Las Canoas / El Cielito

BIG SUR SERENITY IN SANTA BARBARA

In the spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Falling Waters”, this architecturally honest home seamlessly integrates the elements of the surrounding landscape with impeccable balance and an understated elegance.  With its organic palette of native fieldstone and natural boulders, 12x14 exposed beam construction, abundance of glass and old grain redwood, it harmoniously blurs the boundaries between indoor and outdoor living.
The expansive 3.48 acre Mission Canyon site is an idyllic oak parkland of varying topography connected by meandering stone and brick walkways, hiking trails, a charming bridge, creek and mountain and ocean view meditation nooks that invite a contemplative relationship with the land. This peaceful sanctuary of a home was designed in 1977 by Santa Barbara and Aspen architect Thomas Wells, and has been cherished by only two owners.

NATURE AS ART

An elegant solution to living in attunement with the uniqueness of place, the interior of this thoughtfully designed home subtly mirrors the textures, shapes and multi-level dimensions of the terrain around it. Each of the three levels of the house resonates with a similar level of the 3.5 acre parcel. 

The ground floor, tucked into the hillside and hugging one wall of exposed sandstone boulders, echoes the sheltered feeling of the lower third of the parcel where a seasonal creek and picnic area nestle under a shady glen of oak trees.  The land opens up to a more spacious feel at the mid-level matched by a highly functional open floor plan to the main living, dining and kitchen area, as well as a 2-car garage, with attached studio/office and generous parking area.  At the top of the property a dome-like hill reached by several hiking trails, offers an expansive view of ocean and mountains.   The sprawling grand master suite on the upper level of the house matches this sense of spaciousness and visionary perspective.

With 3 stone fireplaces, 2 franklin stoves, hand-hewn wooden doors, windows with aquarium corners, and the magic of natural indoor boulders, this is truly a one of a kind property. An artfully cultivated private nature sanctuary, it is just waiting for its new steward.