ArchitecTours 2015: Sycamore Canyon House Highlighted

On Saturday October 3rd, local architects interested members of the community gathered together to tour nine homes and businesses, each which featured intriguing personal and construction stories that profiled many of the design challenges encountered during the building process. The event drew attention to the extraordinary architectural legacy in Santa Barbara and the value of well-designed architecture to its surrounding community. 

One of the nine homes that were featured on the tour was a beautiful modernist retreat in the Montecito foothills, which was renovated by the original architect Ellen Bildsten of Bildsten Architecture and Planning. Nancy Gifford, the homeowner and an accomplished artist herself, looked at more than one hundred houses before deciding this was the one. Today, the property has floor to ceiling windows, stone floors and gallery white walls provide the perfect backdrop for the owners' extensive contemporary art collection. It also houses a large working artist studio. 

More information on this house and more can be found in the projects section of our website.

Sycamore Canyon House, featured on the tour, by Bildsten Architecture and Planning