Spanish Interiors Collection 1

Santa Barbara Home Designer Jeff Doubét shares drawings and a portfolio of 26 photos showing how modern Spanish interiors were developed in this two-story home.

Modern Spanish Interior Living Room with Fireplace and Staircase in Santa Barbara California
a Modern Spanish Staircase in a Recently Remodeled Living Room in Santa Barbara Ca
Modern Spanish Staircase in Santa Barbara Ca

I will share some Before photos for the project, but I first wanted to encourage you with a few After photos.

You may be contemplating the purchase of a Santa Barbara or Montecito fixer upper home. Or, perhaps you already own a home and want to embark on a high end remodel. Either way, in this episode I hope you will learn from the Before and After shots, and the insights I provide.

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

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
a Jeff Doubét Design See Through Niche
a Spanish Style Plaster Range Hood Installed Above a Black La Cornue Range
Black La Cornue Range with a Custom Spanish Range Hood

As one example: you can purchase this black 36″ La Cornue range online. But for this Spanish style kitchen reno, I personally met with the homeowner to discuss a plaster hood design to compliment it. Both the kitchen range hood and living room fireplace were custom designed, together. You too can create a brother sister sibling feel to the major interior design components of your Santa Barbara style home.

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

Look at the soft landing of this modern Spanish style staircase we designed in this Santa Barbara home. My design collaboration with the artistic homeowner was magical. Initially, I proposed more traditional Santa Barbara Spanish interior design elements. He desired a contemporary spin on those early ideas. A combo of both is what I think made this home extra special.

Building Spanish Home Interiors

Building high quality Spanish interiors in Santa Barbara and Montecito is both an art and a science. The art is coming up with creative ideas and design solutions for improving the existing interior space(s). The sizzle that makes your friends and family happy to be in your home. The science is in architect and structural engineer working drawings for a building permit and construction. Then, back to other artistic groups- the Artisans who will handcraft your one-of-a-kind property.

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. It is the first room you enter, and he needed help with designing the wow factor. A new fireplace design would be part of a showcase focal point.

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 I sketched for the living room. It had a more traditional Santa Barbara Spanish vibe to it.

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 Design until you Like It

Once mocked up, the homeowner decided to put more of a modern contemporary spin on the fireplace design. New design challenge accepted! This is the refined concept design for the contemporary Spanish style fireplace with hood detail.

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

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.

Artisans Hand Crafting a Modern Contemporary Spanish Style Fireplace with Hood Design in Santa Barbara California
Artisans Making a Modern Spanish Fireplace Design
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, and in the process… staked his claim on a new local Santa Barbara Classic.

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 elegant, old world charm into your modern and contemporary Spanish interior design. See how nice the subtle arch in the stair landing works well with the arched opening next to it? I thought the round iron and glass table and fireplace mirror also nicely softens the space.

Designing and building a Spanish staircase

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

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

As mentioned, I walked in to this Santa Barbara Spanish reno as demolition was under way. 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

My initial design thoughts for this space was to create a more dramatic stair landing. It is another one of the first things you see when entering the home. I also proposed double framing the walls, to give the remodeled archway a much higher perceived value. Also, I imagined a see through niche at the base of the stair landing would one day provide fun peek views from a lot of vantage points.

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

The homeowner and his builder decided to get the clean air return vent and other mechanicals installed, first. 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 like my original concept sketch. You can imagine how impressed I was- total dedication with a capital D!

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
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 admire about this custom installation is how the iron balusters terminate into the plaster wing walls.

a Completed Modern Spanish Remodel in Santa Barbara California Showing a Sitting Area Archway and Staircase Beyond
Spanish Art and Décor in Santa Barbara Ca

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

I think you will agree that another high visual impact area of a custom, high-end Spanish style home… is your kitchen.

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

I smiled big when the homeowner pulled back the packing blanket that was protecting this gorgeous, black La Cornue range. He had purchased it years earlier, waiting for the right project. It was on that day we discussed a Spanish style range hood that would be compatible with it, and the fireplace design in the adjacent living room.

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
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

Another shot of 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

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* Important Note: I post my favorite photos and stories for Pure Entertainment Value Only. Please consult with your licensed architect, general contractor and local building department for anything relating to your own design/build project. Full Disclaimer HERE

Jeff Doubét Book on Amazon

Did you know the Jeff Doubét Spanish Home Design Blog started out as a Coffee Table Book?  With over 1,000 images- it is reassuringly expensive.  Thank you Readers for your many kind reviews!

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