Property Description
Before the onset of trophy mansions, the quintessential Montecito estate was a summer home amidst spectacular gardens.

This estate, built as a family compound with two legal lots and two homes, is romantically nestled in an award-winning “Secret Garden” of paths, pergolas, arbors, and lily pond.

Located among the early grand estates in the heart of Montecito these two spectacular light-filled Palladian style homes were built in the style of grand summer cottages. The stunning peaks of the Montecito foothills rise dramatically behind the house, while lovely ocean views are enjoyed from the main home. The spacious 5700 square feet* main house, 1948 Tollis Avenue, is designed with the classic crisp lines, elegant proportions and classicizing columned porticos of a Palladian style home. Both the front façade and the interior floor plan demonstrate bilateral symmetry.

The classic front façade of the home has a prominent portico with spacious sunlit ocean-view patios on either side beckoning one to tea time in the garden. A large circular lily pond with fountain is centered directly below the home and surrounded by 2 acres of English tea roses and unique specimen plants.

Clipped Italian cypress repeat the arched windows inside the home creating a stately border around the Giverny-like lily pond with fountain. Around every corner one may find an atelier, trellis, or arbor draped with flowers.

A true summer cottage, this home embraces the light all around. In accordance with its Palladian roots, the interior floor plan is built around a large central room surrounded by modular suites of rooms. A centrally located great room serves as both the living and dining room with a fireplace separating it from the rear sun porch. All on one level, this home is built with sun porches, sweeping porticos and patios on three sides. Beyond the pillared entry, the grand foyer frames stunningly lush garden vignettes and ocean views through floor to ceiling arched windows the entire length of the house. Airy 10+ foot high ceilings with 18 skylights fill the home with light.

Two en suite bedrooms open to a fabulous sun porch facing the reflective lap pool inviting one to explore the upper gardens filled with tea roses, cypresses, a gazebo and hidden pergolas. Each bedroom is a discreet suite opening to sun patios or the outdoors.

The heart of the home is the magnificent sun room – better than being outside, there are floor to ceiling windows on all sides and eight skylights. A room with many views, it is hard to tear oneself away from the serenity and beauty. The main house offers a lovely lap pool framed by cypresses and roses.

There are two additional bedrooms each with its own bath on the other side of the home – one of which was converted to exterior access only but could be remodeled to convert the space back into the main house. There is considerable square footage on this side of the house to be reworked into a more modern plan.

Wind through lush paths to the privately situated second home, 1952 Tollis, on its own legal parcel. This 2750 square foot* Palladian style home built in the same style as the main home with high ceilings, a front portico and huge floor to ceiling windows, is located on its own 1.2+ acre lot. The home is built around a small courtyard with a 45 foot long great room. There are three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a laundry room, kitchen and two car garage. Referred to as the guest house, this is so much more as it is located on a separate legal lot which is the reason the home is so much larger than any actual “guest house” is permitted to be, has a legal kitchen and can in the future be sold or financed separately. The combination of these two properties makes the perfect family compound with two distinct and very separate homes – and that is how the homes were built and used originally – by two sisters.

Amenities
Skylight

Status: Active

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