The Perfect Santa Barbara Pied-à-Terre

Noteworthy new listings….

Built in 1927, 15 Loma Media Road ($2.75 million) is a pair of one-bedroom buildings tucked up a Riviera hillside; from the stone stairs to the pergola at the top, the charm is off the charts. It’s the perfect Santa Barbara pied-à-terre—a place to make love, or art, or both.

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At the end of a long, narrow private street in Mission Canyon, 2634 Tunnel Ridge Lane ($3.875 million) has views that make the trip worthwhile. There are only two bedrooms, one of which is upstairs, but both feel very good, and the cool, calm interiors provide a refreshing contrast with the nature outside. It does boggle the mind how a house built in 2015, with all those east- and south-facing windows, would have split-ductless units instead of central air.

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The 1960 house at 1046 Cima Linda Lane ($6.5 million) doesn’t make a particularly dazzling first impression, but once you’re inside, the rooms have very good energy—particularly the living room. The true primary is upstairs, with a bath that has doors to let abundant air in, but there’s a downstairs bedroom that would work just fine, too. Bet this one goes fast.

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1508 Miramar Beach ($8.25 million) is one of the beachfront houses accessed via the little pedestrian alley you pass on your way to Miramar Beach. (There’s also a shared private lane, with parking lot, in back.) It’s tiny but cute, configured as a duplex with one-bedroom units on each level, and the location doesn’t get more classic.

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And there are few more classic Santa Barbara locations than 1835 El Camino de la Luz ($3.5 million), down a private West Mesa lane and very near stairs to the beach. The 1948 house is a bit of a boxy beast, and it’s going to need work, but at least there’s space for the whole family to work.

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Standing at 2220 Bella Vista Drive ($10.995 million), with the coastline sprawling below, you can understand why so many people felt the desire to recreate the Mediterranean in Montecito. While the multi-columned foyer is like a portal to 1998, other parts of the house have aged just fine. And the primary suite is a beaut. Also on the 2.52 acres: a one-bedroom guest house.

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Built in 1973, the three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath 135 Pomar Lane ($5.995 million) has received a bold, contemporary makeover inside. Pomar is a terrific Hedgerow street, and the lot goes through to Hixon, but I wish there was more backyard than front yard. P.S. Why the tiled ledge in the bathroom?

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The listing for 251 Cloydon Circle ($5.495 million) says the house dates from 1938, but any period character has been totally erased over the years—perhaps by the current owner (who paid $2.1 million in August 2023), or the previous one (who paid $1.615 million a few months earlier). Meh architecture, cheap materials—the whole thing screams value-engineered spec reno, albeit dressed up with copper awnings. P.S. The first photo shows what neighbors will see when they peer over the fence to get a look at who paid so much. UPDATE 8/2: Photos removed at the request of the listing agent.

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The black accents at 926 Mission Ridge Road ($4.895 million), especially in the kitchen and baths, want to be changed out, but the 1993 Don Nulty house has comfortable proportions and sits on an enviable one-acre lot with a guest house and pond, home to a family of ducks.

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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 171 Cedar Lane ($4.2 million): 1950 eight-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath house in need of updating.
••• 2205 Oak Park Lane ($1.995 million): Adorable 1920 three-bedroom.
••• 15 Chase Drive ($2.665 million): 1960 three-bedroom off Barker Pass Road.
••• 841 Mission Canyon Road ($3.995 million): 1914 four-bedroom Craftsman on an acre.
••• 3424 Los Pinos Drive ($2.95 million): 1926 Tudor on a great San Roque street, but the primary is either upstairs (and sharing a bath) or across a breezeway (below).

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