Montecito Gardens

Veranda’s First Ever Outdoor Living Award For The Montecito Garden Restoration Project

March 30, 2020 By // by Penelope Bianchi 3 Comments

Exciting news! The new issue of Veranda March-April has the 2020 Outdoor Living awards. The first time ever! And our garden was selected to be one of the eight awardees!!! The talented garden designer who originally designed our landscape came back after it was almost totally destroyed and restored it. I haven’t posted a blog in a long time; and I am going to post one showing the before and after with some description of the experience. I know I showed things on Instagram, but want to describe the experience of a disaster and its aftermath and rebuilding.

Calling it A Wildly Beautiful Revival, the venerable magazine lauded the garden’s wildlife-friendly, naturalistic design.”I always look for a strong design plan, and each of the winning gardens had beautiful architecture to it,” says interior designer Bunny Williams, who, together with Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA) president Peter Lyden, judged the entries.

Lyden agrees, adding that for him, the projects that embraced and built on the natural characteristics of their environments rose to the top. “I really admire the way these gardens and outdoor living spaces did just that,” he says.

This Montecito Garden’s Wildly Beautiful Spirit Is Awakened After Enduring Destructive Mudflows

Less than a year after disaster struck, a mudflow-ravaged garden reemerges as the thriving wildlife habitat it once was, using the very material that decimated it.

BY ELLEN MCGAULEY

PHOTO CREDIT: HOLLY LEPERE

FEB 20, 2020

Before the catastrophic Montecito mudflows of 2018, everything that grew on this two-acre property in Southern California was “magic,” says landscape designer Margie Grace. Roses would bloom in the shade; hydrangeas relished the blazing sun. A grassy, serene pond drew ducks and quail and owls, all against an extraordinary backdrop of towering palms and live oaks belonging to a neighboring estate, like a regal army watching over it.

Once cloaked in mud, the Boston ivy on the main house and guesthouse (inset) was cleaned up, and “the roots just started sprouting again,” says landscape designer Margie Grace.

Then came the mud. “Everything was wiped out…plants, fences, animals. It was biblical,” recalls Grace. “We learned the absolute power of nature.” In the eight months that followed, another lesson emerged for Grace and the homeowner, designer Penelope Bianchi of McCormick Interiors: The magic hadn’t been swept away with the sludge. If anything, it had strengthened tenfold.

montecito-dining-terrace-outdoor-awards-veranda

Behind the main house, a Coast live oak shades a rustic dining terrace.

As they washed two feet of mud from the guesthouse and garage and cleaned up whatever they could salvage, they faced mountains of leftover sediment. “We had to do something with it, and I thought, There’s no reason the land has to be dead flat,” says Grace. So she began working it into the restoration plan.

At the south side of the house, she repurposed a portion of the muddy sediment into a 28-foot hill planted with sycamores and poppies and another into soil for a 12-foot redbud knoll. Along the property line, a four-foot berm became an organic solution for a washed-away privacy fence.

grace montecito pond outdoor seating ideas

“Everything I put in the ground grew lightning fast,” recalls Grace, who trained in biology and geology. “I thought the new soil would be full of toxins, but the levels didn’t even register. What was left behind was amazing dirt.”

The restored pond borders a 45-acre nature preserve and was critical to the return of wildlife like mallards.

And the wildlife returned in multiples. “In California, we have trees like sycamores and redwoods that grow in the stream beds. Winter will come and water will whoosh down, and the trees may get buried with three feet of dirt and still live. They grow character instead of giving up. This garden has always had good vibes, and that’s part of it. But you just get out of the way and let nature fix it. Nature doesn’t give up.”

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Rising From the Mud and the Ashes – Restoring Montecito

August 30, 2019 By // by Rena McDaniel 16 Comments

*This post was originally published on The Art Of Outdoor Living by Margie Grace

We hear about disasters around the globe on a daily basis, but it’s hard to imagine that such devastation will ever hit so close to home. In early December 2017, the Thomas Fire swept through Ventura and Santa Barbara counties to become the second largest fire in California history. On January 9, 2018, before the fire was even fully contained, the first measurable rain of the season fell, generating massive debris flows that devastated Montecito. In a matter of moments, 23 people lost their lives and over 400 homes, 33 commercial structures and 92 outbuildings were destroyed or damaged.

