"Knots" of Love

It’s not every day that Oprah Winfrey graces the cover of O, The Oprah Magazine in your gold linen caftan and matching fedora. But for our friends Michael Ward and Manel Garcia Espejo of The Salting, that dream came true — just months after launching the brand. A moment of pure joy, and a reminder of the resonance and reach of their work. We couldn’t be happier to see the next chapter unfold — this time, right here in Bellport Village, with the opening of The Salting’s new flagship store.

 

 

Known for their clean lines, thoughtful detailing, and a style that feels both edited and expressive, The Salting has long stood apart — and now, it has a place to call home, just off Bellport Lane.

 

But really, it all began with their home.

 

Longtime residents of Brookhaven Hamlet, Michael and Manel have become part of the fabric of this community — and in their case, the metaphor feels especially fitting.

 

Photography by Ellen McDermott

 

The very first home they toured, a 19th-century Victorian farmhouse with original wavy-glass windows and views toward the marina, ended up being the one they chose. It was the beginning of something deeply personal. As they shared in Hamptons Cottages & Gardens, they wanted the interiors to feel “lived in, but edited.” With whitewashed walls, painted floors, and antique lighting, the home offers calm without pretense — and it’s also where they were married, which makes the whole story even more special. Most mornings, they still walk to the nearby marina with coffee mugs in hand — a quiet ritual that speaks to the pace, and the place, they’ve come to love.

 

Photography by Ellen McDermott

 

Though Ward and Espejo are known for their sharp design instincts, they welcomed the perspective of their friend Courtney Taylor, an interior designer based in Providence, who remained on speed dial throughout the 

renovation.

 

 

Photography by Ellen McDermott

Photography by Ellen McDermott

 

 

We were proud to help them find that house — and just as proud to help them find the space for their store. For a while, they had talked about moving their studio from Ronkonkoma to Bellport, and when the time came, we knew it was the right match. After a thoughtful search, they landed at 12 Station Road and transformed the building completely — softening its former red-brick exterior with a creamy, sandy tone and giving it a presence that now feels unmistakably theirs.

 

Photography by Eduardo Amorim

 

Now open, the shop is part retail, part studio. In the front: their latest collection — crisp shirting, flowing caftans, maritime-printed trousers, and sculptural rope accessories that nod to nautical forms without feeling literal. In the back: a working studio where fabric is cut and new pieces take shape. The space doesn’t feel like a store — it feels like a home.

 

The Salting has always embraced a fluid sense of identity, designing without boundaries or convention. And Bellport, with its creative roots and open-minded spirit, feels like the right place for that kind of expression. There is room here for individuality, for quiet confidence, for ideas that do not need to be labeled.

 

Photography by Eduardo Amorim

Photography by Eduardo Amorim

 

Photography by Eduardo Amorim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’re honored to have played a small role in their story and even more proud to see how Michael and Manel continue to shape the creative spirit of this place.

 

12 Station Road, Bellport Village

 

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