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The Thayer
residence provided us with a wonderful opportunity to explore the
traditional Spanish Colonial building style that is so well suited
to the Santa Barbara lifestyle and our Mediterranean climate. The
Thayer’s property was historically once part of a larger Montecito
estate long since sub-divided into smaller parcels for homes. A beautiful
1920’s era Spanish Colonial style art studio building with a
clay tile roof, high arched ceiling and large north facing steel frame
bay window remains as a historical touchstone to that past. Subsequent
additions and a haphazard conversion of the studio into a single-family
residence virtually erased the soul and charm of the original architecture.
Upon careful review of potential design options with Tom and Suzanne,
it was decided to restore and preserve the original studio structure,
remove the more recent building additions, and to create a new residence
that built upon the wonderful charm of the studio, while at the same
time created a new modern home for their young family. Traditional
forms and archetypes of the historical Spanish Colonial style were
reinterpreted to create a sense of place meshed with the Thayer’s
needs for contemporary family living. Careful attention to historical
design, craftsmanship, and architectural detailing blends the new
building with the original structure.
Our design solution for their home evolved into a series of smaller
scale detached outbuildings connected by a generous arched Loggia
breezeway with French doors that open wide to the garden landscape.
Detaching the structures afforded great opportunities for outdoor
courtyards and intimate garden spaces directly related to the indoor
spaces. Even though the project consists of a relatively small structure
situated on a tight lot, there is a sense of exploration and wonder
created as one discovers the many varied individual indoor spaces
and outdoor gardens throughout the Thayer’s home. |
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