Montecito Ideal
A fresh Golden Quadrangle estate features five newly fashioned structures across three sculpted acres—adding up an elegantly harmonious whole.
A fresh Golden Quadrangle estate features five newly fashioned structures across three sculpted acres—adding up an elegantly harmonious whole.
Written by Constance Dunn | Photographs by Eric Foote (aerial) and Jason Rick
“When the team first saw the property, our jaws just hit the ground,” says Riskin Partners agent Jasmine Tennis about 595 Picacho Lane. It’s a strong impression, especially when one considers the local team transacts many of the most gilded properties in the area.
The total effect, she explains, is not just due to the land—three manicured acres of green, leafy grounds. Nor the plum location—in the heart of Montecito’s Golden Quadrangle, an estate-laden part of town that’s luxurious yet leisured. “You’re walking distance to the Upper Village Shopping area,” Tennis points out. “It’s the perfect distance if you’ve got little ones at the elementary school; or if you want to get coffee at Pierre Lafond or grab dinner at Via Vai.”
It’s these—the golden-ticket address and a bounty of nature—in concert with the five, newly renovated structures that make up this sophisticated estate, brought to life by Harvester Group. At its heart is a sun-splashed main residence (5 bedrooms, 7.5 bathrooms) spanning around 8,000 square feet of living space—a figure that swells to approximately 9,653 square feet when other structures are factored in. The main home’s aesthetic is streamlined and refined, with exquisite details thoughtfully peppered across the floorplan. Main living spaces—including a sprawling primary suite with show-stopping bathroom—are on the main floor, arranged around a generous pool terrace with designated spaces for dining and lounging.
Not far from the main residence is a bright one-bedroom guest house, a full-fledged ADU with a separate driveway. This is a peaceful hub, around 900 square feet, with charmed details including character-rich wood floors, vaulted ceilings and white-washed beams. There’s a hearty stone fireplace to warm you on cool nights, and a covered porch where you can ponder the lush grounds, including neat rows of box hedges and old-growth trees.
“It lives like a compound,” Tennis says of the estate’s layout. “It’s cohesive, yet each structure has its own autonomy.” One can set up a child’s playroom or a retreat for painting, for instance, in the small wood studio filled with strong north-facing light. Or work peacefully in yet another haven, this one an inviting guest studio with full bath that’s poised under a secluded grove of live oaks.
Amble across the grounds to the glass-front wellness pavilion—a feel-good getaway that overlooks the pickleball court. Within it there’s a spa bathroom and a sauna, plus serene spaces for meditation and movement that are enhanced when generous glass doors slide open to let in fragrant air and views of the green landscape.
“To combine a fabulous A-plus location with over three acres of flat, usable land, and a house that’s ready to move into is really unusual,” describes Tennis. Stone steps map out multiple garden districts, and there are tidy lawns for strolling and games, including a bocce ball court. After dark, gather around the grand firepit, shrouded by stone walls built nearly a century ago, or wander among live oak and olive trees dating back to the property’s origins. The effect is an immersive one that plays up the surreal light schemes and gentle climate of Montecito—where days at this estate begin with softly glowing light rising over the vast lawns, and end with the vivid hues of sunset settling over its rich store of nature’s treasures.
“To combine a fabulous A-plus location with over three acres of flat, usable land, and a house that’s ready to move into is really unusual.”
Presented by Riskin Partners Estate Group | Village Properties
Offered at $36,500,000
Market Leader
Featuring Riskin Partners Estate Group: The four Riskin partners steadfastly carry on the real estate legacy of their mentor while running one of the highest sales-volume teams in the nation.
Riskin Partners Estate Group: Robert Riskin, Jasmine Tennis, Dina Landi and Sarah Hanacek
Riskin Partners Estate Group
The four Riskin partners steadfastly carry on the real estate legacy of their mentor while running one of the highest sales-volume teams in the nation.
Written by Constance Dunn
Rebecca Riskin spent 37 years in real estate, etching her name in the Montecito community by representing many of the area’s most notable properties and building up her namesake firm. After her 2018 passing, the Riskin team—which includes son Robert, along with Dina Landi, Sarah Hanacek and Jasmine Tennis—took the reins, continuing the standout legacy of their mentor not only in work but in spirit.
DID YOU KNOW?
Since its founding more than two decades ago, Riskin Partners has transacted over $3.5 billion in real estate sales—with more than $1.8 billion sold between 2018-2021 alone.
Riskin Partners currently ranks 2nd in the nation among small real estate teams by volume (RealTrends + Tom Ferry The Thousand, 2022), a position they also held in 2021.
So far this year, they’ve closed $340 million in real estate deals, and have an additional $185 million in current escrows.
“Rebecca used to say, ‘I’m actually not a very good salesperson; I just feel really passionate about what I sell. I love what I do!’” recounts Landi of Riskin Partners Estate Group, who started her career as an assistant to Ms. Riskin, along with fellow partner Sarah Hanacek. It’s a perspective shared in earnest by all four Riskin partners, who’ve done a skillful job of carrying on the most enduring aspects of the firm—established brick by brick by Ms. Riskin, who for decades stayed firmly at the top of an uber-luxury real estate niche where much is expected of one’s agent—while continuing to innovate, particularly when it comes to marketing properties.
