Blackbird Architects' Residential Brochure

places to live

design for education

sustainability leaders

we are blackbird

Blackbird Architects designs buildings and landscapes for living, learning, work and recreation. Based in Santa Barbara since 1995, we realize award-winning places of clarity and beauty, both regionally and beyond.

Our passionate team brings expertise from diverse countries, cultures and endeavors, leading us to unexpected and elegant solutions.

Our work hinges on collaboration between clients, architects, landscape architects, engineers, and artists.

We seek iconic, transformative, and sustainable design.

creating memorable places where people, communities and nature thrive.

an expression of what’s within you

getting to know the site & you

collaborative design

permitting & entitlement

material selection & interior design

virtual reality tours

construction administration mock-ups / factory visits

3d visualization

It is only through the work of teams that projects of vision and substance are realized. Blackbird leads the collaborative endeavor, and takes pride in building good relations as well as good places.

Like-minded yet diverse, our personnel bring expertise from different countries, cultures and endeavors. We find that people with diverse backgrounds offer unique points of view and lead us to new and unexpected discoveries.

As good listeners, we translate your needs into thoughtful design. Our process, with you, is iterative and defined by collaborative exchange. Design options are conveyed through a variety of strikingly clear graphic techniques.

The result should be a home that is an expression of what’s within you.

We are with you from start to finish.

The process of realizing your home should be rewarding and it should be a pleasure.

Mountain Drive Residence, Santa Barbara , CA

MOUNTAIN DRIVE RESIDENCE

Santa Barbara, CA

• 2700 sf residence, 1100 sf garage

• elegant living with simple floor plan

• exposed timber frame supports roof that tips up to 180-degree ocean and island views

• owner’s art and moroccan door collection featured in design

• inviting and drought-tolerant gardens

OCEAN BLUFF RESIDENCE

Santa Barbara, CA

• 3000 sf residence, 765 sf detached garage & 540 sf adu

• butterfly copper roofs tilt up to invite daylight in & expand site connections

• rooftop solar photovoltaic panels

• glazed facades open inside to out, expanding the indoor living area to covered courtyards

Ocean Bluff, Santa Barbara, CA

Materials and textures shape experience

The palette of a project is another scale at which the design of a home can be a reflection of you. We guide you through the process of thoughtfully selecting materials, textures and colors that you will touch and see on a daily basis.

Our approach uses materials to add to the positive identity, experience and function of the building and landscape. Enhance comfort and convenience through proven low-cost, high-impact finishes. Select materials and systems that reduce initial costs and ongoing life-cycle costs. Take advantage of what is free – natural light and air.

Hope Ranch Residence, Santa Barbara , CA

HOPE RANCH RESIDENCE

Santa Barbara, CA

• 8600 sf

• contemporary remodel & addition

• expansive glass & full-height sliding doors foster indooroutdoor connection

• green-roofed guest house & cabana, infinity-edged pool & spa, pond & palm island at entry, generous outdoor living spaces

Hope Ranch Residence, Santa Barbara , CA

HOUSE ON THE GREEN

Santa Barbara, CA

• 5660 sf

• hipped roofs of variable heights create a collection of smaller pavilions

• floor-to-ceiling pocketing glass doors fully open the interior to out

• nestled into gently sloping hillside, capturing views of surrounding mountains & neighborhood green

Mountain Drive Residence I, Santa Barbara , CA

MOUNTAIN DRIVE RESIDENCE II

Santa Barbara, CA

• 2000 sf

• modest and refined space for indoor/outdoor living

• nestled into hillside for at-grade connections on all levels

• expansive upper level deck & lower level covered patio

• material palette and massing echo existing residence

Coyote Residence, Santa Barbara , CA

COYOTE RESIDENCE

Santa Barbara, CA

• 6400 sf

• LEED Platinum

• represents deep design collaboration between architecture and landscape to create an elegant living environment in harmony with nature

Coyote Residence, Santa Barbara , CA

Coyote Residence, Santa Barbara , CA

Coyote Residence, Santa Barbara , CA

HYGGE HOUSE

Solvang, CA

• knoll-top residence with ADU, pool, cabana, and barn

• 270° views of Santa Ynez Valley

• elevated butterfly roof at the courtyard plan’s central living and dining room connects kitchen and bedroom wings

