Afficionados of Spanish Style architecture and of the “Santa Barbara adobe” recognize Santa Barbara as a mecca, the influence of which continues to be felt nationwide. The book is an invitation to revisit this Eden and to discover some of the hidden homes whose doors have never been opened to the public—till now.

With new photographs of houses steeped in the Spanish colonial tradition, from 1838 to today, not since Rizzoli’s Santa Barbara Style (2001) has a book so eloquently captured the distinctive splendor of this seaside paradise.

Known worldwide for the Santa Barbara style, the town epitomizes a type of building at once elegant and suffused with poetry. At its heart is the historic downtown, featuring white-washed Mediterranean-style stucco buildings with tile roofs and the iconic Santa Barbara Mission of 1787, whose austere beauty set the tone for all that followed. From its earliest days, the influence of this place has been felt and has since radiated across the sunbelt; it remains a model of emulation and inspiration. But it is the houses and the dream of living in Santa Barbara and its sister communities of Ojai, Carpinteria, Summerland, Goleta, and Montecito, that casts the most profound spell.

Featuring a wide range of these houses, estates, and gardens—from the landmarked Rancho Santa Clara del Norte (1838) to the traditionally styled Villa Corbeau (2006)—the book is a celebration of America’s Riviera.