In 1962, my 37-year-old grandmother fell in love with this ½ acre in Mission Canyon. Divorced for two years and living in a trailer at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, she was determined to make a comfortable home for her two children. The property provided only an old cottage and a few ancient oak trees. The rest of the property was dirt. She had $2000 to put down, but women could not get mortgages without a man’s signature until 1974. The owner of this property had recently inherited it and agreed to carry the loan of $18,000 directly for her. He believed in her ability to repay him because she was getting her teaching credential at the newly inaugurated UCSB. She paid him back in only 15 years, which, on a teacher’s salary, was quite an accomplishment.
Maya was born and raised in Santa Barbara, moving to this property at 18 months old. She grew up climbing the trees, scrambling over the boulders in the front yard, and helping plant the gardens with her mother and grandmother. Her access to her grandmother’s vast library enhanced her love of art and culture.
As she grew up, she had a vision of what this property could someday be, and today, she is manifesting that vision.
In 2016, after living abroad and up and down the East Coast, Maya settled back onto her family property. Then, she began transforming this 1900s cottage, last remodeled in 1963, into a cozy and artfully curated vacation home.
Maya has fashioned this 124-year-old cottage into exactly what she wants when she travels. The interiors reflect the bohemian roots of her artistic family. Artwork from around the world adorns the walls. Asian carpets cover the original oak floors. There are collections of books in almost every room. A Steinway piano, a Chinese gong, and a baritone ukulele await being played. There is a mix of new and antique furniture, all well maintained, comfortable and clean. There is fine china, and table linens in the dining room for formal dinners. The refrigerator is stocked with milk, eggs, butter, sourdough bread, and condiments. The pantry contains s'mores makings, pancake and waffle mix, as well as a waffle maker. There is every kitchen appliance imaginable to accommodate the chef in your group. The linens in the bedrooms are 100% cotton with high thread counts. Each bedroom contains a selection of pillows, a white noise machine, Turkish cotton hooded robes, Apple TVs, closets, and blackout curtains. The laundry room offers detergent, a washer, a dryer, an iron, an ironing board, a professional steamer and starch. The vacation home, House A, and its surrounding 20,000 square feet of gardens are entirely enclosed with green-painted wood fencing and placed at the front of the property. At the back of the property, approximately 200 feet from the vacation house, is where Maya lives, House B.
Curated with love. Hoping to return soon!
Carter
August 2023
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