Montecito Style: Paradise on California’s Gold Coast

A privileged peek at the homes and gardens of Montecito, the increasingly popular Southern California getaway for celebrities, designers, and creatives.

Montecito is a seaside community often overshadowed by its neighbor Santa Barbara - which is generally how its residents like it. Though home and refuge to numerous celebrities such as Steve Martin, Drew Barrymore, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the intentional cultivation of a low-key profile has allowed for a unique enclave to emerge, and with it, a multifaceted interior and garden design culture.

From earliest twentieth-century standards in the Spanish Colonial Revival style by George Washington Smith to the style-setting projects by John Saladino to more recent work by prominent interior and landscape designers Pamela Shamshiri, Michael S. Smith, and Lee Kirch, the homes and gardens of Montecito demonstrates a wide range of design styles and eras. Firooz Zahedi and L.D. Porter, both long-time residents of the area, explore this design haven in all of its coastal glory.