Santa Maria Palmer & Krisel Meet Seventies Zen – Santa Maria, CA

Located in northwestern Santa Barbara County is this 1959 Palmer & Krisel-designed home in the town of Santa Maria, CA. This three bedroom, two bathroom home has been expanded with additions on both the front and rear of the home, to encompass 1,971 square feet. Sited on a 6,900 square-foot lot, this Palmer & Krisel with a 1970s Japanese-influenced renovation carries an asking price of $285,000.

Out front, much of what can be seen from the street on the front of the home isn’t original. The formerly detached garage has been attached to the home with a long, linear front addition, topped with a gabled addition opposite the garage. The scale of the original structure has been retained, as have original design cues such as clerestory windows and a central beam.

Entry

Entry hall - original 'front' of home is on left

The entry leads directly into the front addition, which immediately sets the tone as a 1970’s Japanese-inspired setting. Shoji screens line the entry and conceal former windows from the original front of the home. From here, the home gets a bit maze-like, while bits and pieces of Krisel’s original design work can be seen under decades-old alterations.

Dining room is pretty interesting 

Living room still maintains the original modernist fireplace

Sunroom addition at the back of the home has seen better days

A raised-platform dining area has been carved out of an original portion of the home, surrounded by shoji screens, wood paneling and sliding door, with original clerestories still in place. The original living room sits towards the rear of the home, maintaining its substantial hallmark modernist fireplace, illuminated by an overhead added skylight. An opening leads to the rear addition, which is a long, linear sunroom lining most of the back of the home.

L-shaped kitchen 

Kitchen 

Sunken Roman tub added on at back of home

Master bathroom, presumably

The only bedroom photo provided, and there's lots going on in this small space

No telling what this room is about - there's a bathtub, counter and what looks like a kitchen or laundry sink

The kitchen sits in an L-shaped galley form, with vintage seventies cabinetry and appliances. One of the original end bedrooms is shown, which still retains its original clerestories and some built-in shelving. Added on the back of the home is a spa-like bathroom, with a deep mosaic-tiled roman tub overlooking the backyard. The rest of the house is a mystery, but if it’s half as interesting as the other rooms shown, it won’t disappoint.

Backyard

Backyard

The backyard appears to be impeccably maintained, with neatly trimmed landscape surrounding a lush green lawn.

While this home has been pretty altered over the years, there’s something interesting about it that makes us want to see more – especially what it looked like in its heyday, and what’s up with that room with the bathtub in it?

Check out the full listing on Redfin.com here: 838 East Tunnell Street

Or Realtor.com here: 838 East Tunnell Street

1961 Santa Maria Palmer & Krisel For Sale – Santa Maria, CA

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Situated in northern Santa Barbara County is this 1961 Palmer & Krisel-designed midcentury modern home build by Armstrong homes. One of approximately 90 homes, this property features three bedrooms and two bathrooms with an enclosed garage in 1,902 square feet and an asking price of $349,500.

Situated on a grassy lot backing up to Armstrong Park, the front of the home features a classic “L” configuration with a sweeping driveway leading both vehicles and visitors to the front door. A large street tree shades the north-facing front yard, while ornamental shrubs and a small tree sit at the base of the home.

Dining room

Living room

The living and dining rooms sit at the back of the home, along with one of the secondary bedrooms, while the master, kitchen and third bedrooms all sit at the front. The living room overlooks the backyard, and is anchored by Krisel’s signature modernist fireplace flanked by clerestory windows. The fireplace has been revised with slate accents, which hopefully still retains original blockwork intact underneath the tile which could be restored.

Kitchen

Kitchen - doorway to right of fridge leads to garage conversion

The dining room sits adjacent to the living room, and is open to the kitchen at the front of the home. The kitchen still retains its original modernist wood cabinetry topped with newer tile countertops, and white appliances. The ceilings are open-beamed with a skylight letting in additional light. The walkway to the converted garage sits along the east side of the kitchen, allowing for convenient internal access to the addition.

Master bedroom

Master bathroom

Secondary bedroom

Secondary bedroom

Guest bathroom

The master bedroom is split from the secondary bedrooms, sited at the front corner of the home sharing walls with the living room and entry, while the secondary bedrooms sit on the eastern end of the home. All bedrooms feature their original clerestory windows and vaulted ceilings, and are relatively diminutive in size. Both bathrooms have been updated and while aren’t specifically the style of the home, are clean and functional in appearance.

Garage conversion

Backyard

Backyard - check out that vintage concrete panel fence

The garage conversion holds a secondary family room space, and holds the potential to be converted back to a garage if desired. The backyard contains both covered and uncovered patio space, fruit trees and lots of gardening planters covered in bark mulch which wrap around the sides of the home.

For anyone looking for a great piece of midcentury modern architecture in Santa Barbara County, be sure to take a look at this property.

Check out the full listing on Redfin.com here: 934 E Fesler Street

Or Zillow.com here: 934 E Fesler Street

Santa Maria Krisel For Sale – Santa Maria, CA

A well preserved 1960 Palmer & Krisel home in Santa Maria, CA recently hit the market. Situated on a corner lot, this 1,404 square-foot home features three bredrooms and two baths with an asking price of $319,500. The clerestories and original bathrooms look to be intact on this one, with minimal changes done to the integrity of this home. I really like that signature marble vanity and pullman in the bath – I love finding original features like that and hope the new owner appreciates those as well.

It looks like the kitchen and windows have been updated, but in a style that generally respects the style and design of the home. I wish the cabinets reflected more of the ceiling color, but that could be accomplished with additional staining. The original fireplace offers a pretty dramatic statement, easily the centerpiece of the living area, and the exposed wood ceilings looks to be in pristine condition.

If you ever find yourself living in Santa Maria, this is the neighborhood I’d want to be in. There’s only a handful of Krisel-designed homes here & they rarely come on the market. Hopefully the new owner will appreciate the mid-mod aesthetic of this one.

Take a look at the Redfin listing for more photos: 402 North Lucas Drive

Or check out Zillow here: 402 North Lucas Drive