Jeff Doubet shares how a Spanish-style interior was designed + built with beautiful archways and fireplaces. Clay floors in classic layouts were also incorporated to further transform a modest Mid-Century fixer into a stunning Montecito home. Scroll to see construction photos and learn professional design tips on how you can build charm into your own project.
Quality Spanish-style interiors in Santa Barbara and Montecito often include large arches that frame entrances to rooms. Designs for Spanish fireplaces with swooping hoods are also on the wish lists of many. Above: A small, full barrel hallway with unique pendant light creates a special entry to two small bedrooms.
Building a Spanish-style Interior in MOntecito, CA
In this post I share construction photos of how this Spanish-style interior was developed. But first, I thought I would share several AFTER photos. This way you will have a visual reference of what you are looking at.
Classic Spanish Colonial Revival clay floor tiles were organized in creative ways. The traditional shapes of Hexagon, Squares and Pickets, and Running Bond were combined to make an interesting transition from entry foyer to living room, powder + bedroom hall.
A simple Spanish-style pendant light was purchased by the homeowner. It really added an artistic effect to the barrel hall.
Here, an existing pair of arched doors were restored and re-stained. A chamfered plaster detail was designed around them. Other features include a custom built mahogany hutch for extra kitchen storage. A matching mahogany wood pocket door was also installed at the pantry.
Before and After Photos Spanish-Style Interiors
Before + After photos are a great way to learn how to remodel local Santa Barbara and Montecito homes into the beautiful interiors they can become.
BEFORE Photo: This view into the family room includes the original concrete floors and the fireplace, beyond.
AFTER Photo: A Squares and Pickets clay floor tile pattern was specified for the bulk of the main living area floors.
Another image of the original Mid-Century interior. The lava rock and wormwood boards were stylish finishes when first installed. The flooring was an interesting finish, as well. Sections of poured concrete with exposed aggregate.
Here, the redesign and construction begins. This talented Artisan builder starts to frame out the Spanish-style interiors. Note the non-structural decorative walls being built within each room. Specifically, the large archways with chamfered detail.
Re-Designing Small Montecito Homes Into Spanish-style
Small fixer homes in Santa Barbara and Montecito, CA can be re-designed into Spanish-style masterpieces, even when starting with something modest.
BEFORE Photo: As you can see, this home originally had a lot of weird angles and pitched ceiling heights. Hollow core doors, brass hardware and thin trim also added to the fixer upper image of this project.
Sequenced construction photos in this blog post include another chamfered arch being framed. Here the Artisan builder is adding blocking in between three sections of structural plywood.
Another Artisan builder removes trim, existing hollow core doors and old heating duct vent covers in prep for upscale replacements. A flat, “false ceiling” is being framed as an easy way to resolve the mess of odd beams and ceiling height transitions.
Spanish Interior Design Photos in Montecito, CA
Scroll these additional photos to see how the specialty arches turned out. Also see how details such as handmade iron lighting adds another layer of quality to a Spanish-style interior design.
A moment in time, captured on film. With drywall now completed, a pro painter begins staining the door jambs throughout the home.
This is how the arched passage turned out as viewed from the entry foyer. On the left, a newly installed and stained mahogany door. Note how we ordered the pre-hung door with matching mahogany door frame. The door frame was specified with a “kerf”. A kerf is a groove cut in the wood frame so the metal bullnose corner bead can align on the door frame, then wrap into the drywall surfaces surrounding the door.
A beautiful Steven Handelman wrought iron pendant light hangs from an 8-sided fluted ceiling designed to mitigate an odd transition of mismatched ceilings and room transitions. A pre-fabricated iron and glass door was installed at the entry foyer. You can see general pricing of similar doors at Amazon.
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Spanish Home Construction Details
Here is an installation photo of the Spanish Colonial Revival clay floor pattern “Squares and Pickets”. The floor installer floats a liquid leveling compound in prep for the floor tiles.
Note the corbel shape red rosin paper template on the wall. I made this for the framers as a design guide for the decorative plaster corbels built at the entrance to the kitchen.
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Here the tile floor installer gently nudges the Tecate clay floor tiles into place with a rubber mallet. He taps the individual floor tile until it sets just right into the thin set mortar he installs them in.
Once the installation and grouting of the clay floors was complete, a brown tinted wax was applied to finish them. Check with your clay floor installer, as there are a variety of products and methods common for sealing clay floors.
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BEFORE Photo: A view from the family room looking through to the dining room area.
BEFORE Photo: A close-up of the Mid-Century fireplace before it was transformed into a Santa Barbara Spanish-style fireplace.
In this design photo I paper template an idea for the Spanish-style fireplace renovation. The owner had consulted with a fireplace engineer who determined it would draft better if a side wall was added. The blue tape above is a mock up of that.
The fireplace specialists then fabricated the new side wall with red fire bricks. They also used my paper template as a design guide to build temporary forms. Wet concrete was poured into those molds to prefabricate the concrete corbel details above.
Building Spanish Niches and Alcoves Into This Interior Design
An oversized Spanish-style niche was designed as a desk alcove. The carpenters used the red rosin paper template I created and traced the shape onto 2 pieces of plywood. They then cut 2 x 4’s and 2 x 2’s to “in fill” the plywood cut shape and to provide drywall support.
Here, one of the Artisans jackhammers up the floor in prep for the new clay floor tile.
After the alcove niche was wrapped in drywall, a drywall specialist came in to apply the Old World finish. Using Easy Sand 20 in his All Purpose Mud, he achieves the details we were requesting. I admire these Artisans for their expert skill and abilities to build the dream!
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The newly completed alcove became a simple desk space near the kitchen and at the center of activity in this household.
The renovated fireplace design was resurfaced by an exterior plasterer who came in and expertly applied several coats of plaster to the bricks and cement corbels. A slab of Texas limestone was sourced locally and then custom cut, chiseled and placed.
A view from the family room, looking into the dining area to the right. The entry foyer on the left, through the wide archway.
Building a Spanish Barrel Arch Hallway
Here are construction photos showing how the Spanish-style barrel hallway was built.
I also created a red rosin paper template for a barrel hallway. Here, the Artisan builder traces the template onto a sheet of plywood. Once he cuts two identical pieces of plywood, he can begin framing the arch.
For a non-structural alcove like the one above, a simple barrel arch can be fabricated with structural plywood and standard lumber. 2 x 4’s and 2 x 2’s can be cut to length and nailed at 4″ intervals as “ribs” that support the drywall.
Today the guys are installing the pre-hung mahogany frames and doors. If you desire a Santa Barbara look for your interior doors, you will need to account for the bullnose detail.
Typically, door frames are ordered at 3.5″ wide. This width enables the drywall to protrude past the frames on both sides of the door. This allows for the bullnose detail to wrap into the frame, like the installation above.
A close-up of the completed project. See how the frame of the door is recessed a little bit? This is a classic Santa Barbara Spanish-style detail for both windows and doors- inside + out.
Another close-up of the recessed mahogany wood interior door, and how the baby bullnose detail wraps into the door frame. You can order decorative Spanish-style vent covers from Amazon to replace the inexpensive ones most houses have these days.
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Well friend, this wraps another site visit episode in beautiful Montecito, CA. I hope you enjoyed learning how to infuse more Santa Barbara Style into your own Spanish home design project. Scroll to explore more helpful links and resources for designing and building your own Spanish-style home and landscape.
