The drive in tells you most of it: a long private lane behind mature hedges in Montecito's Hedgerow, winding past agave, jacaranda, magnolia, and citrus trees before the 1948 California cottage appears across its lawn. The Upper and Lower Villages, the beaches, and Montecito Union School are all minutes away, and none of them intrude.

Inside, French doors and exposed beams carry the light through rooms finished in hardwood and terracotta tile. Fireplaces anchor the living and dining rooms, a skylight opens the recently renovated kitchen, and every main room looks onto the gardens.

A detached guest studio sits apart from the house for visitors or creative work, and the grounds do the rest: level lawns, layered plantings, a pergola-covered patio for dinner outside, and mountain views over nearly an acre of usable land.