Designed in the early 20th century by architect Mary McLaughlin Craig and restored and expanded by architectural conservator and designer Xorin Balbes, La Paloma is a virtual private resort suffused with timeless style and a rarefied air of relaxation.
In the early 20th century, Mary McLaughlin Craig shattered glass ceilings by establishing herself as an architectural giant in her hometown of Pasadena and then across Southern California. At the height of her career, she was commissioned to design this captivating property in Montecito, fondly known today as La Paloma. With its quintessential barrel-tiled roofline, white stucco walls, graceful archways, and decorative wrought-iron details, the elegantly rambling estate features all the hallmarks of the now-classic Spanish Colonial Revival aesthetic. And with a footprint spanning some 8,775 square feet—augmented by an array of sun-washed outdoor spaces—it more closely resembles a personal private resort, a gated oasis of timeless style and a rarefied air of relaxation.
Montecito, California| The Kogevinas Group, Sotheby’s International Realty – Montecito – 1290 Coast Village Road Brokerage
Suffused with an undeniable Old World ambience, the property has endured effortlessly into the 21st century thanks to a reimagination by award-winning architectural conservator and designer Xorin Balbes. All manner of activities can be enjoyed in the home’s chic, intimate spaces, and at nearly any time of day: cooking, dining, cocktailing, lounging, grilling, warming fingers and toes by a fire indoors or out, soaking in a tub or spa, rollicking on the sports court, strolling through colorful gardens, floating in the refreshing swimming pool, or languishing on a terrace beside it. Throughout, the line between indoors and out is blurred thanks to numerous sets of French doors giving way to a variety of terraces, and from many vantage points, views unfold to the west and encompass the ocean and the Channel Islands.
Highlights of the main residence include a soigné living room with a sculptural ogee-arched fireplace, a comfortable den with a fireplace of its own, a relaxed family room, and a formal dining room with shuttered windows and an eye-catching vaulted ceiling. The delightfully colorful kitchen offers two of nearly everything—islands, La Cornue ranges, Sub-Zero refrigerators, and butler’s pantries—along with a wine cellar and a walk-in pantry. Three bedroom suites are located in the main residence, among them a spectacular upper-level primary suite with multiroom bath, a balcony, a breakfast bar, and a meditation room. Three additional suites open to an enchanting central courtyard.
Steps to the west is a diverting complex of rooms that unites wellness and relaxation. It features a theater, a gym, a sauna, a cold plunge, and an alfresco bar designed for festivities beside the dazzling pool, which is, in turn, enveloped by multiple levels of terraces and a vine-draped pergola. Two bedrooms are hidden away in the freestanding guesthouse, which also offers a living room with a fireplace and a kitchen. Adjoining the nearby sports court is a cool, breezy viewing pavilion.
Another luminary, noted artist, writer, designer, and world traveler Lockwood de Forest, conceived of the grounds, which have been carefully preserved and thoughtfully expanded. Paths meander amid grandfather oaks, vibrant landscaping, citrus trees, an avocado orchard, and raised garden beds, linking terraces and pergolas, some draped in flourishing vines.
All told, La Paloma is a virtual village, an escape encouraging both serene solitude and priceless gatherings of groups and generations. Comfortable, sheltering, stylish, and at one with its setting, it is a place of enduring ease, fittingly named La Paloma, or “the dove,” the universal symbol of peace.
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