Jeff Doubét shares design drawings, before + after photos, and pro insights while creative teams develop boutique Spanish hotels in beautiful Santa Barbara CA.

Santa Barbara is known for having a wide variety of small, boutique hotels and inns to choose from. These built environments and landscapes are what attract guests desiring an intimate setting for their vacation stay.

It was in 2007 when I first began helping local property owners re-envision their boutique hotel renovations. Each design project is unique to the specific circumstances of the site, structure and budget. As I build out this blog, I will highlight individual episodes for each!

BEFORE PHOTO: This particular client had purchased these two adjacent commercial buildings. Side by side, they desired to combine the two, and make one larger, more cohesive structure. Basically, converting two fixer upper properties into one beautiful hotel.

AFTER PHOTO: The final result of an organized collection of team efforts. There was an investment in a variety of ideas by different design and architecture professionals.

Designing Spanish Hotels in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara California has a distinct style in our local Spanish architecture. Whether they are commercial structures or residential properties- there are artistic formulas that are incorporated to achieve the look.

By the time I was invited into this particular project, the serial entrepreneur and property investor had hired a well known Santa Barbara architectural firm. The architects were designing floor plans and combining traffic flow of two commercial buildings.

BEFORE PHOTO: I would soon meet with the property owners on site. We discussed the design dilemmas inherent in combining two dissimilar buildings. I also receive a set of plans for how the architects had begun to figure out the floor planning.

AFTER PHOTO: Not to get ahead of myself, but here is a sneak peek at how this elevation turned out. Scroll to learn more…

Spanish Hotel Design Drawings by Jeff Doubét

BELOW: A master set of Spanish hotel design drawings by Jeff Doubét. This was a creative process, and technique for exploring various design ideas that could be incorporated into the new Spanish hotel elevations. Basically, options for how the Spanish hotel could be built.

The top middle section of this sheet are the “As Is” CAD profiles of the existing buildings. The rest of the page is a collection of Jeff Doubét creative design solutions for how to redevelop them into a high-end Spanish hotel in Santa Barbara.

ABOVE: Initial thoughts for a couple of new roof decks include a bar, hot tub, fire pit, lounge chairs and tables with umbrellas. I was thinking of ways to create inviting outdoor public areas for each hotel suite. It would enhance guest enjoyment of the surrounding views of downtown Santa Barbara (and at the same time, increase the profit in nightly room rates for the owner).

A BEFORE PHOTO of the De la Vina Street facade of the two fixer properties. The design puzzle was to figure out how to blend features of the one story building with the boxy 2 story next to it.

That would be my primary design focus as I imagined the possibilities for how to turn an ugly duckling into an elegant swan.

Spanish Hotel Design Elevation Drawings by Jeff Doubét

Jeff Doubét shares more of his thoughts while designing these Spanish hotel design elevations for the De la Vina street hotel.

Design Concept #1 proposed building a red tile roof over the stairwell, and opening up a view to the staircase by building a tall archway element showcasing a large pendant light. Two wrought iron Juliette balconies would break up the large wall above the parking garage.

Two large tower elements with red tile roofs would anchor the top of the two story building. Large planter boxes and wainscoting created with chiseled local Santa Barbara sandstone would visually anchor the foundation of the one story sections.

Design Concept #2 proposed building a red tile roof over the stairwell, opening up a view to the staircase with a tall archway element. Two wrought iron Juliette balconies would break up the large wall above the parking garage. Copper gutters, leader heads and downspouts…

Two flat roof sections with plaster detailing will anchor the new red tile roof section in between them. A large new section of red tile roof on the one story building gets a mini tower bump up. It breaks up the massing- and visually helps transitioning roofs at the taller sections.

Design Concept #3 proposed building a red tile roof all along the top section of the 2nd story flat roof- anchored by two plaster columns. A single wrought iron Juliette balcony was paired with a large window with iron planter and clay pots on all.

The staircase to the second story ensuites is more enclosed with a plaster pony wall with corbel detail that transitions up to an observation landing with iron railings. Awnings on the single story door openings help balance the entire design composition.

Collaborating On The Design And Construction of Spanish Hotels In Santa Barbara, CA.

To date, I have designed 4 projects for this particular entrepreneur / real estate developer. Two commissions have been small boutique Spanish-style hotels in downtown Santa Barbara. As I write this, the other is also under construction. I look forward to posting it soon!

Often, my initial conceptual designs become COLLABORATIONS with the property owner and their architect. Early design visions are critiqued. The favored features and benefits are analyzed for “workability” (from practical, technical and financial standpoints).

In other words, the property owner and their architectural team use their expertise, leveraging the “Best Of” my design concepts. They mix, match, and massage their favorite design elements, and add their own take on them as they craft a viable, final design concept.

The results of our Spanish hotel design collaboration begins to take shape. ABOVE: The major structural modifications are now built, and the rebirth of a cohesive renovation of two adjoining buildings is under way.

Construction Photos of Spanish Hotels In Santa Barbara, CA.

Continue to scroll to see more construction photos, and how this design project was physically developed.

Here, you can easily see the combination of various design elements selected from Concept Renderings #1, 2 and 3 (above), and how they are incorporated into the final hotel design.

