This light-filled house, blending Spanish Colonial and Mediterranean influences, is a quintessential example of Santa Barbara style with meticulous attention paid to stylistic authenticity including the custom decorative lighting fixtures and iron railings, Spanish tile roof, woodwork, sandstone masonry, and casement windows.

Nestled into a crescent-shaped hillside with panoramic views of the city, the Channel Islands, and the Pacific Ocean, our contemporary approach answered the clients’ wish to retain 21st-century openness and comfort while simultaneously being transported back in time with authentic details. 

The schematic design phase of this project was completed almost exclusively using hand drawing techniques allowing our team to transport themselves into the very heart of this timeless style. Each stroke of the pen echoes the meticulous craftsmanship and intimate connection that once characterized the traditional design process. Drawing further inspiration from early 20th century Santa Barbara architects such as George Washington Smith, whose Spanish colonial houses were known for dramatic entry sequences, the design embraces its hillside site, guiding occupants and their guests from the palm-tree-framed driveway up a sandstone-clad staircase to a covered entry gate, leading to the resort-like enclosed front courtyard surrounding a swimming pool. 

At the U-shaped home’s center is a glass-ensconced staircase enclosed by a small tower-like form, stretching just above the roofline and creating a dramatic multistory open volume marked by a custom chandelier, offering framed ocean views as one ascends to the second-floor bedrooms. On the ground floor, the courtyard gives way to a formal living and dining area off to the left, and to the right, a modern great room-style kitchen and family room. Upstairs, the master suite includes a traditional Spanish mirador, or lookout, a darkly painted form protruding from the east edge of the otherwise white-painted house that gives the owners a three-sided view.