Thayer House is a simple, yet elegant home that incorporates outdoor living, designed by Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis Architects, located in Montecito, California. The residence offers an open floor plan that allows for both comfortable family living and entertaining. Over the years many of the firm’s clients have preferred project designs that have tended to be larger, more detailed and more elaborate. The owner’s vision was something much simpler. For this home design they went back to the basics.

We went with what is essential and needed for modern living. Nothing extra, over the top, or overdone. The resulting size, scale and the understated feel of the home is special. It has everything that is essential for modern living, but it also has a Zen-like simplicity and elegance. There is definitely something to be said for going back to the basics and focusing on the essentials.

The design throughout the home is termed as soft modernism, carried out by local interior designer, Micholyn Brown. She has a great sensibility and everything she does is refined and elegant. But unlike many modern interior designs, it is also natural, tactile, and soft around the edges.

Transfused throughout her interiors and the building design. The result is elegant, modern, yet comfortable living spaces. You don’t feel like you’re living in a precious hard-edged glass house and that your life is dictated by the design. It is rather the opposite; the house is the perfect backdrop for comfortable elegant modern living and entertaining. And the owner’s outstanding taste in design and artwork certainly added to the process and final design.

The great room design is accommodating for both living and entertaining. The size, scale, furnishings and amenities of the space are ideal, making it comfortable for the owner when he is alone and when family is visiting.

The space also works  well for larger gatherings and entertaining. With the flow of the space, the kitchen, dining, living room arrangement, the way the room opens up seamlessly to the north and south courtyards, the house can comfortably accommodate entertaining on a grand scale.

The team started with the idea of a courtyard design. The house embraces the site with north and south courtyards. Large door and windows open directly onto the landscape, the fountain pool, and the distant mountain views. It is quintessential California indoor-outdoor living.

The indoor/outdoor relationship is key. The owner had lived in the Hedgerow neighborhood for years and had never noticed the quiet property behind the large hedge. To his credit, he wanted to preserve that secluded hedgerow feel and have the house design take advantage of and build upon the beautiful landscape.

General contractor Rich Coffin was involved from the beginning of the design process. The architects worked closely with him, tailoring the design to meet the homeowner’s budget and to build the home in the most efficient cost-effective way possible. The house was constructed in only six months, on budget, with practically no changes and no compromises in quality.

Photos: Ciro Coelho Photography