A Zhushfest Way Above E. Mountain Drive

Noteworthy new listings….

Behind the staid Neoclassical facade of 1140 E. Mountain Drive ($24.995 million), built in 2002 near the top of a private lane, are interiors that tiptoe toward glamour in the common areas and then rush headlong into it as you venture deeper—super gloss paint in vibrant colors, wallpaper galore, and so on. (Even the pool got done.) I haven’t seen it in person, so I can’t say to what degree it all coheres. The inspiration for the price is presumably 1196 E. Mountain Drive ($30 million) nearby. The latter property is a bit larger, with two guest houses (vs. none) and more usable outdoor space; more important, it has been recently renovated in a style that’s less distinctive, but with broader appeal. The question comes down to whether all this pizzazz aligns with your taste—if so, you’re in luck, because serving looks like this doesn’t come cheap.

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Meanwhile, the 1996 “Palladian” house at 2899 Hidden Valley Lane ($4.7 million) could use some of that zhush. The curb appeal is intense, at least for those of us drawn to character, and the cruciform layout has a real sense of drama. The interiors could handle something more sophisticated—or even a little weird—than the lightly rustic ones currently there. Where’s Cher’s home-design catalog when you need it?

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Next up are two similar properties, each with pluses and minuses, including a bit more suburban energy than you might want for eight figures. Located inside the gated community of Ennisbrook, 311 Meadowbrook Drive ($10.25 million) is 5,702 square feet, single-level with five bedrooms (although it lives more like a four-bedroom with a lot of sitting rooms), on a 1.27-acre lot crying out for a pool. The location has a temporary challenge in the construction of a new house to the north and a more permanent one in Ennisbrook’s basketball, tennis, and pickleball courts to the west.

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771 Via Manana ($9.4 million), meanwhile, also has five bedrooms, including an upstairs primary, and its pool is lovely—and could be even lovelier if you screened out the neighbors, although the utility lines might make that tough. The property is walkable to San Ysidro Ranch and the front-country trail system.

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The 1975 house at 626 Sea Ranch Drive ($5.995 million) in Campanil has been recently redone, and it has a sweet modesty—a retro roofline, just two bedrooms (easily converted to three), no pool, etc. The small kitchen and its dining area get the prime ocean view, with the living room, study, and bedrooms along the back. The lot is just over an acre, half of which is hillside with an orchard on it.

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1367 Via Veneto ($6.7 million), which someone has named Modern Zen, is a 2016 five-bedroom with casita in a Rancho San Antonio gated community. The bones are Mediterranean, while the interiors are contemporary without being stylish. Are the size and view enough to get someone to shell out this much money in this part of town?

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For those of us who feel like we spend an inordinate amount of time taking care of our homes, 546 Miramonte Drive ($3.995 million) shows an alternate path: maintenance was deferred so these people could party! The carpet is conveniently wine-colored (or was till decades of sun changed it to green), there’s a stripper pole in the lower-level billiards/bar room, and the terrace is among the very best in Santa Barbara, with big, broad views of everything. The 1964 house is unlikely to survive; the setting offers the exciting prospect of something very cool being built there. P.S. Mock the stripper pole all you want, but in the age of AI, exotic dancing may be one of the last jobs left for humans.

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And a few others worth checking out:
••• 1439 Tunnel Road ($3.895 million): 1994 Mediterranean with nice moments above the Botanic Garden.
••• 1444 Tunnel Road ($2.995 million): 2000 farmhouse also above the Botanic Garden.
••• 2711 Samarkand Drive ($3.749 million): 1950 five-bedroom, all en suite, with a pool and pool house.
••• 109 Coronada Circle ($3.079 million): Three bedrooms, no view.
••• 2560 Calle Galicia ($2.295 million): Super-quick spec reno of an Alta Mesa three-bedroom; the seller paid $1.515 million just four months ago. The primary bath is a squeeze, but I bet this goes fast.
••• 5651 W. Camino Cielo ($4.75 million): A pair of two-bedroom houses amid a rock outcropping, with big views and wabi-sabi in the concrete floors.
••• 1749 La Coronilla Drive ($2.799 million): 1976 house in need of updating and at least one set of closet doors (below). Plus: Avant-garde window treatments!

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