Luxury Mediterranean Mansion in California in Italian Style

Merilyn and Steven Gutsche bought this beautiful home 15 years ago. Before that, they and their two children had been searching for a comfortable stylish home for almost a year, until they finally came upon this gorgeous California ranch with 6500 sq.feet total area, consisting four bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, located in Santa Barbara. After they moved in, they did some changes in the interior and the exterior, like repainting inside and outside with a more smooth colors that were going to become their everyday life from that day on. After their intervention, the home received a Mediterranean-Italian look, just the way they wanted.

Going outside the living room one enters a spectacular colonnade that leads to a gazebo in the far end of the garden. Fruit trees surround this beautiful exterior, thus creating a sense of being in Eden.

The rounded gazebo is a great place for afternoon relaxation, or morning coffee, of course when the weather is sunny. Imagine yourself and a bunch of friends sitting and have a cocktail in a hot summer night. This place is gorgeous.

A functional extension of the living room allows every family member and their friends as well to spend some fine time around the pool table. In order to rearrange the inside parts, the Gutsches hired local architect Ketzel and Goodman. Fantastic beam barns on the ceiling warm the interior and add a stylish and interesting touch to it.

In fact, this is not a part of the main building. This is the pool house which definitely reflects the style of a Greek beach cottage. Blue and white colors remind of the Mediterranean while brown accents add a classic feel. There is a lot of natural light flowing in here because of the large windows. The construction is perfect for the kids or the family guests when they want to have a loud game fight or an intriguing conversation without disturbing the rest of the occupants in the main building.

Definitely a man cave. This is Steven’s study that is a true masculine space. The interior follows the designers line from the Napoleonic era. The brown massive library shelves as well as the unique French Calvary saber collection contribute to the authentic feeling that one can experience inside the study.

A closer look at the library reveals the huge variety of literature collected by Steven. The Napoleonic decorative items are all around the place, thus reminding the visitor of far historical times.

The inspiration for this family room came from the Four Seasons Biltmore. Since it has a lot of windows on the facade, they homeowners wanted just the same kind of appearance for their home. On the other hand, the huge windows provide a lot of sunlight inside the house, thus creating a shiny and cozy place to live.

The following item has been found on a walk around the antique shops in the city. This lovely birdcage is the private area of Apollo, the Gutsches’ Lutino cockatiel. The little bird is and old friend of the family and like a such one, he deserved its own space where he can spend its joyful life. On the other hand, the design of the cage is a perfect match to the rest of the interior in the mansion.

Another bird theme driven item can be found in the kitchen. This is one of the most sincere Matilyn’s possessions that she loves seeing in the areas where she spends most of her time.

For the floors in the kitchen and the family room, the Gutsches used originally imported French limestone tiles. It was a whole month that the family waited for their cross Atlantic order to arrive by ship but every minute was worth the waiting. The tiles simply stick to the interior look of a beautiful Mediterranean mansion.

In the kitchen, we can see how the housewife arranged her little decorations in accordance to her preferences. The great Mediterranean look reminds of a sea cuisine that the owners often like to prepare.

This item has been preserved just the way it was when it has been installed some years ago in the mansion. It is an island cabinetry by William Oh.

Another look of the spacious kitchen reveals gorgeous looks. A marble top dining table is the jewel in the kitchen’s crown.

The classic interior design style for the dining room is achieved by placing this gorgeous Italian crystal chandelier that in combination with the typical ornamented chairs with patterned royal upholstery and the massive wooden polished dining table, create an unique classic experience that one should definitely feel. Furthermore, wrought iron wall candle holders strengthen the authoritative appearance inside the place.

When decorating the interior, the owners specially found these little finches because they are a perfect match for the lamp from Maison K in Montecito.

Having musical instruments and items doesn’t necessary mean that you are able to play the certain instrument or have a music background. What the music elements do is actually create really impressive interior experience while being around them. This brass music stand can be found near a rosewood piano.

A home is not so cozy without a classic grand in it. We have already outline that in many homes music instruments are used only for decoration. But this is not the case of Marilyn Gutsche who has been a proud owner of the beautiful mellow toned grand for 32 years!

An authentic Roman piece of art stand in the entrance hall and drops a hint about the rest of the Mediterranean mansion interior design.

Now, you can observe this beautiful mansion from outside and convince yourself that is as impressive by night as can be seen by day.

And how about you? Do you dream of living in such a mansion? Feel free to comment bellow!