Jeff Doubet Specializes in Spanish-style Home and Landscape Design
Jeff Doubet photos of Casa Corazon, a collection of beautiful project photos captured at this Santa Barbara Spanish-style home and landscape design project.
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On this page, I highlight some of my favorite photos taken at Casa Corazon, a Spanish courtyard style home built in the foothills of Santa Barbara, California.
Casa Corazon actually started out as a local Santa Barbara, CA fixer upper.
As you can see in this BEFORE photo, the architecture was very Plain Jane, and the landscape had seen better days.
Scoll down through this page to see the transformation, including the Paseo Courtyard, which was created in this very spot.
This is one of my favorite shots I captured while I documented the entire process of building Casa Corazon.
A skilled roofer puts mortar on the top section of the Secret Garden archway to the backyard courtyard.
You can see the concentration he is putting in to the care and artistry of this signature element to the home and property.
Special projects always start with the desire of a project owner to create something unique.
Collaborating with clients and a multitude of building teams is a wonderful experience. We are making art that will last into future generations.
In my book I include a full timeline of how this Secret Garden Arch was created.
On pages 43 - 45 I share photos of the process that went into making the various components.
Speaking of generations... I captured this shot while finishing touches were being made on the Casa Corazon secret garden arch.
Nearly 4 years after construction...
The owner's daughter and her childhood friend have grown up to be beautiful young women.
If you would like to purchase a decorative Talavera Spanish style tile like this for your own project, or would like to see current pricing at Amazon, click here
* As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through the suggested product link, above.
Every generation of Santa Barbara has designers, architects and building trades who are passionate about what they do.
This Secret Garden Arch at Casa Corazon is one of the memorable moments of the many collaborations I have had with some very talented groups.
See how the Arch looks several years after is was completed, here at the new Store and More Page
Casa Corazon's daughter (left) with boyfriend.
Prom 2015: Another fond memory for family and friends at Casa Corazon.
I smile when I think about the many new photos that will probably be taken at the Secret Garden Arch.
Now these friends have a coffee table book they are in, as well. A way to remember these special moments together.
As mentioned, I collaborate with a wide variety of talented independent architects, structural engineers, general contractors and artisan trades.
Here, the project owner and I worked closely with the roofing supplier and the installer to get the classic 2 piece Mission tile roof just the way we wanted.
The custom designed "Chimney Towers" also add to the unique character to Casa Corazon.
The Entry Tower with covered porch is nestled near an existing California Pepper tree.
Having been inspired on a field trip to the Adamson House in Malibu, California (shown directly below)...
The owner and I planned and then incorporated Spanish tile into the exterior walls. Here is a shot of the covered patio with outdoor dining table.
Click here to see current pricing and availability of these Talavera deco tiles at Amazon
* As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through the suggested product link, above.
The Adamson House in Malibu, CA.
This was our main inspiration for incorporating Spanish tile in the exterior facades of Casa Corazon.
For these Chimney Towers, thinly cut fire brick were arranged in a herringbone pattern and installed as a decorative wainscoting.
Note how we also incorporated decorative Spanish tile in the arched openings of the doghouse portion of the chimney as well.
A lunch at the Biltmore Hotel in Montecito inspired us to incorporate used red brick in the motor court design.
The reclaimed bricks have a rustic texture and color that works well with the Old World finishes, white plaster walls and classic red tile roof.
Here, the color of the flowers in the Spanish-style landscape coordinate nicely with the decorative tiles we incorporated in the mini tower bump out at the guest bathroom.
The colorful Spanish tile was installed in the extra thick archway, which makes an interesting focal point to the home when driving in to the property.
The dark stained wood carriage doors were also custom designed to go with the Spanish-style architecture.
They were further accentuated by the extra thick walls the garage doors were recessed into.
SEE MY ARTICLE ON SPANISH-STYLE GARAGE DOOR DESIGNS AND HOW-TO info on how to thicken walls, etc.
Two oversized entry columns anchor the new decorative site walls and the main entrance to the motorcourt driveway.
Expert plasterers add a classic Santa Barbara style texture to the stucco.
The site walls were capped in Tecate clay tile squares, and decorative Spanish tiles also incorporated into the tops of each column.
The band of blue and white Talavera tiles were also used throughout other parts of the home, as well.
* As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through the suggested product link, above.
Here the owner and I decide if the shell of an available to purchase unfinished iron light would be be ok for the scale and proportion of the new entry columns.
We also took field trips to local Santa Barbara and Los Angeles supply houses to seek, find and purchase just the right decorative design accessories for our project.
This photo was taken at The Eye of the Day in Carpinteria, California.
We were looking for clay pots we could incorporate into the outdoor patio spaces.
A custom design for the Spanish mailbox
This is the custom design I came up with for the Casa Corazon estate.
I really wanted to incorporate some of the classic materials we had used throughout the rest of the project.
Off the shelf components included:
Solid Brass mail box
Cast iron Roman cross
Used red brick cut in thin slices
Tile numbers for the address
Red fire brick cut in thin pieces for the base
If you want to learn more about how this one-of-a-kind, custom mailbox was created, I share some more photos of it's construction on Pages 48 - 49 in my book Creating Spanish Style Homes
* As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through the suggested product links, above.
Authentic materials and finishes for designing and building a Santa Barbara Spanish-style home and landscape.
In my design book I share tips and tricks for achieving the classic and authentic style detailing that Santa Barbara architecture is well knowned for.
*I am an Amazon Affiliate, and do receive a small commission on your purchase. There is no extra charge to you. Thank You for your support!
