: I am an environmentalist and a garbage collector. For decades I have gathered, thrown away and recycled garbage from almost every hike, beach walk, dog walk, you name it. My friend Billy Baldwin and I once collected 30 hefty bags full of plastic that had washed up on the shore of our Martha’s Vineyard summer house. Plastic is the enemy. Refuse, reuse, and recycle.
Kelly wearing the Maja II Cuff, Imaan Hoops II, Imaan Cuff II, and the Naked Cuff Slim. All available in gallery below.
"Leave people, places, and things better than you find them."-Kelly Lynch
Biggest luxury?
C: I love picking up a box of fresh vegetables, bread and flowers from Flamingo Estate every other Friday.
K: Caviar and keep it coming!
What is your favorite music and latest bands?
C: Listening to Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Willie Nelson, Miles Davis, Brand New Heavies and blasting disco music in my car.
K: Jazz and blues players Dave Brubeck, Buddy Guy, Miles Davis, and Chet Baker. Some old school country musicians like Hank Williams, Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline, 70s southern rock legends Leon Russell, The Allman Brothers, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones and Joni Mitchell (who once was convinced I was her long, lost daughter?!) But nobody does it for me like David Bowie.
Who are some of your favorite artists?
C: My favorite artist/painter is Norwegian artist and family member Dorothy Visju Anderson. I love photographers, Phil Stern, Bruce Weber, and Tony Vaccaro are my favorites.
K: John Currin, Richard Prince. Robert Graham, Catherine Opie, Jack Pierson, Andrea Zittel and Ruth Asawa.
Kelly, please tell us about Shane.
K: My daughter Shane 34, is an enchanting, extremely funny, highly educated and intelligent writer currently working at Dreamworks Animation Co. She was part of the all-female team that reimagined and rebooted She-ra and The Princesses of Power. It is a ground-breaking animated hit series on Netflix. She’s also a talented actor and has worked with directors like David Lynch and Jason Reitman and was great on her Dad’s tv show Magic City. She’s been a favorite model of Bruce Weber and was the first C Girl photographed by our fave David Cameron, but she’s focused on the other side of the camera writing and developing animated programming.
Please tell us about your pets.
C: My pets are Princess Chicken, an adorable Maltese poodle that I adopted from the singer Sia and my dear friend Amelia Fleetwood. I also have a black cat that just showed up at my home when she was just a kitten. We named her Hurricane.
K: We have an English Cream miniature long-haired dachshund named Ram after Mickey Rourke’s character in The Wrestler. He has more personality than any dog I’ve ever met. He was a gift from Mickey.
African statue, 60's wood sculpture, German Mid-Century ceramic, drawing by Shane Lynch at age 8.
C: My beauty trick, I combine a bottle of rose water, witch hazel and water a keep in the refrigerator and spritz it on my face a few times a day.
K: My super easy walnut pesto recipe is a friends and family favorite:
WALNUT PESTO
3 garlic cloves
2 c fresh basil
½ small lemon juiced
½ c grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
½ c extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Put everything but the olive oil in a food processor and blend to texture you like slowly adding olive oil last. I like my pesto a wee bit chunky. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Et voilà!
A Ron Burke Vase and Murano Glass dish sit on an Eames table. A curvy 1960's wood sculpture from the Rosebowl Flea Market and the Thick Rounded and Charm Cuff available in gallery below.
How do you unwind or de-stress?
C: A hot bath while listening to jazz. It’s become my daily ritual now.
K: I practice TM, have a nightly glass of wine discussing the day and watching the sunset with my hubby and almost a nightly bath with Himalayan pink salts and a book.
Do you unplug from devices?
C: I am trying not to look at my phone the moment I wake up and go straight to my yoga mat and practice Kundalini yoga instead.
K: I’m no slave to my devices. I’m too busy living my life. I’d never even been on Facebook – until Instagram. Texting is great but I prefer to talk to the people I love by phone.
Carlota wearing the Naked Dangle Earrings and the Disco Box Chain Necklace. Available in gallery below.
"I have had to learn this, no matter what…be true to yourself."-Carlota Espinosa
How do you take good care of yourself?
C: I do exercise classes online with Amanda Kloots, Kundalini Yoga with Tej Kaur Khalsa from Nine Treasures Yoga and hike at least 4 to 5 times a week. I drink a 16oz of celery juice after my workout. I take one Jarrow Glucose Optimizer tablet in the morning. Dr. Bo’s power balance and a multi-vitamin mid-afternoon and Jarrow Tumeric Curcumin right before bed.
K: 8 hours of sleep, an 8greens tablet in a glass of water first thing to get the system up and hydrated. I take a ridiculous amount of supplements 4x a day. I hack my first cup of coffee with Wholesome Wellness Collagen, organic Maca, Sun Potion He Shou Wu and pearl powders. I’ve been strength training and doing Pilates 3x a week with my amazing trainer Boba Andrich for the past 20 years. She’s kept me in endorphins and my bikini! Since Covid19 we’ve created a fantastic safe-distanced outdoor gym at my house with dumbbells, a yoga mat, exercise ball and resistance bands. It’s going to be hard getting me back inside a gym!
Another Higgins Glass dish and the Square Rings III, and Naked Square Rings all available in gallery below.
Beauty routine/skincare regime?
C: I have very sensitive skin. I have been allergic to makeup since college, so I am very careful what I apply on my face and body. I am currently coveting 3Moons creams, (especially for the neck) Cultivate Apothecary Awaken Serum, Retrouvé Body Oil, Reflekt Hydrating Facial Cleansing Scrub, Environ Revival Masque, Birkenstock Exfoliating Body Scrub & R+Co Sun Catcher Power C Boosting Leave-In Conditioner.
K: I adore the entire Retrouvé line, am never without Laneige lip mask, 3Moons creams are incredible, and MD Complete’s amazing quench and restore hyaluronic mask and their vitamin C+Retinol oils are a game-changer.
What is your style credo?
C: Less is more…always.
K: Be yourself.
Who is your style icon, and why?
C: My mother, always the chicest woman in the room. Jackie Kennedy for her timeless style and my LACaKe partner Kelly Lynch who is the Queen of high/low ultimate style!
K: Lauren Hutton’s tomboy-chic and Georgia O’Keeffe.
Kelly makes these jellyfish with Tillandsia and sea urchins.
What is your favorite KC item?
C: My iPhone Case in black leather. It feels like a piece of jewelry I wear around my wrist.
K: The iPhone Case is the perfect chic way to carry just what you need, day or night.
What KC accessories do you like to wear day/night?
C: I carry by black Napa Bolsa everywhere and the Rock I Pendant on a ribbon as a bracelet during the day and the Square Pendant necklace and Square Bangle
Which piece/pieces from the new collection do you want the most?
C: The Mounia Hoops II and Disc II Ring.
K: The perfect Bolsa bag in every color, ditto the Girona Wrist Wraps and the Thick Rounded Cuff and Hoops.
What do you like best about KC bags or jewelry?
K: They are beautifully designed, unique but classic pieces that work day or night and will never go out of style.
All photos taken by Kendall Conrad on an iPhone 11+
www.lacakelifestyle.com
@lacake @carlotaflaca @kellylynchofficial