Santa Barbara’s exclusive community of Hope Ranch is no stranger to impressive estates with on peaceful tree-lined lanes with breathtaking vistas. This majestic Mediterranean-inspired compound ups the ante, providing what amounts to a personal private resort: a regal villa of some 8,100 square feet, a two-bedroom guesthouse, a pool accompanied by a pool house, and numerous other diversions. Enveloping it all is a veritable forest of flourishing flora—including a towering decades-old lilac that furthers the sense that, much like its Old World predecessors, this retreat has been in this place for generations.
Santa Barbara, California | Dusty Baker, Caitlin Racich, Sotheby’s International Realty – Montecito – Coast Village Road Brokerage
In fact, the residence dates to the early days of the 21st century and was painstakingly rejuvenated by a cadre of superior architects, builders, and designers in 2015. Historic European architectural influences are on bold display here, recalling getaways in the Spanish countryside or other sun-soaked coastal locales abroad: earthy barrel roof tiles, stucco walls, graceful arches, iron-railed balconies, and colorful ceramic tile accents. The interiors have a palatial quality thanks to vaulted beamed ceilings, outsize stone fireplaces, towering windows, classical hardwood and terra-cotta-tile floors, and wrought-iron fixtures, railings, and fittings. Nevertheless, the spaces remain inviting and enjoyable, from the august ocean-view living room and a formal dining room served by two kitchens to the easygoing family room. Atop a supple spiral staircase, the owner’s oasis—a bedroom and a sitting room—gazes out over the pool, terra-cotta rooftops, and the leafy treeline toward islands and the ocean through two sets of sliding glass doors leading to a lengthy balcony. The indulgent owner’s bath includes a steamshower, a soaking tub, and two boutique-rivaling walk-in closets. Serenely secluded, the three-bedroom guest wing is accompanied by its own delightful living area.
As a matter of course, Mediterranean-style retreats—regardless of which side of the ocean they’re planted on—assign a significant role to alfresco spaces. That custom certainly holds true here—in Southern California, outdoor living is a year-round pursuit—and on these lush acres, scores of vibrant plantings surround patios, a series of cascading terraces, an outdoor kitchen, a refreshing pool, and a secluded spa, greatly augmenting the square footage dedicated to open-air gathering and relaxing. The property, naturally, enjoys the peace of mind of gated security. And with its extensive collection of amusements and diversions—a well-equipped fitness center, a pool house ideal for hosting alfresco festivities, a tennis court, garden beds and a chicken coop to please the green thumbs and urban homesteaders, and a treehouse appealing to the young and young at heart—the estate feels utterly timeless and destined to be a private personal paradise for generations to come.
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