The tile roof at Casa Corazon was specified to be installed in a random and stacked way to enhance the custom look of the roof.
If you would like to learn more about installing an authentic Santa Barbara style Spanish roof, check out Episode 8 of my new SPANISH HOME DESIGN PHOTO BLOG.
There, you will find 22 photos showing a roofer team how they did it on another project.
A one and a half story entry tower was designed, as well as a thick columned entry stoop to protect the front door from the elements.
Two rows of decorative Spanish tile border accent an interior archway and view to the Spanish style fireplace.
The square tecate clay floor tiles were installed on the diagonal in the living room.
The design for a decorative round window with purple glass and iron grille was further enhanced with a chamfered opening detail.
A Moroccan lantern was wired for electricity and became a beautiful pendant light
Classic Santa Barbara style exterior plaster texture can be seen in this photo of the front entry tower
A Spanish style barrel ceiling and hallway includes a Moorish arch wall niche on the right.
The decorative round window with iron grille is shown here, above an arched top door.
This is a hallway to a few bedrooms on the opposite side of the house from the Master bedroom suite.
Clay Floor Tile Patterns for Spanish style Homes
A wide range of floor pattern designs were incorporated in to this custom Santa Barbara California home.
Here, we utilized hexagon field tile up to rectangular borders with clay tile used as baseboards, as well.
The drywall mud was formed in a gentle swoop over the top of the surface mounted baseboard tiles.
This Spanish fireplace in the master bedroom was designed to be on a raised hearth, and to have a flat tv above.
The shortened "hood" was a design solution to allow the tv, as well as be a narrow shelf, if desired.
Square floor tiles set on the diagonal with rectangle borders and clay baseboards.
This oversized threshold transition from main entry hall to living room was custom designed to include a mix of patterns and designs such as herringbone, running bond and hexagons
This custom Spanish clay tile floor pattern composition was designed by the installer. It is for a hall to bedroom transition in Casa Corazon.
I really like how Oscar created a braided pattern in the center, and hand cut larger tiles in order to make that the way he did.
This shot also illustrates how thresholds can be the solution for changing floor patterns in hallways transitioning in to bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, etc.
3 rows of decorative talavera Spanish tiles were installed on the wall as an accent and additional detail in the house which coordinates nicely with the clay floor adjacent to it.
For the barrel ceiling hallway we kept the clay floor tiles going in the diagonal direction to then tie in with the living room, beyond.
Lightly distressed, medium brown stained alder doors were used throughout the project.
Another section of the house where uplit arches make for a beautiful atmosphere
A thick decorative plaster vent grille is highlighted by the clay floor patterns and transitions in the main hall leading to the front entry foyer
A new 1.5 story entry tower with stoop supported by two thick plaster columns was designed to help indicate where the front door is on this custom home.
It sits high on a Santa Barbara foothill knoll, and it is not readily apparent when arriving at the property.
Guests are guided by red brick walkway from motorcourt to this entry tower.
A custom family crest was sculpted and cast in concrete as a special medallion above the front door of Casa Corazon.
The handmade tower finial was also custom. It was made by a local ironworker.
Moorish lanterns were purchased in different colors and wired for light bulbs. They were hung in a special arrangement as decorative pendant lights for the entrance foyer
A closeup of the archway into the front Foyer.
The decorative Talavera tiles were installed in rows and then the drywall mud was finished up to them for a seamless (flush) look.
If you would like to purchase a tile very similar to this, or see current pricing at Amazon, click here
* As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through the suggested product link, above.
A closeup shot of the custom Spanish style chimney with arched openings with herringbone pattern fire brick wainscoting.
We planted classic red bougainvillea vines at various locations around the house, as well.
A close up of the detail of one of the Spanish style fireplace surrounds in the project.
A decorative iron frame was also hand fabricated to embellish the opening.
Another photo of the custom designed Spanish garden archway made of plaster, decorative spanish tiles and red clay roofing that matches the house.
Another close up of the Spanish fireplace chimney with arched openings.
Another photo of the custom entry stoop at front door, as well as one of the fireplace chimney towers in the background.
A dark stained and distressed Alder wood door with round top opens to the master bedroom with Spanish style fireplace.
A custom 4 leaf clover motif was sculpted in to the wall and adds character to te fireplace wall.
This custom Spanish courtyard style home main feature is the Secret Garden Arch shown her as a recently completed project after the roofer finished the top section of the roof with decorative iron finial.
A heavy wood arbor supported by white plaster columns was built just in front of the dark stained cedar wood Carriage House style garage doors.
A pink bougainvilla vine climbs that new arbor and helps frame the beauty of these garage door openings.
Note the used red brick surface of the driveway is also an interesting texture that was incorporated into this build.
Another close up shot of the fireplace chimney tower framed by a red bougainvilla vine.
Clay pipes were cut and made in to traditional attic vents.
The master bedroom fireplace mantel was also built with a raised hearth. One day it might get a decorative tile or stone top.
The Square clay floor tiles were installed on the diagonal with rectangular borders and clay baseboard, as was other parts of the main house.
One of the three single Spanish style garage doors, dark stained cedar wood-
highlighted with used red brick driveway in front of it, and framed by a wood arbor and plaster columns.
See MORE INFO ON THIS GARAGE PROJECT
3 Moorish lanterns were converted to pendant lighting, and were installed on a custom iron ring fabricated for the ensemble.
A stained lion head concrete casting is embedded in the exterior plaster of a Spanish style home in Santa Barbara California
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