A Fully Revamped 1920s Estate in Montecito Lists for $35 Million

Overflowing with original character and style, this 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival residence in the affluent seaside enclave of Montectio has undergone an extensive makeover courtesy of prolific real estate developer and designer Xorin Balbes.

Balbes doled out $9.5 million for the spread in 2024 and then set out to create what he describes as a “careful reawakening that honors craftsmanship, proportion, and historic integrity while elevating the home for today.” Now the reimagined property has returned to the market for just under $35 million, with the listing held by the Kogevinas Group of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties. 

RELATED: A Modern Montecito Home by Mexican Architect Manuel Cervantes Lists for $20 Million

Crafted in the late 1920s by pioneering female architect Mary McLaughlin Craig as Slater House I and known today as La Macarena, the attractive white stucco and red tile-roof structure is set behind walls and gates on a two-acre hillside parcel overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Channel Islands, and Santa Ynez Mountains. A motor court with room for up to 15 vehicles fronts the main home, which has four bedrooms and five bathrooms in roughly 7,000 square feet across two levels showcasing terracotta floors, plaster walls, hand-hewn beamed ceilings, and antique Portuguese lighting. A whole-house sound system adds a modern touch.

Standing out in the primary dwelling is a step-down living room, which adjoins a bar room. Other highlights include a cozy den that opens to an ocean-view terrace and a kitchen anchored by two La Cornue ranges and Sub-Zero refrigerators, plus a trio of butler’s pantries and a wine cellar. Meanwhile, the secluded upstairs primary suite has a private balcony, a meditation room, and a luxe bath with a steam shower, a soaking tub, and a custom closet.

In addition to a detached office suite with a bedroom and a bath, the property has a two-bedroom, two-bath pool house with its own kitchen and fireside living area, as well as a one-bedroom, one-bath guest cottage with a potting room. An entertainment pavilion provides plenty of amenities, including a movie theater, gym, sauna, cold plunge, and an open-air bar.

RELATED: A Modernist Home in Montecito Designed by a Pioneering Architect Just Listed for $18 Million

Renewed by Balbes in collaboration with Blue Studio, the picturesque grounds are dotted with Santa Barbara-inspired plantings, citrus and avocado trees, layered gardens, pathways, and several courtyards and terraces and host a pickleball court with a viewing area and a large rectangular pool with a spa and Baja shelf. The home is also just a short jaunt away from Montecito’s Lower Village and the beach.

Balbes has purchased and renovated numerous architecturally significant properties throughout Southern California over the past three decades, including Lloyd Wright’s neo-Mayan Sowden House and a 1920s Venetian-inspired villa that once belonged to Hollywood actress Norma Talmadge, both in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Feliz.

Click here for more photos of the Montecito residence.