This Mid-Century Modern, known today as Lizard Rock Ranch, was the first home designed by longtime Santa Barbara architect Peter Edwards in 1957. Shortly after the completion of this home, Edwards began a lenghty career partnered with John Pitman in the firm Edwards-Pitman. 

Edwards has since retired and is now a member of the Architectural Board of Review for the City of Santa Barbara, the Historic Landmarks Committee, and president of the Santa Barbara Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

http://www.edwardspitman.com/

Here is what www.aiasb.com has to say about this beautiful home.  

In 1998, Architect husband and wife, Tom Jacobs, AIA and Cassandra Ensberg, AIA purchased the house immediately falling in love with the potential of the unique contemporary structure nestled in rural Mission Canyon’s oaks and boulders within earshot of the Mission bells.Upon move in, the important modernist themes regarding space, natural light, ventilation, and indoor – out door living were masked by the traditional arrangements of the previous owner. Ensberg and Jacobs immediately made plans for repairs and modifications to restore the concepts central to the innovative design while correcting minor functional defects and outmoded components. The result reflects the original intent – a unique, efficient, comfortable 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home within a footprint of 1,300 SF enhanced by extensive outdoor living spaces and gardens.

Ensberg & Jacobs, AIA -

http://www.ensbergjacobsdesign.com/

This Mid-Century Modern residence on Woodley Road is in close proximity to the Brooks Institute and was sold in May of 2008 for $10.5 million, which included a 5 bedroom, circa 1961 home on 6.3 acres. Offering views of the ocean, mountains, and on a highly desirable flat land parcel, this Montecito home is a rare find within the Cold Springs School District. As a result, a great deal of additional value has been placed on this property due to its private location on Pepper Hill, only minutes from Coast Village Road and the beach.

Built in 1956 and Designed by Peter Edwards this Mid Century Montecito home recently sold for $3.3M, I was reluctant to share this as its pretty dated inside, but I am praying the new LA owners bring it up to speed, preserving the great Mid Century vibe of the house. Sited on 2.8 acres of extraordinary gardens surround this original Peter Edwards designed home, the home consists of 3 beds and office or 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, large study and enormous library/studio. A romantic guest house lies across a footbridge over a creek, currently a wonderful studio. The magnificent grounds feature hundreds of specimen trees, koi ponds, streams and waterfalls.

2.8 acres

4733 sq ft
3 beds
5 baths

Architect Peter Edward of Edwards Pitman – here is a little cool history on the Architect

The founders of the firm, Peter Edwards and John Pitman, were natives of Santa Barbara and the fathers of both men were also architects.  Peter Edwards’s father, William Albert Edwards, formed the firm of Edwards-Plunkett with Joseph Plunkett in 1928.  Their work included the Arlington Theatre and the Santa Barbara Airport Terminal, and their residential work helped shape the city’s Mediterranean architectural style. John Pitman’s father, Richard Hickman Pitman, was an associate of James Osborn Craig, architect of the El Paseo and the Hoffman House.

In the Beginning

Peter Edwards and John Pitman founded Edwards-Pitman in 1957.  Unlike today, they were one of only a few architectural firms in Santa Barbara and although small in size, they managed to acquire major work throughout the city. In time, the firm grew in popularity in commercial development and hired Richard Redmond in 1979. By the mid 90′s, Richard took the reins and headed nearly all design coming through the firm; in 1998 he became a partner.

As the founders retired, Richard Redmond has enjoyed the firm’s continued success and contributes consistently to the exquisite architectural landscape of the American Riviera and beyond.  Richard is now the owner and principal at Edwards-Pitman Architects.

The existing house, built in 1973, was approximately 1200 sq. ft. with a small carport. The remodel included a 340 sq. ft. addition, a new 2-car garage, a new entry and living room addition with higher ceilings to capture views of the mountains and expand the spatial dynamic of the modest sized home.
The House was remodeled throughout with the creation of new master suite and bath with oversized cement plaster shower open to the garden. Green attributes include bamboo flooring, low VOC paints and finishes, dual-glazing on windows and sliders and passive solar design elements using large roof overhangs and expanses of north-facing glass. This is an incredible look out how modern architecture does not have to be large to live large.

Ferguson – Ettinger Architects
8 Ashley Ave Santa Barbara, CA 93103 805.899.9171
email: brett@fe-arch.com

Exeter Place: Literally built ‘on’ the hillside, this project is a classic mid-century modern Santa Barbara house built in the mid 1950′s. The original house had been designed, built and occupied by the original architect, Noel Cook, and changed hands in 2006.

Our client loved the mid-century modern style and spent 8 months in Scandinavia living in the culture that helped spawn the movement. They came to us with three requests: 1) update the building to current standards of finish and space, 2) add more square footage for themselves and their family, and 3) keep the same charm and aesthetic of the original mid-century modern style.

The first thing we did was remove the wall between the existing kitchen and the living room to open up the floor plan and take advantage of the amazing ocean views from the new great room. Next, we designed a new stair to connect the upper level to the lower level and then completely re-thought the lower level. As opposed to adding a top floor or pushing out the footprint, we were able to create a spacious master suite on the lower level maintaining the existing bedrooms above for family.

Our design includes a new roof and new exterior finishes in the same mid-century modern style. We are adding new deck space for the lower level and a new cable rail system for the balconies around the house. Every room will have been remodeled and updated keeping the same post-and-beam aesthetic and most importantly the tongue-and-groove roof/ceiling for the upper floor.

This project is currently under construction and will complete in 2008.

AB design studio is a full service architecture firm. We provide world class high quality architectural services to our clients. We manage a collaborative process for ideas and concepts to create valuable products that exceed all expectations. AB design studio believes in the future. We believe in our opportunity to make a difference in the world through architecture.

AB Design Studio
Josh Blummer and Clay Aurell
805 963 2100

All Photography by Ciro Coehlo.