Brightland Founder Aishwarya Iyer's Carte
PHOTOS OF AISHWARYA BY MARISA VITALEIf you purchase through our links, we may receive a commission. We donate a portion of that commission to charity so when you shop, we give on your behalf. LEARN MORE.
If you’ve browsed Carte’s brand directory, you may already be familiar with Brightland. Founded by Aishwarya Iyer, the modern food company encompasses everything Carte looks for when curating brands: transparency, authenticity, and sustainability to name a few.
It all started when Aishwarya started cooking more for herself, leading to some stomach pain and discovering that it may be the olive oil causing her problems. She went on to learn that the majority of the olive oil Americans consume is rotten, over-processed with fillers and artificial preservatives and have zero health benefits. Fast forward to the launch of a Brightland, a line of of pantry essentials ranging from beautifully bottled extra virgin olive oils to fruit-forward vinegars, all carefully sourced from family-run California farms and are crafted with sustainable and organic methods.
We caught up with the founder to learn what her most-loved kitchen products are and her favorite home decor items that fit her sunny California aesthetic.
Cooking & Dining
Material Kitchen The Reboard
I have the yellow Material Kitchen recycled plastic cutting board and I use it all the time. I think it's fantastic because I can throw it in the dishwasher, it's lightweight, and anything that I’m cooking just slides off when I’m cleaning it. It's really wonderful. It’s a must have in the kitchen for me.
Our Place Always Pan
I really, really love the Our Place Always Pan. It's super nonstick and feels like no matter what I cook on it, there's never any greasy bits that stick.
Our Place Side Bowls
Some of my favorite bowls are also from Our Place. I use them for salad or pasta or cereal and they're really fantastic.
Year & Day Serving Dishes
I have a lovely pink serving platter and serving bowl from Year & Day.
Estelle Colored Glass
They’re beautiful glasses.
Zojirushi Rice Cooker
I love, love my rice cooker. We use it all the time to cook rice and quinoa.
Bellocq Organic Sencha Tea
There is a shop called Bellocq in New York. They have some really wonderful teas and they have a green tea that I love.
Brightland Vinegar
Our new fruit-forward vinegars are made on a family-run farm in California's Central Coast. They’re great with summer salads, cocktails and desserts.
Photo by Marisa Vitale
Decor & Bedding
I love like the artists we collaborated with on special, limited edition artist labels for our Artist Capsule — Marleigh Culver, BD Graft & Peter Som.
Limited Edition Print by MarLeigh Culver
Original Artwork by BD Graft
Morrow
PARKER ALPACA THROW
We have multiple blankets from Morrow, we adore them. They're just so fantastic.
Hawkins LInen Pillows In Sage
We have linen bedding from Hawkins NY.
Hawkins LInen Throw In Sage
Home Office
InMovement Standing Desk Converter
Invest in a standing desk or a contraption that raises your laptop on a countertop or table so that you can work standing. I can't recommend it highly enough. Sometimes I take it to the backyard and I'll work standing at my outdoor table. Standing just makes such a big difference. It prevents you from being hunched over all day. If you don't want to buy anything, just place your laptop on a stack of five or six coffee table books.
— As told to Carte