Spanish Interiors Collection 1 › Creating Spanish Style Home

Go behind the scenes to this Santa Barbara Riviera neighborhood interior design renovation with Before and After photos. Santa Barbara Home Designer Jeff Doubét shares drawings and a portfolio of 26 photos showing how this modern Spanish interior design project was developed in this two-story home.

Modern Spanish Interior Living Room with Fireplace and Staircase in Santa Barbara, California

The special interior details within this local Santa Barbara Spanish-style home were developed as a collaboration between the homeowner and myself. The Pasadena couple had purchased the Santa Barbara fixer upper a few years back. They sought creative ideas for the interior, as well as the Exterior.

a Modern Spanish Staircase in a Recently Remodeled Living Room in Santa Barbara, Ca — Modern Spanish Staircase in Santa Barbara Ca

Are you contemplating the purchase of a Santa Barbara or Montecito fixer upper home? Maybe you already own a home, and want to embark on a high-end remodel. Either way, I hope this episode will provide insights in how you can achieve your goals.

Modern Spanish Contemporary Furnishings in a Santa Barbara, California Spanish Home. — Modern Spanish Home with Old World Charm

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Designing Spanish Interiors in Santa Barbara, CA

I love designing Spanish-style interiors. There are so many special details that can be imagined and built. Furnishings, appliances, art and other home goods are a big part of your “house jewelry”. But equally as important is designing the Interior Architecture.

a See Through Spanish Niche Frames a View into a Modern Kitchen with Plaster Range Hood.

Spanish-style Interior Architecture: Charm-giving elements that can be incorporated into a custom Spanish home. Permanently built things like thicker walls, arches, niches, plaster fireplaces and range hoods.

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Spanish-style products on Amazon, and my project overviews where they were installed.

a Spanish Style Plaster Range Hood Installed Above a Black La Cornue Range. — Black La Cornue Range with a Custom Spanish Range Hood

As an example: For this Spanish style kitchen reno, a custom plaster hood was designed and built to be paired with this black 36″ La Cornue range. When designing this kitchen range hood, the living room fireplace design was kept in mind. Having a kitchen range hood have similar design features as a fireplace can help bring cohesiveness to your Spanish interior design.

a Modern Spanish Style Staircase Design Has Painted White Wood Risers and Dark Wood Stair Treads in Santa Barbara, Ca — Contemporary Spanish Staircase Design in Santa Barbara Ca

This modern Spanish-style staircase was also designed as a collaboration with the homeowner. We combined his desire for a contemporary spin, with the traditional Santa Barbara Spanish details I had originally sketched. I think the combo of both is what made this overall home renovation extra special.

Building Spanish Home Interiors

I believe building high quality Spanish interiors in Santa Barbara and Montecito is both an art and a science. The art is in coming up with creative ideas and design solutions for existing interior space(s). Those special details that make you, your friends and family happy to be in your home. The science is in architect and structural engineer working drawings for the building permit and construction.

a Spanish Style Home Remodel in Early Demolition Stage in Santa Barbara, Ca — Spanish Style Renovations in Santa Barbara Ca

When I was first invited into this project, demo was well under way. A permit had been issued and construction was happening. One design dilemma the owner struggled with was the living room. He felt it needed more sizzle and charm and needed help designing it.

a Jeff Doubét Design Sketch for a Spanish Style Fireplace, Staircase and Interior Design of a Home in Santa Barbara, California. — a Jeff Doubét Sketch for Santa Barbara Style Spanish Interior

Here was an early design concept for the living room. It had a more traditional Santa Barbara Spanish vibe to it. The new fireplace design would become a feature focal point.

a High Quality Fireplace Insert Being Installed in a Spanish Style Home Renovation in Santa Barbara, California — Installing a High Quality Firebox for New Spanish Fireplace

The concept drawing was well received, and the high-end build continued.

a Spanish Style Fireplace Mock Up in a House Being Renovated in Santa Barbara, California — Spanish Fireplace Design Mock Up

Believe it or not, this early photo (above) shows how the early fireplace design concept was mocked up for the homeowner. They wanted to see and feel the scale and proportion within the room, before real construction began.

a Jeff Doubét Sketch for a Modern Contemporary Spanish Style Fireplace Design for a Home in Santa Barbara, California. — a Fireplace Design by Jeff Doubét

Refining a Spanish-Style Interior Design (until you Like It)

Once mocked up, the homeowner decided to put more of a modern contemporary spin on the fireplace design.

Spanish House Renovation in Santa Barbara, Ca with a View Through an Archway to a Living Room Fireplace, Beyond — Spanish Style Home Under Construction in Santa Barbara Ca

The design concept was revised and the independent General Contractor got right on it. Here, the overall design concept for the room starts to take shape.

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Developing beautiful Spanish Interiors

Creating beautiful, high quality Spanish-style homes requires employing the independent Artisan trades. They know how to make the charm-giving elements that you and your family will fall in love with.

