Santa Barbara, carved in layers of birch
Every depth a real step in the wood, not a print.
“Beautiful piece, expertly crafted. Packed well and arrived in perfect condition.”
Mark S., Hudson, OH. Verified buyer
Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands in stacked Baltic birch, 16 by 20 inches: the American Riviera's south-facing coast and the wild islands across its channel, carved one depth contour per layer.
Details
- Dimensions
- 16 x 20 in
- Material
- Baltic birch, hand-stained water
- Build
- Up to nine laser-cut birch layers
- Detail
- Carved bathymetric relief, laser-etched labels
- Soundings
- NOAA nautical survey data
About this piece
Santa Barbara cheats geography: the coast turns to face south here, the mountains block the weather, and the town gets a Mediterranean life the rest of the state envies. Stearns Wharf, the oldest working wooden wharf in California, has reached off the beach since 1872. Across the channel stand the Channel Islands, the Galapagos of North America, with their island foxes and sea caves, and the deep water between runs one of the richest whale corridors on the coast. On the chart, the channel's engraved trench separates the mainland shelf from the islands' own stack of birch.
Each contour is a separate laser-cut sheet, stacked by hand and engraved, behind acrylic glass in a solid Baltic birch frame in Dark or Light.
Harbor sunsets with islands on the horizon: the daily show, framed for permanent viewing.
The engraving spans the harbor and wharf, Goleta and Montecito's coast, and Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and Anacapa islands across the channel. The full state edge runs on the California Coast chart.
- 16 × 20 in
- Solid Baltic birch frame in Dark or Light
- Acrylic glass front, ready to hang
- Free next-business-day shipping on orders placed by 2 PM EST
- 14-day returns
Shipping and returns
Orders placed by 2 PM EST ship the next business day, free anywhere in the US, with tracking.
14-day returns if the size or frame is not right for the room.
Going on someone else’s wall? It ships packed and ready to wrap. Add a gift note in your cart.
Not a print
Run a finger across it. You can feel the water get deeper.
Up to nine sheets of Baltic birch, each one laser-cut to a real depth contour from NOAA survey data, stained darker as the water gets deeper, then stacked by hand. Deep water falls away layer after layer; the shallows sit close to the surface, just like the real thing.
How the water becomes wood
Anyone who grew up on this water has a spot on this chart.
The dock, the crossing, the stretch of shoreline that meant summer. Most people find theirs in the first minute. Every shoreline, island and depth contour of Santa Barbara is cut, layered and etched from real survey data.
Built for the wall it ends up on.
A solid birch frame in Dark or Light, an acrylic front that keeps dust off the layers without the glare of glass, and hanging hardware already on the back, so it goes up the day it arrives.
From the people who hung one
31 reviews, 4.9 average
Live from the water
Questions people ask before they buy
Straight answers to the things that stop an order.
When will it arrive?
Orders placed by 2 PM EST ship the next business day, free anywhere in the US. You get a tracking number as soon as it leaves.
Which size should I choose?
The larger size is the one most people hang in a living room, over a sofa, console or mantel; it reads clearly from across the room. The smaller size suits a hallway, office, bathroom or boat. Both carry the same detail.
How is it packed? Will it survive shipping?
Each piece ships framed, with the acrylic front already in place, in a box built for it. "Packed well and arrived in perfect condition" is the most common thing reviewers say about delivery.
What if it is not right?
14-day returns. If the frame color is wrong for the room or the size is not what you pictured, send it back.
Is this a print?
No. The water is up to nine physical layers of birch, each laser-cut to a real depth contour and stacked by hand. The names and depths are burned into the wood. You can feel every step.
Do you have my lake?
195+ lakes, bays and coastlines. Use the map below to find yours, or search it. Each of the Great Lakes, for example, is also available on its own chart at closer scale.
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Pan the chart, jump by region, or let us find the waters closest to you. Every pin is a piece we carve.