For sale this beautiful Spanish style mansion, a proposal with history in a privileged place in California

When we talk about luxury in building, we talk about a lifestyle where the singular prevails, not the profuse, therefore, where there are many mansions, one more is not luxury, where there are many skyscrapers, one more is not luxury, in urbanizations With many green areas, one more is not luxury. Therefore, the Spanish colonial style that covered almost all of America with the arrival of settlers from our country, was not luxury until the early twentieth century.

The singularity is, therefore, a priority to understand true and exquisite luxury, for example, if we travel to Santa Barbara, we will find a very special place called Hope Ranch Park Homes Association, an exclusive area where luxury villas with Mediterranean style prevail. Yes, yes, you read correctly, the Mediterranean in the Pacific. Among these villas, we will find a very special one with a high artistic and economic value: the Robledal Ranch.

In Hope Ranch urbanitation, the value of the homes is between 1.75 and 5 million dollars (between 1.50 and 4.31 euros) and that of the villas or mansions between 3 and 15 million ( 2.60 and 12.92 euros). Well, ‘our’ Robledal Ranch is in the market for the juicy sum of 17.9 million dollars (15.43 euros) placing it in a privileged position well above the average of its neighboring properties … How is it possible ? What makes this villa different or special so that it stands out among the others?

Before continuing, we must clarify that Hope Ranch is located in a privileged position in California, twelve minutes by car from Santa Barbara, on cliffs near Laguna Blanca Lake. It has an area of ​​approximately 2,000 hectares in which 700 real estate properties are distributed. Like any luxury development, it houses a variety of recreational facilities where you can practice football, baseball, tennis or golf and also has access to a private beach (take it now).

Robledal Ranch was designed by architect George Washington Smith, one of the most important and famous in the United States, and that his career was late given that for economic reasons he did not develop it until 1915, year in which he returned from a long trip of three years for Europe. The property was built in 1928 for one of the three partners of Hope Ranch Park, Milton Wilson, and its name derives from the abundance of oaks that surround the hills of this area of ​​California.

From Mr. Washington’s trip to old Europe, he had a pleasant impression of the architecture of southern Spain (Andalusia), from which he made his own interpretation, just as the settlers who arrived in America centuries before. Of course, the architect had other tools and knowledge that helped him make more than 50 homes of this style, becoming one of the founding fathers of the Spanish Colonial Renaissance.

The house is distributed in 1,300 square meters, on a plot of three hectares, all of it is developed on the ground floor and in the form of an inverted “h”, except for the left side, where two guest apartments are located on the two garages of the property , capable of housing five vehicles. In case you are really interested in buying it, we will tell you that it is at number 4.455 of the Blessed Way, Santa Barbara.

Obviously, it is a family home, with five bedrooms, accommodation for ranch operators, swimming pool where you can enjoy the benevolent climate of the area, spa to repair after a hard day and a tennis court to practice sports regularly. The best, however, are its exteriors: large gardens, impressive forests of tangled oaks on undulating terrain and views of the Pacific Ocean and the back mountains that are really worth the purchase price.

The Robledal is one of the purest versions of the colonial style, refined and discreet, it is anchored in the essence of the old Santa Barbara. Smith distributed the rooms to take advantage of the powerful sunlight and establish a dialogue with the shadows as a welcoming, protective element. The house has generous aluminum carpentry that are not the original, although it retains the powerful wooden doors and wrought iron lattices, very common Spanish style.

Other features that we can appreciate in the colonial style are the thick perimeter and interior walls, finished with an exquisite white stucco. The mansion is covered with details that remind of Andalusia as ogival arches to move from one room to another, steps where the riser is formed by bright colored tiles, leaving the entire surface with traditional ceramics with different formats (rectangular, rhomboid, trapezoidal), handmade in Saltillo, capital of the state of Coahuila, Mexico.

The roofs are made with wooden coffered ceilings with beams and braces carved by hand, giving a vivid sense of biophilia. Of course, there are several chimneys in the house, plastered in white and with a very peculiar design. Many of the furniture is original, although the kitchen has been renovated and the former owner made furniture for the dining room and the office desk. He also added a solarium in the center of the house.

This distribution on one floor, permit that the property is permanently connected to the exterior of the farm where, if you dare to buy it, you can enjoy incredible views of the Pacific Ocean and the Channel Islands. Of course, you can walk winding paths between oaks for hours or stroll through the gardens of the estate, enjoying inside and outside this wonderful work of architecture from the beginning of the last century, the revival of the Spanish style, for more signs.

More details that claim this style are the exterior balustrades, the roundabout at the entrance of the property, planters everywhere, thick knot carpets that organize the house, traditional tile roofs, marble or ceramic fountains, in short, everything What individualizes this style. By the way, even if it seems weird, the property has been irregularly in the market since 2011, without being able to sell it, although the price has not varied in excess, will it be waiting for you?