Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Historic Ranch in Santa Barbara Wine Country
A dreamy vacation compound on California’s Central Coast takes a sophisticated approach to rustic Western style
This renovated property consisting of a main house, five cottages and a barn reflects the rustic charm of nearby Los Olivos, a tiny town in California’s Santa Ynez Valley near Santa Barbara. Here, oak-studded hillsides are dotted with vineyards and horse farms. The property dates to the late 1800s or early 1900s and was one of the first horse ranches in the Los Olivos area, says designer-architect May Sung of SUBU Design Architecture, who oversaw the renovation. Sung was able to maintain the historic feel of the home while providing modern updates.
The front trellis extends onto a side patio dominated by a long, rustic wood table and chairs from the homeowner’s collection.
The front entry to the main house is a repurposed antique door with retrofitted antique hardware.
White walls in the main house’s living room provide a clean backdrop for equestrian and historical furnishings. A gramophone sits on a table under a map of California.
In the master bedroom, light pours in through two sets of French doors and a pair of small clerestory windows. The pitched wooden ceiling — painted in the same creamy shade as the walls — enlarges the airy space, which measures 246 square feet.
The bed’s elegant tufted headboard blends with the casually rustic original pine flooring. Old-fashioned sconces with candelabra bulbs add a period touch, and are supplemented by small wall-mount lamps above the bed.
The bed’s elegant tufted headboard blends with the casually rustic original pine flooring. Old-fashioned sconces with candelabra bulbs add a period touch, and are supplemented by small wall-mount lamps above the bed.
A claw-foot tub anchors a corner of the master bathroom, with views out to the valley. The curvy gramophone on the table has an iPhone dock. Candelabra-style sconces and hexagon-tile flooring are further nods to the past.
Fixtures: Waterworks Studio; vanity: Restoration Hardware; gramophone with iPhone dock (no longer available): Restoration Hardware
Fixtures: Waterworks Studio; vanity: Restoration Hardware; gramophone with iPhone dock (no longer available): Restoration Hardware
Neutral tones continue in a guest bedroom in the main house.
Outside, in a side yard of the main house, concrete tiers with pillows provide built-in seating. The homeowner wanted to create a space for performing and dancing when her music producer son visits, Sung says.
Juliet balconies on the second floor of the house front the master bedroom’s French doors.
Juliet balconies on the second floor of the house front the master bedroom’s French doors.
In one of the guest cottages, an inviting daybed sits against a wall of windows.
One of the cottage living rooms features a beamed ceiling painted white, above eclectic furnishings and a working fireplace.
French doors, corner windows and neutral furnishings keep one of the guest cottage bedrooms bright and sunny.
An outdoor claw-foot tub and shower are highlights of what has been dubbed the “honeymooners’ cottage.” “We wanted to create a private area for outdoor bathing,” Sung says.
Chairs fashioned from old wagon wheels and a bench made from a buggy add to the Western ranch atmosphere on one of the property’s patios.
A wine room with built-in bottle holders and a tasting area was created in the crawlspace of one of the cottages. It’s a room that fits right in with its wine country surroundings.
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Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: This is a vacation home for a Los Angeles-area resident
Location: Los Olivos, California
Size: Main house, 2,011 square feet (187 square meters); five guest cottages ranging from 522 to 1,116 square feet (42 to 104 square meters); stables, 457 square feet (42 square meters); all on 8 acres
Designer: SUBU Design Architecture
The homeowner, a Los Angeles-area resident, uses the property for vacationing and entertaining friends and family. The barn still houses horses, and the streets of Los Olivos are still lined with historic wood-frame buildings, where wine tasting is now the main draw.
The main house was updated and remodeled, with new plumbing and electrical, waterproofing and a new roof. A trellis that holds a wisteria vine was repaired and extended.
Sung was challenged with making sure the cottages had a sense of “connectivity and community,” while maintaining each one’s privacy. Her aesthetic goal for the interior design: “Calvin Klein meets Ralph Lauren.”