Putting together a successful spec home is a matter of matching the location to market needs, then working with a design/build team that can breathe life into a checklist and blueprints. Realtor Densie Van Den Bossche balanced all three elements of success in a recent Paradise new build—a six-bedroom, 7,100-square-foot classic Santa Barbara-style residence that defies trends and fits right into its social, walkable neighborhood.
“We know Paradise Valley very well,” says Van Den Bossche, who’s been in real estate for some four decades. “We didn’t want to do a 10,000-square-foot house here. Buyers have told us they want something a bit smaller, yet proportionate to the one-acre lot. They want something versatile. I think we hit the sweet spot here.”
Van Den Bossche hit that spot by working with a group of collaborators, including builder Mike Murphy of Tiara Sun Developers, along with his colleague, Richard Milne (whom Van Den Bossche mentored in the Young Presidents Organization). Murphy, in turn, brought in the talents of his frequent collaborators, architect Jim Blochberger and interior designer Evon Yaro-Fig.
“Any time Mike calls, I’m thrilled to work with him,” says Blochberger, well-known for his gracious residential designs. “He’s a meticulous builder.” Blochberger crafted a floor plan for the site, where an older home had already been demolished, which made the most of its long frontage exposure by wrapping the house around an entry courtyard and angling the home’s volumes to break up the mass.
Guided by Van Den Bossche’s market input, the plan includes a primary suite and secondary bedroom on one side of the great room and four ensuite bedrooms on the opposite side. “Having a smaller bedroom next to the primary is a must these days,” says Van Den Bossche. “If you have a young child, you don’t want the nursery at the opposite end of the house. If you don’t have children, that bedroom can be an office.” Other details Blochberger worked into the plan include a back kitchen, a flex room, a four-car garage tall enough to include a lift or two for a serious car collector, separate driveways for guests and homeowners, and a sunny laundry room that makes sorting and folding (almost) fun.
Blochberger imbued the home with traditional Santa Barbara style, albeit with subtle modern touches.
“We’re not copying the past here,” he notes, “but we are aiming for timeless appeal. It’s about restraint, not excess.” Working with a palette of warm white plaster, tile roofs and black steel-framed windows and doors, Blochberger added arched openings, traditional chimney caps and wood accents for authenticity. Inside, skylights, exposed wood trusses and wood-clad ceilings carry the Santa Barbara theme within the walls. “The house is designed to live indoors and out,” the architect says. “It’s filled with natural light.”
Yaro-Fig detailed the interior to continue the modern Santa Barbara appeal. The approach she chose is specific, not generic. “I don’t just do a basic interior for a spec home,” says the interior designer. “Instead, I create an avatar for the house and design for them. Here, the ‘client’ is someone with an active family who likes to entertain.” For the residence, Yaro-Fig created a backdrop of wide-plank French oak floors, walnut cabinetry, Taj Mahal quartzite countertops, custom tilework for the bathrooms, a limestone-clad fireplace and contemporary light fixtures.
The interior designer kept much of the interior in a series of neutrals and natural tones, but revved things up with deep hues in several spots. “I love color,” she says, “and I leaned into it here. We did deep navy walls for the dining room and a burgundy checkerboard tile floor for the entry.”
She finished off the spaces with furnishings that are a blend of contemporary and transitional lines. “I wanted the pieces to be comfortable, like your favorite cashmere sweater,” Yaro-Fig says. “The furniture should be something you can live with that’s not too precious.”
Finished in eleven months, the new residence is ready for its owners and was listed for $8.920 million. “All in all, this is a very liveable home,” says Blochberger. “It checks all the boxes.
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