Plaza Pacifica Apartment
Montecito, California
Completed 2013
Design Team
Brian Messana, Toby O’Rorke, Viktor Nassli
Collaborators
Lighting Designer: Zerolux
Designed for luxury and leisure in the 1960’s, this complex of beach front condominiums in manicured grounds and astonishing Pacific Ocean views, was in serious need of refurbishment. Pop up appliances and sunken tubs may have been the standard back then, but nicotine colored glass and wall to wall shag carpet no longer feels luxurious or beach.
The condominium’s bones were great with generous sized rooms and beautiful light. The space was stripped back to the shell and reinvented with a pallet of walnut and oak, offset by clean white walls and ceilings.
Blocks of walnut cabinetry define the entry hall, stairwell, living room and kitchen. In the living room and bedrooms white paneled walls hide, books, games, televisions, a Murphy bed, a home office, laundry and closets. There’s even a full service bar, waiting for its doors to be flung open for a party. Minimal simple details negate hardware and reduce visual noise.
The design provides for endless versatility with a constant aim of providing quiet tranquil living, when the doors and panels are closed.
Photographs by Eric Laignel