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Spanish Revival.

Article Excerpt
Spanish Revival

By Kenneth W. Betz

Remodeling preserves soul and charm

Originally part of an estate, a Spanish colonial style art studio dating to the early 1900s illustrates how remodeling can preserve the soul and charm of a structure.

In this case, however, the path was not a direct one. At some point, the studio was transformed into a residence. A poorly designed addition added two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen and dining room. What character the studio once had was eclipsed by the haphazard add-on. Deterioration and water damage also took their toll over the years.

Further, the home was remarkably modest for its location in the prestigious Hedgerow district of Montecito, Calif., with only two bedrooms and approximately 1,500 sq. ft. of total living space.

Montecito, located east of Santa Barbara, occupies the coastal plain south of the Santa Ynez Mountains and is home to more than a few celebrities. The area's scenic beauty, seclusion and climate attracted the wealthy in the early 1900s, and it became an area of exclusive estates and second homes, a circumstance that no doubt explains the art studio.

The task of restoring and transforming the structure fell to Allen Associates, a remodeler and builder headquartered in Santa Barbara. Completing the team was Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis Architects, LLP, of Carpinteria....

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