ROBIN’S NEST

New Life into a Santa Barbara Ranch House

FForward-thinking Robin Donaldson is one extremely busy, very nice (like many in this profession), talented architect in our town who has created noteworthy projects throughout Southern California. When Donaldson decided to expand and feather his own super-cool Santa Barbara nest, he devised a creative modular solution.

With three architectural design offices (Santa Barbara, Culver City and Newport Beach), 60 employees, a business partner of 26 years (Russell Shubin with whom he collaborates on Los Angeles design projects), a new office/live work space in downtown Santa Barbara, and more going on, it’s pretty remarkable that the down- to-earth, fourth generation, Southern California architect found time to sit down for this story. We had a great visit, our hourlong chat in his office conference room rambling from contemporary art to birthdays to downtown living to family roots (his are Irish) to travel (he’d just returned from a surf trip to Costa Rica) and other areas of common interest.

Shubin/Donaldson projects run the gamut from grand to small and include large architectural estates and commercial projects. Donaldson’s own remodeled family home featured here is somewhat modest. The California 1950s ranch-style house, which was expanded from 1,500 to 2,600 square feet, is where he and his wife Eryn raised their two sons for the past 14 years.

“Regardless of the size of a project, we approach each design with a passion for detail and a highly crafted modernist aesthetic,” the architect noted.

Donaldson voluntarily upgraded the entire house down to the studs. The family moved out for nine months of the 18-month-long remodel.

The modular addition is a smart solution for savvy homeowners considering in-law/guest/ or growing family building additions to their own homes.

Previous and this page: Sliding frosted glass doors with steel hardware allow light to flow between the kitchen, living room, and a hallway, adding not only light between rooms but also an artistic element. Opposite: The reclaimed Douglas fir used for the bathroom ceiling and walls came from the former Cal Poly Pomona bleachers.