The WOW Files: This Stunning Cliffside Home Near Santa Barbara Is Seriously Blowing My Mind

If you drive 15 minutes south of Santa Barbara you will come to the small seaside town of Carpinteria, California (Google Map) — and it’s here where my newest favorite dream home resides. Designed by Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis Architects, the house was created for a client whose wish list revolved around a residence that would provide a tranquil place for living, art, and retreat. Well, mission accomplished — and then some. The architects write: “The program asked for a master suite, one guest room, a study for two, a more contained den and an informal open living space they could share with their children and grandchildren. The site strategy was to separate the guesthouse, pool and pool house from the main house, by locating them amongst the oaks on a lower terrace. The smaller structures were easier to place around the mature oak trees without disturbing their root systems. Each structure has its own orientation and privacy. A courtyard created an inward oriented counterpoint to the distant vistas. A flat roof modernist scheme complemented the couples taste for modern art and furniture. The design was limited to a simple palette of materials and forms. A European window and sliding door system was used to minimize the frames and optimize the glass. These glass walls were framed between large stonewalls constructed of the local Santa Barbara Sandstone, and volumes contained in plaster walls with an integral color (pantry, guest room, master bath and closet, storage area).” For more of my favorite dream homes you can visit Dream Homes on FEELguide. (Photos by Ciro Coelho)
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