A dreamy midcentury inspired house nestled in the hills of Santa Barbara

Modern California home entry with stucco exterior, flat roof, stone path, and lush landscaping

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In the hills of Santa Barbara County, California, this 3,000-square-foot, midcentury-inspired house is all about the views. Designed by Corinne Mathern Studio in collaboration with Dovetail Architects and built by Allen Construction, this gut renovation spanning two levels is the ultimate in midcentury-inspired modern living.

The designer created a peaceful refuge for a young couple and their two Wirehaired Pointing Griffons, who moved from Dallas and fell in love with the property’s magnificent views and surroundings.

Drawing inspiration from the Aman Hotel in Kyoto, Japan, the team channeled its calm atmosphere into every detail of this gut renovation. The beauty of the landscape was calling for that inspiration.

The result is a warm, serene retreat where an earthy palette of blue, green, and yellow tones is woven throughout with raw wood, textural clay, and soothing stone, and where every interior room opens effortlessly to the landscape beyond.

DESIGN DETAILS

ARCHITECTURE Dovetail Architects
INTERIOR DESIGN Corinne Mathern Studio
BUILDER Allen Construction

Bright hallway with wood console table, stone bowl, and panoramic hillside view through open doorway

“We created a seamless connection between the indoor spaces and the exterior areas that invite you to experience them as one and the same,” states the designer.
In every room and nook, custom pieces of furniture by Corinne Mathern Studio and lighting by Atelier de Troupe, Ruemmler, and Workstead dialogue with artworks by Gala Porras-Kim and Michael Wilson, among others.

Open plan dining and kitchen with wood ceiling, oak dining table, marble island, and brass pendants

Kitchen & Dining

The open-plan kitchen and dining areas share a wood-clad ceiling, creating a sense of warmth overhead. The kitchen features dark walnut cabinetry, a dramatic stone slab in the butler’s pantry, a white marble island, and a striking green tile backsplash.

Kitchen island with marble countertop, green leather bar stools, open shelving, and brass pendant light

Above: Oak bar stools in dark green Maharam leather by Nickey Kehoe line the kitchen island.

Kitchen with dark walnut hood, vertical green tile backsplash, open shelving, and green leather stools

What We Love About This Home

This midcentury-inspired home in the hills of Santa Barbara is cohesive and quietly beautiful. The house feels like a retreat where the owners can enjoy the landscape and the peacefulness of the surrounding mountains. We love the seamless indoor-outdoor connection, the custom furnishings, and the restraint of the material palette that never tips into austerity. The owner’s bedroom, with its wood-paneled walls, peek-through window into the plaster shower, and soaking tub framed by a wall of flowering bougainvillea, is as close to an Aman experience as residential design gets.

Tell Us…

What is your favorite space in this midcentury-inspired Santa Barbara home — the serene living room with its sculptural plaster fireplace, the primary suite with its Aman-inspired flow, or the rooftop deck with its sweeping hillside views? Please share your thoughts in the Comments below!

Note: Be sure to check out a couple of other spectacular home tours that we have featured here on One Kindesign in Santa Barbara, California: A nature-inspired organic house designed by Evident Architecture with Allen Construction featuring a unique serpentine shape that flows among 75-year-old sycamore trees, and A stunning midcentury modern home designed by renowned Santa Barbara architect Peter Edwards in 1962, offering breathtaking views of the Santa Ynez Mountains.

Open kitchen and dining area with walnut cabinetry, dark island, green tile backsplash, and brass pendants

Dining room with oak pedestal table, sculptural chairs, large wall art, and garden views through glass doors

Above: The dining room is anchored by a custom oak pedestal table beneath a sculptural woven pendant, with artwork by Gala Porras-Kim and sliding glass doors that open to the garden on both sides.

Dining room with oak pedestal table, sculptural chairs, oversized woven pendant, large framed artwork, and garden views

Close-up of oversized pleated pendant light above dining table with wood bowl, brass candlesticks, and large framed artwork

Living Room & Fireplace

Minimalist plaster fireplace with rough stone hearth, dark wood cube tables, and ceramic vase

Above: The main living area is anchored by a monumental plaster fireplace with a chiseled stone hearth. Cream boucle sofas, a woven rattan bench, and a cluster of dark wood cube tables create a seating arrangement that is both minimal and warm.

Living room with plaster fireplace, cream boucle sofas, woven bench, and floor-to-ceiling hillside views

Above: Floor-to-ceiling black-framed glass doors on two sides dissolve the boundary between inside and out, framing the native hillside garden.

Modern home exterior with flat roof, open loggia, plaster fireplace visible through glass, and native garden

Sitting room with boucle sofa, teal cane armchairs, sculptural coffee table, and bamboo tree

Dark butler's pantry with dramatic stone slab backsplash, open shelves, brass faucet, and artisan objects

Bathroom with chiseled stone vessel sink on oak vanity, warm tile shower, and wood-framed mirror

Owner’s Bedroom Suite & Bathrooms

Primary bedroom with wood paneling, floor-to-ceiling linen drapes, ceramic lamps, and balcony with ocean views

Primary bedroom with floor-to-ceiling wood paneling, upholstered headboard, ceramic lamps, and linen drapes

The owner’s bedroom and bathroom are where the design details are most apparent. The owners had stayed at the Aman Hotel in Kyoto and loved the flow from bedroom to bathroom, so the team created a similar connected space using a wall of wood doors that can be opened or closed at will.

Primary bedroom with wood paneling

The bedroom is clad floor-to-ceiling in warm oak paneling, with an integrated upholstered headboard and flanking ceramic lamps.

Primary bedroom headboard wall with integrated wood paneling, ceramic lamps, and peek-through shower beyond

Wood-paneled bedroom wall with glass window view into primary shower with marble shelf

Primary bathroom with oak double vanity, marble countertop, vessel sinks, and tall mirror panels

Above: The bathroom features a double oak floating vanity with a marble countertop, vessel sinks, and tall mirror panels.

Primary bathroom vanity close-up with oak cabinetry, marble countertop, mirror reflecting shower, and linen drapes

Primary bathroom with freestanding soaking tub, black-framed window, wood stool, and garden hedge view

Above: A freestanding soaking tub sits beneath a picture window overlooking the hedge of flowering plants.

Walk-in shower with rain head, wall-mount fixtures, marble shelf, and black-frame glass door

Above: The walk-in shower is finished in plaster, with a rain showerhead and a marble shelf behind black-framed glass doors.

Moody media room with deep green sectional sofa, linen roman shades, table lamp, and potted fig tree

Moody corner of media room with deep green sectional, wood tray ottoman, table lamp, and trailing vine plant

Outdoor Living

Rooftop deck with teak lounge furniture, sun loungers, and sweeping panoramic California hillside views

Above: The rooftop deck is furnished with teak loungers and rattan sofas, delivering panoramic views across the Santa Barbara hills that are simply breathtaking.

Garden fire pit area with yucca trees, lavender, and sweeping hillside city views at golden hour

The grounds are as thoughtfully designed as the interiors. With parallels to a Mediterranean lifestyle, where all parts of the land are used, the home encompasses the immediate surroundings and beyond. A gravel garden with a custom stone fire pit, yucca trees, lavender, and sweeping hillside views creates a magical outdoor gathering spot.

Gravel garden fire pit with wood stool, yucca palm, and hillside views