2 Artisans Hand Crafting a Modern Contemporary Spanish Style Fireplace with Hood Design in Santa Barbara, California. — Artisans Making a Modern Spanish Fireplace Design

Here, a talented team of local Artisans handcraft a custom Spanish style fireplace design in Santa Barbara, CA. It never gets old to be on job sites like this. I love being there at the project capturing the guys on film as they build these highly desired Spanish style elements. Check out another full Photo Blog episode on creating a Spanish-style fireplace with hood.

a Modern Spanish Interior Design in Santa Barbara, Ca with Contemporary Furnishings and a Fireplace in the Background. — Spanish Interior Design in Santa Barbara Ca

Fast forward a few months later, and you can see how everything came together. Look at how nice the simple color palette works with the built elements. The black staircase handrail and balusters look awesome with the black hearth and dark stained stair treads. Full credit to the homeowner for going this dark. I think it turned out super cool.

a Modern Spanish Style Home Interior Design Includes Contemporary Furnishings and is Accented with a Fireplace with Hood, and an Elegant Staircase with Dark Wood Treads and Painted White Risers. — Santa Barbara Style Spanish Interior Design

Imagine how you might design your own Spanish home with elegant, old world charm combined with modern and contemporary Spanish interior design.

Designing and building a Spanish staircase

Don’t be discouraged or underestimate what you will create in your own Spanish style home renovation. Great projects sometime start as humble beginnings.

Demolition of the Interior of a Spanish Style Home in Santa Barbara, California — Remodeling a Spanish Home in Santa Barbara Ca

Above, the BEFORE photo for the staircase and view to the future kitchen.

a Jeff Doubét Design Sketch for a Spanish Style Staircase and Interior Design of a Home in Santa Barbara, California. — a Jeff Doubét Sketch for a Spanish Style Staircase Design

Above: You can see a variety of design ideas you can consider in your own renovation. In this initial design concept there are proposed double framing of the walls at the archway, and a new see through niche at the base of the stair landing.

Design Planning of a Spanish Style Staircase is Temporarily Mocked Up with Wood in a Santa Barbara, California Home Renovation. — Design Planning for a Spanish Staircase

The photo above documents the design and planning stage for this special stair landing. The homeowner worked with his builder to mock up the sophisticated curves of the wing walls the iron railing would be built upon.

Construction Photo of a Spanish Style Staircase Being Mocked Up Inside a Home Renovation Under Way in Santa Barbara, Ca — Spanish Stair Landing Mock Up

Above: a closer look at how the general contractor used thin craft wood to gently bend and “skin” over a wood frame. Again, an extra effort to prove the concept before more expensive construction began.

Construction Photo of a a Spanish Style Staircase Under Construction in Santa Barbara, California — Drywall Work at a Spanish Staircase Under Construction

First, clean air return vent and other mechanicals were installed. The decorative wings and arched steps would be refined from here.

Refining a Spanish staircase design

Technical drawings were developed by the artistic homeowner who was bent (no pun intended) on getting everything to look just right.

a Computer Drawing of a Spanish Style Staircase Design and Drawing in Santa Barbara, Ca — Spanish Staircase Cad Drawing

a Curved Set of Steps at the Bottom of a Spanish Staircase Landing in a Completed Home Renovation in Santa Barbara, California. — Close Up of Spanish Balusters

And this is how his hard work paid off. There is something really mesmerizing about this contemporary Spanish staircase railing. The dark stained wood stair treads contrast beautifully with light European Oak floors.

a Modern Spanish Remodel in Santa Barbara, California Showing a Grand Staircase and a Kitchen Beyond. — Custom Spanish Iron Railings and Staircase in Santa Barbara

Another thing to to take note: This custom installation has the iron balusters terminating into the plaster wing walls. A custom detail that looks cool.

a Completed Modern Spanish Remodel in Santa Barbara, California Showing a Sitting Area, Archway and Staircase Beyond.

Contemporary art and décor was brought into the space, proving to be perfectly compatible within a modern Spanish style home and interior design.

Spanish kitchen design ideas

A high-end Spanish-style kitchen can be another high visual impact area of your custom home.

a French Black La Cornue Range Stove is Paired with a Spanish Style Plaster Range Hood in a Contemporary Modern Spanish Home in Santa Barbara, California — a French Style Black La Cornue Range in a Spanish Kitchen

an Artisan Hand Crafts a Spanish Style Plaster Range Hood in a Santa Barbara, Ca Remodel. — Santa Barbara Artisan Making a Spanish Style Range Hood

Would you like to learn more about how this Santa Barbara style kitchen range hood was handcrafted as a beautiful work of art? Check out Episode 20 – a Modern Masters post where the skill of this very talented Artisan is showcased.

a Contemporary Modern Spanish Style Kitchen in Santa Barbara, California Has a Plaster Range Hood and a Black French Range. — Modern Spanish Kitchen Design in Santa Barbara Ca

The completed Spanish kitchen design in this high-end home renovation in Santa Barbara.

a Modern Spanish Living Room in Santa Barbara, California with Fireplace and Spanish Staircase in the Background. — Santa Barbara Interior Design for Spanish Homes

Well friend, this wraps another site visit episode in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA. I hope you enjoyed learning how to infuse more Santa Barbara Style into your own Spanish home interior design project. Scroll to explore more helpful links and resources for designing and building your own Spanish-style home and landscape.