631 Parra Grande, listed by Riskin Partners. Photo: Jim Bartsch
The success metrics of the new generation of Riskin Partners are reflected in their inclusion in a host of industry Best Of lists; notable among them is RealTrends + Tom Ferry The Thousand, featured annually in The Wall Street Journal. The prestigious ranking of real estate agents has Riskin Partners second in the nation among small teams by volume ($864 million in sales for 2021); a position they also held the previous year. “What makes our partnership unique are three things,” states Landi. “The first is that we all work together. The second is that we very rarely deviate outside of Montecito, and the third is that we have our own marketing department.”
At work the partners maintain an ongoing business dialogue, tapping their collective expertise to serve clients and sell properties (“It’s valuable to clients to have multiple perspectives,” Landi points out), while relying on a dedicated three-person marketing team that’s as focused on property specs and graphics just as much as analytics. “It allows us to curate really unique digital campaigns that actually get opened,” she remarks, noting how campaigns get further exposure via their brokerage, Village Properties, which is part of Forbes Global Properties, an exclusive network of real estate firms placed around the world.
888 Lilac Drive, listed by Riskin Partners. Photo: Jim Bartsch
“Rebecca used to say, ‘I’m actually not a very good salesperson; I just feel really passionate about what I sell. I love what I do!”
3165 Padaro Lane, listed by Riskin Partners. Photo: Eric Foote
So images of the rolling green hills on the 3,100-acre Hacienda Ranch ($45 million), which the partners currently represent, or those of the stately oceanfront estate on Padaro Lane (also listed by Riskin Partners for $65 million) can be reliably relayed to the small league of global buyers for whom such properties are a real possibility. (These listings represent the higher end of the price spectrum at Riskin Partners; the firm also represents a sizable number of properties in the $5 to $20 million range.)
Gracious is often mentioned by those describing Rebecca Riskin, although it’s a word rarely linked to the pressure-point realm of luxury real estate, where transactions are typically very high stakes and personal. But her real estate heirs—Robert Riskin, Dina Landi, Sarah Hanacek and Jasmine Tennis—are keen to maintain this quality as a central premise of their business, imbued as it is with characteristics like consideration and conscientiousness. “We’re running a business, but it also feels like a family,” muses Landi, “and whenever we have any kind of dilemma, we always ask ourselves, ‘What’s the right thing to do?’ When you have that as your constant focus, the solution, and all the rest, just falls in line.”
1547 Shoreline Drive, listed by Riskin Partners. Photo: Jason Rick
Riskin Partners Estate Group
805.565.8600 Montecito-RealEstate.com
The Manor Reborn
A newly revitalized expression of Spanish Colonial Revival style is a masterpiece of modern Montecito living.
A newly revitalized expression of Spanish Colonial Revival style is a masterpiece of modern Montecito living.
Written by Jenn Thornton
The gallantly named estate Las Armas straddles two eras—the indulgent, unabashedly glamorous 1920s that gave rise to lavish mansions funded by go for broke fortunes, and the casually elegant Montecito of today. Now fully restored, this radiant Spanish Colonial Revival enters the market, its ages arm in arm, a pedigreed piece of history living for the moment.
“Built in 1928, the George Washington Smith- and Lutah Maria Riggs-designed home has exceptional provenance and history with only four owners to date, including 57 years ownership by actress and model Suzy Parker and actor Bradford Dillman,” says its listing agents Dina Landi, Sarah Hanacek, Jasmine Tennis, and Robert Riskin of Riskin Partners Estate Group of Village Properties. “GWS homes are highly desirable, and are rarely available, because of their classic Santa Barbara look, incredible details, grand proportions, and charm and soul that cannot be easily replicated today.”
Las Armas is not an estate that is encased in amber. It is, however, unambiguously Montecito. Luminous, light-filled, stunningly white-facaded. “This is not a home you will find in other parts of the country,” affirm the agents, pointing to its original tiles, groin vault ceiling and wrought iron handrails as hallmarks of its iconic architectural vernacular. An extensive three-year restoration by renowned architect Marc Appleton and designer Martin Logé preserved the home’s architectural integrity while modernizing its now best-in-class systems, including Savant smart home automation. The kitchen, butler pantry, laundry room and bathrooms are all new. The roof, elevator and HVAC, too. A hidden 4,500-bottle wine cellar and dramatic, 88-foot-long pool with spa and Baja bench are new additions, with the walls hand-plastered and hardwood floors refinished throughout.
“Las Armas is not an estate that is encased in amber. It is, however, unambiguously Montecito. Luminous, light-filled, stunningly white-facaded.”
In grand Montecito fashion, Las Armas balances generously dimensioned entertaining spaces that open to manicured grounds, such as the living room (“a true great room for the ages”), with more intimate environments including a beaming breakfast nook and cozy den. “The house feels gracious but charming at the same time. Sunlight floods all of the rooms of the house. The primary suite with sitting room feels like its own oasis in the home; you have privacy from guests and your own sanctuary. The stunning pool and entertaining veranda call for afternoon and early evening cocktails and swim!”
Compounding the value of this privately tucked-away estate is its location in the heart of Montecito’s coveted Golden Quadrangle and award-winning Montecito Union School District. With privacy, space and “premier proximity to hiking trails, the villages and the beach, there’s an ease and superior quality of life that is challenging to find anywhere else!” Las Armas is as much the exception as it is exceptional. “One of a kind.”
“In grand Montecito fashion, Las Armas balances generously dimensioned entertaining spaces that open to manicured grounds.”
770 Hot Springs Road, Montecito
Presented by Riskin Partners Estate Group | Village Properties
Offered at $18,500,000