1920 Estate on a Hunky Chunk of Padaro Lane

Noteworthy new listings….

The listing for 3191 Padaro Lane ($42 million) includes a fabulous 1930 aerial shot, with the 1920 estate more or less alone on the coast. These days, the house isn’t quite as interesting as the land: 5.47 acres across two parcels, each with beach access, and 335 feet of ocean frontage.

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1650 East Valley Road ($12.25 million) was built in 2002 but comes off older in a good way, with classic traditional interiors that have stood the test of time (notwithstanding the wine room, which evokes a Shakey’s Pizza Parlor). The five-bedroom main house seems big enough on its own, but there are also very handsome guest quarters and an itty-bitty pavilion by the back gate. The location is convenient, with a caveat—it’s on the S-shaped stretch of East Valley Road across from Knollwood Tennis Club, where looking both ways as you exit the property could give your neck a workout.

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2079 Las Canoas Road ($2.2 million) is one of those houses where you’re not quite sure where to enter; inside is pure 1970s architecture, including an overly prominent staircase. The lot is 2.18 acres and decidedly woodsy, with a terrace in a holler.

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In a week with more new listings, I might not include 1520 Crestline Drive ($1.95 million) in Bel Air Knolls, but the photos will be useful later, when it likely comes back as a spec reno. The question is how much work (a.k.a. money) will be put into it, and how many of the midcentury touches will survive? And can anything be done about the utility lines?

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Between Cielito and Mission Canyon, the 1946 two-bedroom, one-bath, half-kitchen 485 Mountain Drive ($1.7 million) would make a neat little pied-à-terre, particularly for a city person who doesn’t mind being on that road. It’s part of El Rancho Hacienda, “a rare enclave of seven individual adobe-style casitas set on five serene acres. Designed as a rural Southern California interpretation of the classic bungalow court, the property is held as Tenancy in Common, sharing many characteristics with a Planned Unit Development.”

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Years ago, my husband floated out the idea of buying cowboy boots, and I remember saying gently, “I don’t know, babe….” (At least we wouldn’t have to worry about matching outfits.) But if the Hamptonsification of Montecito edges into code red territory, and we bail for the Santa Ynez Valley, perhaps at a spread like 2160 Rambling Oaks Road ($7.495 million), I’ll have to give in. And this might sound crazy, but I’d be willing to embrace a lot of the two-bedroom adobe main house’s 1970s Western style if it meant having 174 acres. My enthusiasm for the interiors, however, diminishes with each outbuilding, and we’re going to need central air.

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