Christina On The Coast Decorating Ideas

Jonny Valiant

Taking cues from her years in fashion, designer Christina Rottman elevates a Santa Barbara home with luxe accents and couture touches, without ever losing that relaxed sense of California ease.

David A. Keeps:Hard to believe we're not in Italy!

Christina Rottman: I know! It's a three-acre property in Santa Barbara with ocean views. The owners — she's an artist, he's a retired businessman — used to live downtown but wanted more land for entertaining. They just became grandparents and love to have visitors. Here they have a guesthouse, outdoor dining spaces, a pool, a gym, a tree house and a vegetable garden. Her art studio is in the barn, where they keep miniature ponies.

I'd never have guessed Santa Barbara. What's the local vibe like there?

This area is cosmopolitan but relaxed, focused on family and indoor/outdoor living. There are vineyards and farmers' markets where locals shop for dinner parties — a big part of the entertaining culture here. The homes are generously proportioned; this one has a huge pantry filled with all different kinds of china and place settings, great big chargers and raffia table mats.

The main house has such grandeur. What's the history?

Actually, it's a 21st-century 7,500-square-foot Mediterranean home with a strong affinity for the past: a terra-cotta roof, archways, iron details and thickly plastered walls. You enter through a soaring foyer with a direct sight line through the living room to the outside dining loggia and the ocean beyond. The architectural style is Palladian: public rooms to the left, master suites on the right.

Formal but not at all foreboding.

It's a very calming layout. I learned the importance of symmetry, proportion and balance when I worked as a visual director at Valentino. And knowing what fabrics and colors can do helps when I'm dressing and accessorizing a space.

This dining room definitely has a couture touch.

I really went for it with a decadent, custom-painted metallic tea paper by Gracie on the walls, embroidered silk curtains and crystal lights. I even turned an odd little pass-through into a mirrored bar with a chandelier. The dining room is traditional and works perfectly whether they are having 12 guests for the holidays or just the two of them for a romantic dinner. By candlelight, it's stunning — like dining under the stars, because the room opens onto the garden, where all the trees are lit up.

Jonny Valiant

The loggia feels California casual.

It's for alfresco dining — a buffet by the pool or farm-to-table meals. In Santa Barbara, there are these epic days that seem to last forever, so it's fun to extend the evening by dining outside. If there's fog or wind or rain, just close the curtains to create a magical outdoor room.

Since you mentioned curtains, why did you use woven matchstick blinds?

I hate seeing the backs of different curtains from the outside of the house. These reed shades create a kind of bridge between the architecture of the wooden window casings and the decoration of the de Le Cuona wool–cashmere panels that drape so beautifully. I love the juxtaposition — like wearing an evening gown with flip-flops.

Jonny Valiant

It's a moody palette for a seaside home.

Brightness is right outside the windows: blue skies, green leaves. To counter it, I used emerald, sapphire and espresso in the living areas. In the master bedroom, the scheme is paler but still rich: driftwood gray, dusk blue and a peach that looks like sunset filtered through mist. It's the essence of tranquility.

But it also feels vibrant. What's your secret?

Lots of white — it's visually, mentally and spiritually uplifting. Here, I relied on white tables to add levity. The walls are in a creamy white plaster, including a floral bas-relief that looks historic but has a timeless edge. It's like pulling something out of your closet that's been there for 15 years but still feels classic.

You certainly love a good wall treatment, don't you?

The scale of the home is very large, so wallcoverings help create intimacy and warmth. I like the theatrical aspect, too. In a powder room, I used a linen fabric embroidered with a large-scale paisley. The master bath has an embroidered grass cloth, and the library has a wall of glazed fabric that really complements and modernizes the gentlemanly mahogany bookcases.

That living room is pure luxe.

It opens to the loggia, so when there are guests, this is where they serve cocktails and enjoy the view. Otherwise, it's a great room for relaxation and watching television — a place where their boxer, Roxy, can curl up. The palette is restrained, as I believe spaces do best with neutrals and no more than two accent hues. Neutrals create the envelope, and colors are the pens you write with.

See more photos of this gorgeous home »

This story originally appeared in the October 2017 issue of House Beautiful.

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