With beautiful photographs of traditionally designed homes from 1838 to the present, this book celebrates a tradition in architecture and daily life that retains its charm for good reasons. With its ideal climate and abundant sunshine, Santa Barbara represents a lasting ideal. At its heart lies the historic city center, featuring white lofts with red-tiled roofs that reflect the city's Spanish heritage and the legendary Santa Barbara Mission of 1787. This city embodies a type of building that is both elegant and full of poetry, maintained in excellent condition. The influence of this special place has been felt since its early days and remains today a model to emulate and inspire. However, the homes and the dream of life in Santa Barbara and the sister communities of Ojai, Carpinteria, Summerland, Goleta, and Montecito are what exert the greatest charm. The book includes a variety of these homes, estates, and gardens, many of which have not been published or photographed before. From the landmark Rancho Santa Clara del Norte of 1838 with its beautiful classic gardens and provocative mountain views to the contemporary treasure Villa Corbeau of 2006, the reader will be surprised, delighted, and invited into this wonderful garden. The work of renowned architects such as the legendary George Washington Smith and Lutah Maria Riggs is present alongside that of charming anonymous construction. From historical treasures reinterpreted for today to contemporary interpretations of tradition, the book is, like Santa Barbara, a treasure worth seeing and a magical place full of charm.