With a design career spanning more than four decades, Beryl Dusenberry—a certified member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), with credentials from the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) and the California Council for Interior Design Certification (CCIDC)—brings both artistry and precision to her role as Interior Designer and Antique/Design Project Coordinator at Cal-a-Vie Health Spa. Her lifelong passion for design, paired with a spirited love affair with antiques, makes her the perfect curator for one of the most distinctive private collections in the spa world.
“Le Feu,” a Beauvais tapestry that hangs in Cal-a-Vie’s Great Room
Dusenberry works under the direction of Cal-a-Vie’s owners, Terri and John Havens, whose devotion to French antiques and Provençal style helped transform the spa into the architectural and decorative gem it is today. “I’ve worked across hospitality, commercial, medical, industrial and residential design since 1979,” says Dusenberry. “But antiques have a special place in my heart. I find the history intriguing, and the antique hunt for that ‘trophy piece,’ a sport of sorts.”
A Role as Layered as the Decor
At Cal-a-Vie, she wears many hats—most of them vintage and fabulous. Dusenberry manages the Havens’ Antique Boutique, oversees three websites, launched the spa’s Instagram presence, and created and hosted tea and tablescape classes. She maintains a meticulous inventory of every antique on the property, coordinates and unpacks shipments from France, and styles boutique vignettes. On a daily basis, she collaborates with the engineering and housekeeping teams on repairs and replacements, refreshes existing spaces, and—over the past three years—has served as the design liaison for the winery construction and for the three new homes that just debuted. She even restores and gilds pieces by hand.
“We just received a shipment with hand-painted Italian ceilings, Parisian boiserie, and eight oil paintings of the muses—oui, really!”
A 17th-century French chapel now serves as Cal-a-Vie’s Chapel and Meditation Center
“We have three of the five oldest buildings in the state, albeit they originated from France,” she notes. “And our stone fireplaces and iron fire backs date as far back as the 15th century.” Among a few of the oldest antiques, a 15th-century wooden monk, a carved stone artifact possibly from the 1300s, and—be still her heart—a collection of Biot pots and ancient tapestries that make her knees weak.
A Boutique with Provençal Soul
The Antique Boutique was created in 2012 to meet guest demand for something more than inspiration. “People love the Cal-a-Vie aesthetic—they want to take it home,” says Dusenberry. “The Havens are the original Francophiles, no stone is left unturned when it comes to authenticity.”
Each piece is hand-selected by the Havens and their trusted sourcing partners in Europe. “It takes two to three years to fill a forty-foot container,” Dusenberry explains. “These are not mass-market pieces—they’re curated with love, patience, and a very keen design eye.”
Prices range from petite terra-cotta confit pots, perfect for orchids, to 18th-century Venetian chandeliers and museum-worthy tapestries. “It’s personal taste,” she says. “But French antiques are always the most popular.”
Make Way for More History
And is there room for all of it? “We’re expanding,” she says. “We just received a shipment with hand-painted Italian ceilings, Parisian boiserie, and eight oil paintings of the muses—oui, really! Another container is already on the way. The Havens have been on an incredible antique treasure hunt!”
White egg pots and iconic Anduze terra-cotta urns
In addition to her design work, Dusenberry creates antique-themed scavenger hunts for corporate groups, hosts interior design book signings, paints signage by hand, and has even transformed the on-site stone yard into a walkable trove of fireplaces and fountains. “There’s probably another building hiding in all that stone,” she says with a smile.
If you want to hear about the incredible tapestries hung in the Great Room and the L’ Orangerie, Dusenberry loves to spill the tea on the allegory and the deep interpretation by the artist Charles Le Brun of his series the “Four Elements.”
From her keen eye for 18th-century craftsmanship to her unflagging energy, Beryl Dusenberry is more than Cal-a-Vie’s resident design expert—she’s its storyteller, conservator, and creative force.
Mary Bemis
Mary Bemis is Founder & Editorial Director of InsidersGuidetoSpas.com. An advocate for all things spa, Mary forged a vocabulary for spa reportage that is widely used by those who cover the issues today. Recently honored as a Top 30 Influential Voice Transforming Wellness by Medika Life, Mary is an inaugural honoree of Folio’s Top Women in Media Award. Her spa media roots run deep—in 1997, she launched American Spa magazine, in 2007, she co-founded Organic Spa magazine, and in between serving on the ISPA and NYSPA Board of Directors, she was on the launch teams of Luxury SpaFinder and New Beauty magazines. Named a "Wonder Woman of Wellness" by American Spa magazine, Mary was honored by the International Spa Association with the distinguished ISPA Dedicated Contributor Award. She is a special advisor to the non-profit Global Wellness Day.
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