Q+A: Cait and Sara explain how to design for elegance and an alcohol-free lifestyle
OUR FOUNDERS explain how wellness and environment are intertwined.
When shoppers enter the CLEARHEADED pop-up at Platform L.A. they're welcomed by a fireplace filled with disco balls, "quit-lit" books resting on a vintage travertine coffee table, and a hand-painted art-deco mural that frames the hidden bar. While designing the pop-up, co-founders Cait Madry and Sara Ashcraft included elements to cultivate an elegant, elevated space free of alcohol, something they feel the non-al world often lacks. In this Q+A, Cait and Sara describe how they integrate their love for interior design into the CLEARHEADED lifestyle.
Photographer: Lauren Urasek
Cait and Sara at the CLEARHEADED pop-up launch event.
What role do both design and wellness play in your lives and how do you incorporate those two ideas in your living space?
Cait: Your space is a direct reflection of your inner mind. When you have a more serene and joyful space, you have a more peaceful, joyful mind. It's just very important for us to give that to people, whether it's on our website, in-person or in the shop.
Sara: As we were designing the pop-up and sort of very specially curating the pieces of furniture and the items that went the pop-up. Something occurred to me in being a non- drinker — I appreciated my surroundings so much more. Environment heavily impacts your mental state, your emotional state and even your physical state. So, if you're surrounded by things that you love, things that inspire you, things that are beautiful — that's going to directly affect your health and wellness. They're all sort of interconnected in a way that makes you just wanna feel better, do better, and be the best version of yourself.
Photographer: Lauren Urasek
Disco ball fireplace designed by Cait and Sara.
In your pop-up or in your home, did you specifically add spaces designed for wellness or an alcohol-free lifestyle?
Cait: For me, it was less about what I brought into my space and more about what I was willing to let go. I felt like I had this clarity of what I could set down and what I could part with — that shirt that I had when I used to go out to bars or glassware that had a chip in it from partying. I just let myself get rid and donate all of that stuff. For me, that was like the most cleansing and peaceful thing to do. I think the most important thing for anybody who's gonna adjust their space to give themselves a better alcohol-free lifestyle is really to understand that there's a limbo period where you are really truly meeting yourself.
Sara: When both of us stopped drinking, we had space in our life and in our minds to be very intentional with the things that we bought for ourselves or the furniture that we placed in our home. We were saving a lot of money from not drinking alcohol. With that extra money, it allowed us to buy a candle that seemed out of our budget before, but brought us so much joy. That was something I really remember in my early days of sobriety was just buying things that genuinely evoke happiness and joy for me. Whether that was a vintage piece of furniture or a candle.
Photo courtesy of CLEARHEADED Co.
Chromatic chairs frame the marble coffee table in the center of the pop-up space.
Are there any colors, textures or lighting choices that you feel are geared toward having a space that's more focused on wellness and alcohol-free living?
Cait: Everyone's style is different, so some people might feel that a really eclectic pattern brings them joy. You just lean into whatever brings you joy. For us, we really like neutrals and pops of color because both of us are ever-changing. We're ever-changing in our style and we're evolving and we're growing. For us, we like having a neutral space and then being able to interchange our pieces with an animal print or a floral print that is reminiscent of our grandmother's house or something like that. We like to keep our general space neutral and then add a pop of color based on where we're at in our life. That's just like a personal choice and I think ultimately it's whatever brings you joy and happiness.
Sara: A big thing for both of us is creating a space that feels aesthetic and lighting plays such a big role in that. Candle light is so natural and beautiful and it's fire — literally an element of the earth. Balancing lighting and having soft yellow lighting versus having really bright white harsh light, which feels very sterile and cold and kind of lonely. People turn to alcohol to celebrate or to be comforted, so when you take that away you have to create an environment that’s kind and soft and warm — not sterile and cold. For us, that's balancing light and using Edison bulbs. The easiest tip that somebody can do to cultivate a warm home is leave your overhead lights off and invest in getting a lamp, so your lighting is level.
Photo courtesy of CLEARHEADED Co.
Quit-lit is displayed on the travertine coffee-table.
At the CLEARHEADED pop-up, what is the goal behind your decision to make the space a home-shop hybrid?
Cait: A big part of our brand and our interpersonal life is having people over to our home and treating them to things that will make them feel good. In our pop-up, we really wanted it to be a reflection of who we are as a brand and as your new friends. My intention with the design was to bridge the gap that so many people feel when investing in sober-care products like quit-lit or non-alcoholic options. We curated a space that allowed the shopper to not only see what that book looks like on a coffee table, but to make it so elevated that they want to take that with them home and elevate their space.
Sara: Sometimes the decision to not drink can feel like a big change for a lot of people. Being able to exemplify a lifestyle that coexists with elegance and comfort and also a lifestyle that doesn't include alcohol is a big part of our brand. Being able to go somewhere and say, “Oh my God, this is gorgeous,” and it be completely alcohol-free. Historically, alcohol-free living has been looked at with such a lack mindset like you're taking something away. Our whole mission is to show that's not the case. It doesn't have to be like that. This is what you can have.
Photo courtesy of CLEARHEADED Co.
Mural in the bar space painted by Hilgart.
What are some design choices in the pop-up that you intentionally included to bring together your vision for the space?
Cait: This gorgeous piece that our friend Patrick painted brought in an important part of sobriety and not drinking — which is community. This whole space is really a phenomenal representation of what you do when you're not drinking, which is getting people together to bring the best out in you. We got so many people together to bring the best out in this space. I'm so thrilled with everything that happened and that that has happened. Even though we've cultivated a physical space that's temporary, our website is really geared towards guiding you to make sure that you can have the same tools. We're developing an app that will have the same intention behind it and an easier way to keep a bit of clarity in your back pocket.
Sara: We kind of have this melding of fun and youthfulness in a way. This revitalizing energy of a hand painted mural and disco balls, but also in a space that feels mature and very intentional. It’s just good to have a little bit of everything that makes you happy. Even our bar space has a hand-painted mural and on the inside we painted this very calming green. We really chose things with intention that are going to spark some joy and that was kind of a goal with the design of our store.
Photographer: Lauren Urasek
Cait and Sara at CLEARHEADED pop-up launch.