An expert lather installs woven wire mesh made of galvanized steel. More commonly known as “chicken wire”, the installation of the wire mesh is a critical step, just before the cement stucco is applied.

If you scroll up, you can see the Juliette balcony was first built “structurally”. Then, on this day, the Artisan builders install the refined details of the Juliette balcony. Utilizing architectural foam, a very artistic shape begins to come alive.

AFTER PHOTO: Classic combinations of Spanish-style building materials, techniques and colors have been brought together to create a beautiful new composition of Santa Barbara Spanish architecture.

AFTER PHOTO: 6″ half round copper gutters with smooth gooseneck downspouts are a must when creating a Santa Barbara Spanish look. Dark stained wood rafter tails on long eaves contrast well with the off white integral color plaster.

Spanish Colonial Revival style black wrought iron details for railings and awning brackets are other forms of architectural jewelry.

A direct link to Spanish-style products on Amazon (and my other project overviews where they were installed).

Oversized cast concrete planter boxes with smooth trowel integral color plaster match the exterior facades.

A cast concrete bridge with high quality detailing is a perfect design feature accenting the newly built, creek-side Spanish hotel.

Santa Barbara Spanish Hotel Design Drawings

More Jeff Doubét Spanish hotel design drawings in Santa Barbara, CA. Scroll these additional hand-drawn elevation designs to learn more about how this boutique two story hotel in downtown Santa Barbara CA was conceived.

Design Concept A proposed building a large gable roof (right) to enable a large swath of red tile roof at the streetscape. A “sister” gable is proposed for the second story roofline. This gives the actual long flat roof on the second story some character. A wood arbors structure, open air covered patios with corbel details and red tile roofs add interest to the guest experience.

Roof decks on the one story portion of the hotel are designed with plaster walls, columns and wrought iron railings. French doors with awnings, large clay pots, copper gutters + downspouts and lots of wrought iron lighting add to the building details.

Design Concept B proposed building a gable roof and substantial plaster door surround for the main entrance to the 1st floor of the Spanish hotel. Complimentary gables on the second floor balance out the long flat roof section of the 2nd story.

A small wood arbor structure with grapevines and market umbrellas at tables on the roof decks are places for guests to sip their morning coffee, or enjoy a glass of wine at the end of the day. And a Santa Barbara Spanish style chimney adds character to this facade.

Santa Barbara Spanish Hotel Design Drawings Continued

Design Concept C proposed a third story design element- a charming, mini facade with red tile roof, cantilevered cupola with copper finial. And Cement plaster grilles add classic Santa Barbara Spanish details.

In the foreground, a gable roof protects an open air covered patio area and features Juliette balconies of wrought iron. Other areas of the roof decks enable guests to enjoy city views, as well as the creek, below.

Santa Barbara Spanish Style Home Design Drawing Resources

In the book Creating Spanish Style Homes: Before & After – Techniques – Designs – Insights Jeff Doubét shares over 1,000 images including hundreds of drawings of his Spanish home designs.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases. There is no extra cost to you.

Santa Barbara Spanish-Style Commercial Building Construction

Sharing a few more photos of the construction of this Spanish-style hotel in beautiful downtown Santa Barbara.

Once all of the decorative framing was completed, it was clad with structurally rated plywood. The plywood is then weatherproofed with 60 minute Super Jumbo Tex (A weather resistive barrier).

As the project progresses the stucco team works with expanded metal and stucco netting in prep for the cement stucco process that will soon be applied.

Several months later, the final details of the project have been installed. The smooth coat integral color exterior plaster is an off white color and looks great with the terra cotta pots with Little Ollie miniature olive bushes. Red bougainvillea was planted to climb the walls.

A close up photo of another Juliette balcony at the back of the hotel. As shown in a photo further up, architectural foam was utilized for it’s intricate details. CLICK HERE to see and learn more about how you can incorporate foam into residential projects, as well.

Red bougainvillea vines are a staple on the list of classic Santa Barbara Spanish landscape plants. Here, they are being established on various walls of the new hotel. A hand-made iron wall mounted carriage light casts a beautiful shadow on the plaster wall.

THE EASY BUTTON TO VIEW ALL PROJECTS ON SITE

A direct link to other Jeff Doubét articles and site visits that have Spanish-style exteriors featured in the episodes.

Other Jeff Doubét Spanish Design Drawings For Commercial Buildings

To see other Jeff Doubét Spanish design renderings for commercial real estate projects, be sure to follow my blog as I continue to post more drawings and completed projects.

For example: In 2017, I developed this design concept rendering for the owners of BLANCO an Urban Venue on the beautiful, historic San Pedro Street in downtown San Jose, CA. They were in the process of re-envisioning a burned out project site and sought creative ideas for it. The finished project LINK is worth checking out. Particularly their rooftop deck with oversized Spanish style outdoor fireplace.

Well friend, this wraps a group of site visits and another blog post episode in beautiful Santa Barbara, California. I hope you enjoyed learning how to infuse more Santa Barbara Style into your own Spanish exterior design project. Scroll to explore more helpful links and resources for designing and building your own Spanish-style home and landscape.