My Dream “Second Home” in Montecito

Although I grew up in and currently call Seattle my home, the charming Central California coastal city of Santa Barbara owns a little slice of my heart. With a background in broadcast news I was — I guess you could say — fortunate to call four very different cities my home over the last 10 years; Santa Barbara, Seattle, Las Vegas and Bend, Oregon. I would get quite homesick for Seattle saltwater and evergreens while living in the Las Vegas heat and always craved spring during the seemingly endless Bend winters. But Santa Barbara was just right; a little sand, a little sun and a lot of ocean. It’s also where I married my husband last year. I think it’s fair to say that Seattle will always be “home” but Santa Barbara is a close second.

That’s why I chose the star-studded Santa Barbara enclave of Montecito as the location of my dream home (Oprah and Ellen have homes here.) Normally I’m partial to a classic Santa Barbara Spanish Colonial Revival, like this one that’s on the market for $15.75 million. You can see those red tile and stucco homes tic-tac-toed throughout the city, many of which were designed by famed architect George Washington Smith in the 1920’s. However, the home I chose as my dream home has more of an East Coast vibe, which I love equally as much. But really it’s more about the space that envelops this peaceful place. The home sits proudly and privately on more than three acres above Montecito village. And although it’s heavily surrounded by blooming gardens and luscious trees, it’s still only about a six minute drive to my favorite beach!

The interior is heaven. Upon entering the home you’re greeted by high ceilings and a strong staircase. The contrast of the dreamy dark wood floors against the white walls feels cozy but bright and airy at the same time.

Everything about this house is a mix of comfy and classic, especially in the kitchen and dining room. There is something about an enormous kitchen with a big island right in the middle that makes me feel like trying to cook. I picture friends and family gathering in this very spot every night and on casual weekends attempting to eat what I’ve prepared and then ordering out.

Natural light flows into the family room from windows that look out onto the expansive deck and lushly landscaped grounds surrounding the property. I like that even though this house is luxury in all its glory, it’s not pretentious and buttoned-up, but rather very welcoming.

Still, one of my favorite parts of this property is the exterior. The opportunities to entertain here are endless — from the large deck off of the main house, complete with an outdoor fireplace, to the expansive pool area and large beautiful lawn. But I could just as soon float solo shaded by all the towering oaks and eucalyptus on a sunny Santa Barbara day pretty much any time of the year.

I don’t have $6.75 million to spare for this incredible estate, but if you do, you can find more details and photos on Redfin!

About Makayla Zurn
Makayla is the Broadcast PR Specialist at Redfin. She has more than eight years of experience as a television news anchor and reporter. With stops in Central Oregon and Las Vegas, she reported on real estate trends in emerging markets and followed markets in recovery. Makayla graduated from the Edward R. Murrow School of Communications at Washington State University and currently lives in Seattle.