Bold Program, Modest Budget, Montecito, Calif.
Retrofit Team
Architect: ANACAPA Architecture
Structural Engineer: Ashley & Vance Engineering
Interior, Landscape and Lighting Designer: Bailey Peace Design
Materials
Cabinetry: Armony
The Retrofit
A 2,500-square-foot, 1970s residence and combination guesthouse/home office challenged the design team to achieve a bold program within a modest budget. Collaborating with the client, the designers reworked the home to invest it with a unique residential character and bring it up to date. Focused on orienting the design around the property’s surrounding environment, the home now frames dramatic views of the surrounding Santa Ynez mountains through expansive glass openings.
Strategically, the remodel maintained the home’s existing footprint and structure, yet completely reimagined the interior floor plan, focusing on creating gathering spaces inside and out. A firepit between two wings of the home encourages outdoor living. The material palette was developed to highlight the natural tones and textures of the surrounding natural environment. To maintain the minimalist aesthetic, a new standing-seam metal roof now caps the home. Existing board-and-batten T1-11 wood siding was replaced with new charred Shou Sugi Ban cedar cladding. Concrete floors flow from inside to outside and, together with new anodized aluminum and glass sliding doors, reinforce connections to the landscape.
Interior surfaces, including carpets, vinyl flooring and wood cladding, were changed to concrete and smooth gypsum, brightening the interior and modernizing the home. Luxury is conveyed through clean, modern lines and a minimalist aesthetic. Dropped ceilings were removed, exposing the wooden ceiling structure, which is now painted white to visually create more expansive spaces. Several small bedrooms were combined to make one primary suite while the bathroom was enlarged. Each piece of furniture was handled like a fine sculpture.
PHOTOS: Erin Feinblatt
