I love grand old estates. I grew up peering through the gates of the magnificent old homes in my home town of Altadena and in neighboring Pasadena. I’ve been fortunate to have worked on a number some fabulous old properties here in Santa Barbara over the past thirty-odd years. So when the owners of Villa… Read More
Thanksgiving is for all of us. Unlike some of the other holidays, it knows no religion. It’s equal access: a round of thankfulness for everybody. Since I live my life immersed in the garden, at this time of year I find myself filled with gratitude for all things that come from the earth. I’m not… Read More
The story of Victoria Garden Mews would not be complete without bragging on my friend and colleague Dennis Allen, the visionary who made the project happen. (See our previous posts Part 1: First Steps and Part 2: A Project (and a Garden) Comes to Life if you missed the beginning of the story.) Before sustainability… Read More
I love a road trip. I take my chances and see where I land along the way. Usually, I have luck finding fascinating places to explore—and if I don’t, there’s still the innate joy of discovery that fuels my journey. In the spring, Dawn and I hit the road and ended up in Moss Landing… Read More
A visit to a public garden can be much more than a beautiful experience. Yes, you want to take in the gorgeous surroundings, admire the plant specimens and walk along the manicured paths. But what else is waiting for you there? At the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden (SBBG), you can learn skills that will help you… Read More
Aging in place, in a special place: when we last left our Victoria Garden Mews story, three couples were ready to create a space for communal living, to share food and laughter and a garden enclosed by all of their homes. Before its renovation, the Victoria Garden Mews property was ramshackle. All that was salvageable… Read More
My partner Dawn and I took a road trip a few months ago. Along the way, we stopped in Cambria, where I like to think Northern California begins. When you reach Cambria, you notice a change in the flora. Madrone trees start happening. Redwoods, too. It starts to feel like what California might have been… Read More
The doors are always open on this fabulous Porch. At Porch, the Carpinteria home store, lovingly curated collections overflow with objects, gnarled and sleek and organic and sculptural. I’m not exaggerating when I say that Porch does everything well, from product selection to merchandising to evoking the art of outdoor living with a retail space that… Read More
One of the projects in our portfolio that means the most to us is Victoria Garden Mews. Not just because it’s sustainable. Not because it won awards. Not because it received national coverage in the Wall Street Journal and on the American Society of Landscape Architect’s blog. The project was born out of friendships and… Read More
It was a long time coming: after what seemed like an interminable construction project, the family in an elegant Mediterranean in the San Roque neighborhood of Santa Barbara was ready to begin the experience of outdoor living in a new backyard. The only problem? After 3 years, there was still no yard to live in.… Read More