The debris flows left this site covered in three feet of mud and detritus. Below are images from before, during and after the disaster. The images on these pages were taken a mere eight months after the award-winning garden – which we had built in 2004 – was restored from the ground up.

Before the destruction. This naturalistic garden, prior to the disaster, was home to a range of wildlife. Notable species included coyotes, bobcats, hawks, quail, dove, owls and mallards. Songbirds, bats, butterflies, native pollinators, reptiles and amphibians are plentiful too.

Before the destruction. The pre-disaster garden was designated Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

Before the destruction. The modest residence, guest house (above) and garage flank the motor court. The structures – pre-disaster – were covered in vines and adorned with charming pieces of sculpture and comfortable, inviting furniture.

January 2018. Several feet of thick mud cover the driveway. Mud entered the garage and guest house, destroying two cars and most of the surfaces and furnishings inside. The main residence, having been built two feet above base flood elevation, escaped inundation, both inside and – incredibly – in the crawl space below.

January 2018. Mixed with the mud, debris from all over Montecito – massive beams and other lumber from decimated homes; broken ceramics, furniture, figurines and garbage – are strewn about the property.

January 2018. The pond is filled with mud and debris.

Clean up. February-May 2018

The mud was sifted meticulously and sorted into piles of soil, wood/green waste, boulders and garbage.

Garden objects and building materials were salvaged for re-use. Most of the salvaged items were from on-site — but some came from as far away as Casa de Maria, over a quarter-mile upstream.

Rather than haul all of the mud offsite, we built three massive berms: two by the pond and one along the west property line – the only places on site where the soil could be placed without impacting surviving trees.

May 2019 – Eight months after restoration. “Sycamore and Poppy Mountain”, a massive mound of mud, was put in place and compacted during the clean up, above and below. We shaped the mound and added boulders, steps and gravel paths. Newly planted Sycamores, poppies and other natives are growing at an astounding rate in the fertile soil.

May 2019 – Eight months after restoration. The garden and grounds are nearly back to their former glory.

Life has returned with a vengeance. So far this year, we’ve counted three batches of Mallard ducklings and two rounds of owlets in the new owl box. Quail are beginning to venture back as the plant shelter grows denser. Songbirds, hummers and butterflies are superabundant as well.

As the wildland surrounding the property continues to recover, it’s just a matter of time before the larger mammals return and this beautiful place is once again a burgeoning wildlife sanctuary.

Our sincere thanks to our clients and the whole restoration team: Accurate Construction (clean up), Giffin and Crane (general contractors) and Dan Siebert (Estate Gardener) – both for his institutional knowledge during the garden restoration and for his ongoing care and stewardship.

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A Look Back! Living The Dream In 1996

November 10, 2018 By // by Penelope Bianchi 10 Comments

Look what I found!

I was on a delightful television program in 1996! It was called “Dream Living”; and it was about people who live in their Dreamhouses.

I had seen our house in Pasadena when I was 13 and was determined to live in it someday. And I DID!!

It is kind of blurry, but it is a delightful story and the hostess Jody Daley, was a delightful hostess!

A few of my friends have seen this scrolling around in hotel rooms. I was thrilled to find it on a thumb drive!

I hope you enjoy it!

It was filmed right before we decided to move to Montecito!”

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Montecito Foothills Meet French Country Chic! Our clients house in SB Seasons magazine!

September 25, 2018 By // by Penelope Bianchi 2 Comments

Interior Design by Penny Bianchi | photo by Amy Barnard Story by Nancy Ransohoff | Photos by Amy Barnard

A Look Back! Living The Dream In 1996

When attorney David Cohn and his wife, Debby, came to Montecito from Bakersfield, they connected with two key people who helped make their dream home a reality. After buying a remodeled 1960s-’70s ranch-style house, they hired Jon Sorrell of Sorrell Design, who transformed their ordinary ranch into a French country-style stone farmhouse with a historic feel. “Even though it isn’t an old house,” says Interior DesignerPenny Bianchi, “it feels and looks like one.”

Interior Design by Penny Bianchi, photo by Amy Barnard.

Shared Vision

The Cohns had a vision for the interior but needed help in executing it. When they saw online photos of Penny and Adam Bianchi’s Provence-style farmhouse (featured in Santa Barbara Seasons’ Fall 2017 issue), they knew they had found a match. “They said, ‘Your house looks like what we want our house to look like,’” says Penny.

