Interior designer Corinne Mathern has captured the essence of Santa Barbara through seamless indoor-outdoor connection and a warm, nature-inspired palette. The home is designed to emulate a retreat in the hills, where the landscape is the focal point and the interiors exude a tranquil energy.
Warm, nature-inspired materials bring the outdoors in.
The dining space features Stahl + Band Loc chairs and a custom dining table by Corinne Mathern. Artwork by Gala Porras-Kim.
Corrine uses the terms ‘peacefulness’, ‘Mediterranean landscape’ and ‘sunshine all-year-round’ to describe life in Santa Barbara, California. Nestled between the Pacific Ocean and Santa Ynez Mountains, the city becomes an idyllic canvas for interior designers like herself, with many using the landscape as their main point of reference.
The designer chose to reference the home’s natural surroundings in the material palette, which includes blue, green and yellow tones and natural materials such as wood, clay and stone. “By borrowing materials and colours from the landscape, we’ve created a natural indoor-outdoor flow,” Corinne says. “The palette also helps to give the feeling of a retreat, where the homeowners can enjoy the landscape and the calmness of the mountains.”
Corrine also drew inspiration from several eminent mid-century-era architects while designing the home, including Luis Barragán, Mies van der Rohe, Eileen Grey and Alvar Aalto. These architects inspired her to design open-plan spaces with large windows and a mix of mid-century-style and contemporary furniture. “Their work is simple, inviting and calming – I wanted to capture that.”
In crafting this Santa Barbara home, Corrine Mathern has embraced the natural beauty of its locale and created ample space for the owners to do the same.
The living space features the Lutah sofa designed by Corinne Mathern and the GUBI 9602 floor lamp.
The media room was designed to feel like a cosy den, with a dark palette of greens and browns.
Views of the lush green landscape are framed throughout the home.
The bedroom features an Armadillo rug.
Corinne took advantage of California’s climate by opening up the spaces to the outdoors.
Corinne brought the owner’s vision of a rooftop deck with views over the city to life.
