Architecture Wednesday: Toro Canyon House

I always wanted a getaway house and this just might be it … though to “get away” it might require a seven-hour flight followed by a bit of a drive, but still …

Toro Canyon House is located on a large plot of land near Montecito at the top of a mountain and adjacent to national park land so it’s all about the beauty and the nature and the quiet.

The road, which had to be built for access, brings the visitor to a point below the house, where a set of stairs leads up to the entry space and the front door, which, when open, reveals views of the Santa Barbara coastline through the courtyard.

With so much open space, the house feels almost like a pavilion, with the house organized around three courtyards; the primary one being the heart of the house and serving as the entrance and the outdoor living room. The courtyards bring in ample natural light and ventilation but also protect the home, and the rooms, from the strong winds that can race across the mountain.

The thick, rough concrete walls were custom color-mixed to match the dark red and brown tones of the earth at the site — would you have it any other way? The walls form a rugged shell that punctuated by large openings and Alaskan cedar wood siding.

It’s the house of house where one can get away, right out in the open.

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