Penny, who has been designing for 49 years, emphasizes the need for creative alignment and a shared vision for each project. “All my work is certainly not the same style, but there’s a general approach. It’s important to be on the same page. I talk with my clients about their lifestyle, what they are interested in and what they like, and I listen,” she says. “In the end, it should not look like a decorator did it.”

Perfectly Imperfect

The Cohn home is infused with a gracious old-world European feel. “There is nothing that looks new,” notes Penny. “Everything has a patina, old finishes that are worn and look like they have been used and loved. I like to see a mixture of things that look like they were collected over the years. European houses are imperfect—they have cracks. I call it ‘perfectly imperfect.’ For some projects, I have gone after limestone counters with a hammer!”

The living room presented one of the biggest challenges of the approximately one-year design project. “It’s a central room with no windows,” says Penny. “It opens onto rooms with windows so it gets light, but color was very important. We used a mix of colors and prints, with some chinoiserie prints, for the upholstered furniture.”

Timeless Trove

Many of the furnishings and accessories were sourced locally. “There is an enormous trove here in Santa Barbara, with all of the old estates,” Penny notes. Wood-plank floors are warmed throughout the house by old area rugs. “New rugs are against my religion!” says Penny. “When they’re made with vegetable dyes they fade beautifully.” She sources most of her rugs from Shaw Zahiri of Summerland Oriental Rugs, who specializes in handmade carpets from around the world. They add to the timeless quality of the house, which is a signature of Penny’s designs. “If it’s a trend I’m allergic to it!”

“It’s a very happy house,” says Penny. “Debby and Dave have grandchildren who visit and it’s a great house for children, with a lot of indoor-outdoor space and lovely gardens.” Outdoor living is enhanced with seating,
walking and dining areas, and graced with a gurgling stone fountain.

Growing up in Pasadena, Penny was drawn to design at an early age. “Other kids would be out on the swings and I was rearranging the furniture,” she says. “My mother gave me Elsie De Wolfe’s book, I read it and said, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a job?!’” Penny graduated from the University of Southern California with an English major and later took courses at the New York School of Interior Design. “I’m so lucky that I’ve been able to do what I love doing my whole life,” she says, “It’s a passion.”

“A house should feel personally collected … not decorated. … I’ve been collecting things my whole life because I don’t like anything new. I like everything old, weathered and used.” —Penny Bianchi | Photo by Amy Barnard.

This story was originally published in the fall 2018 issue of Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine.

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Photos by Mark Lohman from a few years ago! So nice to see before the restoration is complete! Hope!

June 18, 2018 By // by Penelope Bianchi 50 Comments

A few years ago, one of my favorite photographers; Mark Lohman, an excellent and well-known interior and exterior photographer

(whom I have known for many years!) called me about a new magazine!

“French Country”!

Fifi O’Neill, the editor ,has written books, and has two other magazines, “Romantic Prairie Style” and” Romantic Country”

Her books are “Romantic Prarie Style” and “Romantic Prarie Cookbook”

She has been searching for real “country” (not fancy, not formal; but rustic and authentic) French houses in the United States!

My blogger friend Contessa sent her my blog on Renee; and she had Mark come take “scouting shots” of both houses!!

Lucky me! He took some wonderful shots of things that have not been photographed before!

I hope you enjoy them!

Here are some new angles of everyone’s favorite room! Remember, the heat is in the floor out here (and all through the house)

and we live out here all year long! Even in the rain; I don’t have to move the books!

My Corgi-mix rescue “Pete ” likes this ottoman!

By the way, the paintings on the right are of the identical room in our old house in Pasadena!

This ivy on the ceiling is my favorite, the panel was a shade on an Italian verandah we found in Florence; and the Italian stove

is another favorite!

Here are our ducklings getting bigger and enjoying their repaired house!

The main terrace with the previous room behind the umbrella! The deer is wrought iron!

A pretty plaque on the chimney; and an unusual way to hide those ugly metal things at the top of chimneys!

The Spring slipcovers and pillows!

My collection of Quimper salt and peppers on the mantle; and showing how the “convent table” works! The nuns would work

at the table all day; then take their dishes out, have a meal, and return them! Very practical!

