Synopsis
'We'd been looking to buy a house, not build one,' says Penelope Bianchi. But when she and her husband Adam fell in love with the two and a half acre property in Montecito, they changed their mind. When completed, the single story, stucco-covered house, guest cottage, and separate garage clustered around a courtyard they built on the property resembled a small French Provencal farm.
Designed to be a subtle backdrop for Penelope's eclectic collection of antique furniture and fabrics, the home's exterior has a quaint appearance, achieved by tinting the plaster with natural pink ochre pigments from France.
The lime-washed interior walls also possess a gentle patina. “By adding slightly different amounts of pigment, we were able to somewhat vary the color of each room,' she explains.
Inspired by the design of an ancient French manor, the house features a 33-foot long 'big hall' with a living room at one end, a dining room at the other, and a cosy informal sitting area in the middle. Identical fireplaces topped with trumeau mirrors anchor each end of the hall.
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