Montecito

Classic Spanish Styled Residence

Draped in a setting of natural beauty provided by one of Montecito’s premier addresses this fine residence is not to be missed. Classic 20’s styled Spanish architecture and impeccable craftsmanship give the home a dignified and seductive personality. It’s a home intended to spotlight a zest for life and an appreciation for quality. The home’s stunning architectural and garden design elements combine to create a vintage residence celebrating sun, flair, and distinction. And it feels as if Audrey Hepburn or Cary Grant might just come around the corner to join in the festivities.

The Spanish brick and sandstone courtyard creates an old European introduction to the estate that resonates perfectly with the green terraced hillsides of upper Buena Vista. The courtyard’s whitewashed walls play with the sunlight and shadows of the day’s passing creating a lively opening scene. The wings of the courtyard house garages for five cars. At one end of the courtyard is an alluringly formal fountain in front of an old stand of yews and at the other there are stately terracotta vessels that stand like doormen ready to welcome you to the front door. The two-story entry never fails to make a ‘love at first sight’ impression. At it’s center are tall leaded-glass windows opening to a peaceful garden, pool and mountain view. The main floor has an intimate candle lit dining room opening to a grotto garden, a royal sized living room with a grand stone fireplace, a quiet library, two powder rooms, a marble themed kitchen with dazzling views and a sun drenched family room with a raised hearth fireplace.

At the top of the central stairwell you’ll find three bedroom suites and a landing sitting area opening to a balcony overlooking the entry courtyard below. The master suite has an entry foyer designed for art displays, his and hers baths and closets, a corner raised fireplace, a magical view to the islands and a terrace whose privacy and sunset mountain views complete the suite’s intimate atmosphere. Whether the two remaining central bedroom suites are for family, guests, or extended his and hers use is up to the owners’ desires.

The north wing has a separate leaded-glass entrance way off of the front courtyard. Upstairs there are two bedrooms, a common room, extra storage and a bath. Versatile and open to interpretation the spaces could be used as a children’s wing, a guest wing, combined into a great room or perhaps they could be set aside for business office purposes.

The level terraced gardens and courts oversee and invite the surrounding valley, mountain and ocean views into each facet of life within the residence. The pool with its dancing fountains rests brilliantly in green lawn and the nearby whitewashed geranium pots match perfectly with the cabana’s white columns that create both sun and shade entertaining areas. The gardens lead you into such a variety of spaces and views that the feeling of a multi-acre estate is inescapable yet the single terraced acre at hand is completely manageable. Here you’ll enjoy a wholly European mixture of surrounding natural splendor supported by a refined architectural statement.

The Buena Vista corridor is home to more than one extraordinary residence. George Washington Smith’s design brought forth Il Brolino, which has been a beautiful gateway estate to lower Buena Vista since 1923. Midway up the corridor Reginal Johnson’s 1929 design enlivens La Pumada. Now, near the top of the corridor, Nils Holroyd’s design is on display at the romantic residence at 865 Buena Vista.

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