The teeny Portugese chair on the table I bought at a museum in Portugal! I found the identical chairs at an antique shop here in Montecito!

My mother’s first Vertes painting! (Once, on a tour, a man insisted to his wife that it was a painting of “Mrs. Bianchi”!

“Can you imagine having a nude portraitof yourself in your living room?”

(It was painted before I was born!)

These lovely chickens were a gift from Oprah when there was a tabloid story quoting Oprah complaining about our chickens!

The card said: “Contrary to tabloid opinion; I absolutely adore your chickens!”

This panel in the kitchen was one of a pair I found for a client who only needed one!

The soup tureen on the bottom shelf has chicks poking through her feathers

The cat jumps on this antique stool to reach her food on the island!

Radisha makes us an “initial painting” for our birthdays! These are Adam’s by his sink.

This is my “pride and joy” Vertes screen which was owned by Gypsy Rose Lee! and my sink on the other side of the bathroom!

More Vertes lithographs mostly from the “Cirque” series!

These bookcases house my millions of decorating books!

The checked ottoman is a pop-up TV!!!

two antique valances and a favorite Vertes silk screen of his dog; an Airdale!

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Montecito Gardens: Our house featured in Santa Barbara Seasons magazine!!!

January 24, 2018 By // by Penelope Bianchi 2 Comments

GLORIOUS GARDENS: FRENCH COUNTRY STYLE MEETS CALIFORNIA COOL

Penny Bianchi Interior Decorator and photos by Amy Barnard

When Penny and Adam Bianchi bought a modest slice of undeveloped land off of East Valley Road 20 years ago, they had a golden opportunity to build a custom home in the heart of Montecito. The property sits at the entrance to the pristine 42-acre Ennisbrook Preserve, and Oprah’s vast estate borders the property on two other sides. A single home edges the property in the north. “The terrain and plants reminded me of France,” recalls Penny, “so we went to Provence and took thousands of pictures of roofs and crooked roofs and chimneys and floors and doorknobs.”

Once home, they began to build a French country-style home and a guesthouse, surrounded by about 2.5 acres of magical gardens and wildlife habitat. The walls were washed with lime from pigment mined from the ground in Provence—no paint was applied at all. “Lime wash lets the mortar breathe,” explains Penny. “This is how stone and brick houses in Provence are traditionally treated.”

Penny has worked as an interior designer for nearly 50 years and has filled her home with antiques from all over the world. Much of her collection was inherited from her mother and grandmother, and Penny appears to have inherited her family’s amazing knack for finding one-of-a-kind treasures, as well. “I’ve been collecting things my whole life because I don’t like anything new,” she says. “I like everything old, weathered and used. Even my linens and light fixtures are mostly antiques.”

High ceilings and plentiful windows fill the home with light throughout the day. The main entrance leads into a spacious hall, which leads to the bedroom (there’s only one) and master bath on one side, and kitchen, office and guest bathrooms on the other. Adam Bianchi works in the office—he sold his family’s poultry business 30 years ago and has run Penny’s business operations ever since. Penny changes the furniture slipcovers several times a year so the mood always reflects the season.

Treasures that appear at every turn include antique lace lampshades and oriental rugs, screens and other works by French artist Marcel Vertes, shower tiles from 17th-century France and an 1860s bathtub from Paris. The guest powder room features bird murals with bird figurines that hover over the walls. The kitchen has furniture pieces rather than built-in cabinets.

The gardens, designed by Grace Design Associates, are a welcome haven for humans and wildlife alike. The National Wildlife Federation has named the Bianchi property as a Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat, which means it provides the basics needs for wildlife: food, water, a roof over their heads and a place to raise their young. Carefully selected trees and shrubs nourish and protect ducklings and other creatures, and floating houses anchored in the middle of a pond allow nesting ducks and their offspring to escape from predators. Heirloom chickens roam free during the day and put themselves in the coop in the evening for protection.

All in all, the Bianchis have successfully created a haven in which every nook and cranny evokes coziness and a connection with the natural world. In Penny’s words, it’s “a cozy, collected and patina” home where they, their grown children and seven grandchildren thoroughly enjoy daily life in a remarkable Montecito setting.

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Trumeaus: Lovely mirrors that were formerly part of paneling.

