The owners of this 1 acre property bought it unfinished so that they could complete it as a contemporary sculpture gallery and garden. The largest of the sculptures incorporates a fountain and was sited to serve as the visual axis and focal point for the 1500 square foot living room and angled entry addition. An outdoor stair wraps around the east end of the living room to afford access to distant ocean views from the roof deck. The original areas of the house had been constructed of adobe and served as a lemon-packing plant decades ago. The contemporary feel was carried through the kitchen, living and sleeping areas with glossy white painted trusses, maple hardwood floors and well-lit white walls for their modern art collection.
Ellen Bildsten, Architect AIA, LEED AP grew up in Queens, New York and graduated with a B. Arts and B. Arch from the college of architecture at Cornell University in 1990. She worked on commercial revitalization of Old Town Pasadena at Dahl-Insua Architects until 1994. Since moving to Santa Barbara in 1999, she worked on custom residential projects with Bob Easton Architects before establishing Bildsten + Sherwin Design Studio Inc. with Susan.
Susan Sherwin grew up in the Santa Barbara area. She graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Economics, and a B.S. in Environmental Studies. She worked for several years doing planning studies and environmental impact reports before returning to school at UCLA, where she graduated from the Master of Architecture program in 1987. She also worked with Bob Easton Architects prior to creating Bildsten + Sherwin Design Studios Inc. with Ellen.
Bildsten + Sherwin Architects
1311 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara, Ca , 93101
www.sbarchitecture .com
Photos…Ciro Coelho
