Color + Pattern Enliven This Classic Santa Barbara-Style Home

A happy marriage lies in the art of compromise, blending two perspectives into a beautiful whole. The same adage holds true in design, as one couple discovered in their search for a Paradise Valley home in which to retire. The wife fell in love with a Santa Barbara-style abode, adoring the curved wrought-iron staircase, heavy wood doors and thick timber beams buttressing the great room’s vaulted ceiling. “I just loved that this house had an old feel to it,” she explains. Stylewise, however, her husband “definitely leans more toward the contemporary,” she continues, noting his preference for bolder hues and sharper silhouettes. 

Fusing both their tastes within the house seemed unfeasible until designer Lori Clarke came on board. Her vision embraced the Spanish Revival aesthetic of the home “but incorporated an updated feel with modern lines and colors,” Clarke says. Eschewing a major structural overhaul, Clarke and general contractor Brady Fenn instead focused on cosmetic changes to the existing millwork and cabinetry to “transition into this new look,” the designer explains.

Rethinking the traditional approach to the white walls and hefty woodwork so integral to the Santa Barbara style, Clarke incorporated lively patterns and saturated hues. The foyer declares this rebellious take up front with its double-height walls wrapped in a dappled green paper. The reimagined space “sets the tone for the whole home,” the designer says. “It makes you curious about the rest of the house.”

More unexpected choices await inside the great room, where twin monolithic cantera stone fireplaces were replaced with streamlined versions limewashed in a “warm green tone that reads more modern,” Clarke describes. Slabs of graphic veined marble and Bordeaux-red zellige tile turn the adjacent bar area into a decadent jewel-box space for entertaining. In the kitchen, the cabinetry is now more sharply defined with a coat of glossy dark paint, crisp white quartz countertops and rattan paneling on one of the islands. 

Some new finishes, like the hand-painted Spanish tile lining the staircase, underscore the home’s original architecture. But in more intimate spaces, Clarke wandered further away from the Santa Barbara style’s material simplicity, plunging even deeper into atmospheric hues and luxe finishes. The couple’s bedroom indulges in a rich blue for its custom built-in shelving alongside grass-cloth and palm-tree print wallcoverings on the tray ceiling. Each bathroom showcases a distinct design personality, from a powder room’s moody dark granite and black-and-gold wallpaper to the primary bath’s glamorous mosaic tile and glittering glass chandelier. “I wanted the color palettes to feel sensorial, evoking all the senses,” Clarke muses. 

Rooms overall retain their original formal proportions, but their functions were reconsidered to appeal to contemporary family living. The dining room was swapped for a dedicated media room fully stocked with puzzles and anchored by a custom sectional. Clarke then integrated dining into the expansive great room, nestling seating by the fireplace. By merging dining and lounging together, the dwelling’s marquee space becomes more than just an architectural showcase but a living, breathing room made for lively gatherings. “We never wanted a fancy room that people walk through,” the wife notes. “Now it draws you in.”

Furnishing the residence became a harmonious duet “between modern lines and traditionally warmer colors, really capturing both of their styles,” the designer says. “We used several different tones of wood throughout,” she adds, nodding to the home’s millwork. The great room showcases every shade of the signature material, from the ash gray of the dining chairs to the deep walnut cabinets framing the fireplace. Chenille, velvet, leather and bouclé in shades of green and blue bring tactile lushness. 

The courtyard areas equally embrace the abode’s penchant for color and pattern. As alfresco living was so central to the home, “we made sure the outdoors had several vignettes for entertaining,” Clarke says. Eclectic pieces, like diagonal stripe chaise lounges and a swinging bench, bring a sense of frivolity to outside gatherings.

By mingling the contemporary and nostalgic, the dwelling has now landed in stylish new territory. “It’s just a great combination of things we really like, both the old and the new,” the wife says with a smile. “I thought that it wouldn’t even really be possible, but you can tell Lori was thinking about both of us and came up with something unique.”