September 11, 2017 By // by Penelope Bianchi 13 Comments

My very favorite mirror above a fireplace or console is a “trumeau”!

A “trumeau” either has a painted scene or some lovely carving.

They were always part of the “boiserie” (paneling) in a french house; and are very popular here, especially

in ” French” houses!

This is what I do know! I LOVE “trumeaus”!!

Our house in Pasadena……..had three trumeaus in the living room!

It was a “pavilion” and copied from a lovely house outside of Paris built in the 18th century.

During the eighteenth century , many rooms were paneled with “boiserie” carved and painted.

Above the fireplaces and over consoles they often had a mirror included in the paneling to increase the light.

“Because lighting an interior was a great challenge during this period the use of highly reflective

mirror glass was an integral part of any room. During the reign of Louis XV (1723-1774) and Louis XVI (1774-1792) large mirror plates

were actually placed within the framework of the walls and

mounted above fireplaces and console tables with candelabra and candlesticks placed in front of them to reflect the light.”

When we were building our house; I was on a decorating trip to New Orleans with Sotheby’s and I

discovered a pair of “trumeau” mirrors with two different scenes!

I had never seen that before!

Because we were building a “big hall” with two fireplaces , I made an “emergency” call

to my husband!

Finding a pair of trumeaus with two different scenes was lucky beyond!

Happily, we bought them , and they are a delightful part of our “big hall”!

They have two delightful scenes of children playing and even a dog that looked like our dog, Georgie!

We had a lovely French Regency style house in Pasadena, which had four beautiful trumeaus!

Here is the one that was over the fireplace in the living room

This is looking the other direction towards the dining room a pair of consoles with trumeaus.

This console was in in the dining room.

This console and mirror were in the entry hall!

Trumeaus are lovely!

The lady who built our house in 1957 went to France with her architect to buy these antiques to incorporate into the French “pavilion” she was building!

I am showing examples of others I’ve found!

Pair of Louis XV Style Trumeaux. Ca: 19th C

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Monterey Colonial garden update! Big difference!!!

May 24, 2016 By // by Penelope Bianchi 3 Comments

Hi there! I have had a lot of requests for more updates on the Monterey Colonial our daughter

purchased a few years ago here in Montecito!

The previous posts are at the end of this post!

She removed some shrubbery crowding this beautiful jacaranda tree; and changed the planting

behind the boxwoods to only purple agapanthus. There were lots of them sprinkled all

over the property; so she moved them all here.

When they bloom under the purple blossoms it will be a show!

Here is the front porch with the Anduze pots with topiaries. Everything simplified!

there is a lovely new gate in the background on the left. It was made to match the back gate.

Around the back of the house; she has added oak leaf hydrangeas, and star jasmine.

Right around the corner.

Another new gate to match the back gate! The pool is on the other side!

Remember when you couldn’t see the pool from the garden? She opened up the hedge!

It is still private; but you have a glimpse!

The beds are also simplified with white agapanthus, iceberg roses and Viburnum.

The original back gate!

The other side!

Behind the above hedge is another whole garden! Avocado trees, wildflowers, fruit trees

and raised potager beds!

3 avocado trees all different species so they fruit at different times!

My favorite! Lavender, matillija poppies, artichokes and herbs! And roses!

I think they are doing a beautiful job of this garden!

I think my favorite of all are these oak trees in the front which were never

“trimmed up”!!!!

Congratulations to our daughter, her husband and their gardener!!!!

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Garden update on the Monterey Colonial in Montecito!

May 4, 2015 By // by Penelope Bianchi 12 Comments

The gardens have been worked on extensively for the past few months!

Huge improvements!!!

Not too much has changed in the front;

Things are starting to bloom!

The real changes are on the side….

what was a shady mess where nothing much would grow

To a charming space! Bricks (hand-made ones…that is key!!) are laid in sand…..not mortar….that is key also!

So elegant and slim lines between….and easily moved here and there!!!! No mortar!!! (then it becomes “hardscape”; an anathema to me!)

This is so lovely! They added the old brick steps…..and two stone benches.

Looking toward the pool.

They changed the terrace from terra cotta tile to brick; added the steps and replaced the lawn on either side of the pool with brick. (Old, hand-made brick much of which was elsewhere on the property!)