Spring

Escape Artists

Interior designer John De Bastiani refreshes a Montecito residence for a creative couple’s weekend retreat

Written by Jennifer Blaise Kramer | Photographs by Joe Schmelzer

When an L.A. couple—one of them an artist—looked for a weekend respite, they found it in a single-level 1957 ranch home in Sycamore Canyon. It had been previously owned by a noted landscape designer who curated the grounds into a classic Santa Barbara oasis. In an effort to spruce up the interiors, the new owners enlisted designer John De Bastiani (who had helped the empty nesters with their primary residence), kicking things off with the one thing a painter wants most—color.