• occupiable roof deck covers the bermed-in, downslope guesthouse

REFUGIO RESIDENCE

Santa Ynez, CA

• 7650 sf

• main residence, guest house, garage and storage

• barn and open stalls to accommodate 6 horses, and support for other animals

• patios, swimming pool, play areas and other outdoor amenities

Canyon Road Residence, Montecito , CA

MISSION CANYON RESIDENCE

Santa Barbara, CA

• 6700 sf single family residence with attached garage and pool

• bermed residence maximizes flat useable outdoor space and creates at-grade connections for both upper and lower level

• expansive vine-covered patio extends full length of lower level

• native planted roof at garage merges building and landscape

COUNTRY COTTAGE

Santa Barbara, CA

• 800 sf studio

• inspired by rugged mountain landscape

• chalet vernacular expressed through simple floor plan, thick storage walls, central hearth and rustic, natural materials

Country Cottage, Santa Barbara, CA

MONTECITO RESIDENCE

Montecito, CA

• 5000 sf

• pinwheel floor plan provides central living hub with stunning mountain views, private rooms arranged around intimate gardens

• expansive overhangs protect outdoor living from the elements

The long-term benefits of building green are overwhelming and increasingly resonate with our residential clients. Our approach to sustainability is finding project specific solutions that meet your goals.

We can design buildings that generate more power than they use, collect and purify runoff water, include no toxins, glow with natural sunlight, are naturally temperate by bathing you in fresh air.

Since its inception, Blackbird Architects has been a passionate advocate for environmental stewardship through sustainable design. We are committed to the 2030 Architecture Challenge.

Sustainability is about more than crossing items off a checklist or tabulating numbers for an energy budget. We look for green strategies that add value to a project in multiple ways including positive contributions to experience and aesthetics. This methodology can achieve a very green project at little to no extra cost.

building green is not about sacrifice; it is actually about getting more...more pleasure, more beauty, more life.

selected projects

ARBOLADO RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 6070 SF

BOISE RESIDENCE

BOISE, ID 3200 SF

CALVARY ROAD RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 1900 SF

CANTERA RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 6630 SF

CANYON ROAD RESIDENCE

MONTECITO, CA 6690 SF

CITY OCEAN BLUFF RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 3550 SF

CLIFF DRIVE RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 3250 SF

COUNTRY COTTAGE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 800 SF

COYOTE RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 6400 SF

HARBOR HILLS DRIVE RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 1700 SF

HOPE RANCH RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 8600 SF

HOUSE ON THE GREEN

SANTA BARBARA, CA 5660 SF

HYGGE HOUSE SOLVANG, CA 3600 SF

LAS CONOAS RIDGE RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 6590 SF

MICHELTORENA RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 1500 SF

MISSION CANYON RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 6700 SF

MONTECITO RESIDENCE

MONTECITO, CA 5000 SF

MOUNTAIN DRIVE RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 6700 SF

MOUNTAIN DRIVE RESIDENCE I

SANTA BARBARA, CA 3800 SF

MOUNTAIN DRIVE RESIDENCE II

SANTA BARBARA, CA 2000 SF

MOUNTAIN PREFAB

SANTA BARBARA, CA 710 SF

MOUNTAINSIDE RESIDENCE

MONTECITO, CA 3430 SF

NICHOLAS LANE RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 2900 SF

OAK KNOLL RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 3920 SF

OCEAN BLUFF RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 4310 SF

OCEAN VISTA RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 4660 SF

ORTEGA RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 3000 SF

PALOMAR ROAD RESIDENCE

OJAI, CA 3700 SF

REFUGIO RESIDENCE

SANTA YNEZ, CA 7650 SF

ROCKWOOD RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 4700 SF

SAN YSIDRO RESIDENCE

MONTECITO, CA 3000 SF

SANTA ANGELA RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 3290 SF

SHAW RANCH RESIDENCE

PASADENA, CA 3600 SF

SHORELINE DRIVE RESIDENCE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 2690 SF

SANTA TERESITA DRIVE

SANTA BARBARA, CA 1300 SF