Some people like water, but these homeowners LOVE water. Welcome to the Wave House. Originally built in the 1970s by architect Michael Carmichael, the Wave House is situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara.
The new owners recently made some renovations to restore the home to its magical glory.
“There was no obvious remodeling, no work that had been done that we could see,” Carmichael told TODAY. “But the windows leaked, the roof leaked, there was no central heat or air conditioning. Everything was aged.”
Almost everything in this home is wavy. From the shapes of the house itself to the windows, and even some of the furniture has a wavy feel to it.
“There are very few straight lines and no true arches,” Williams says. “Everything is elliptical. Everything is free-form.”
This whimsical dream home includes two bedrooms, a living room, a dining and kitchen area, as well as a bathroom. The new renovations added a new maintain staircase from the front hallway to the second floor.
The new owner had envisioned updating the kitchen with new countertops and cabinets in the home, however, it was intentionally left with a minimalistic look.
“We went back and forth several times and decided that’s where we would side with a purist approach,” Williams says. “It adds that certain level of funk.”The oak slat board finish seamlessly blends the cabinets with the refrigerator and matches the rounded tile design in the countertops.
The oak slat board finish seamlessly blends the cabinets with the refrigerator and matches the tile design in the rounded countertops.
The tiles on the main floor are simultaneously new and old limestone.
“One out of every 10 tiles will have a seahorse fossil or the fossil of a sea snail embedded in the tile,” Williams says.
The fireplace was left untouched other than a new paint job.
“It was really important to keep that element,” William said.
The master bedroom wasn’t modified too much but they did have to change up the tail of the wave window as it was too high. It was expanded to bring in more sunlight.
I mean how gorgeous is that! Imagine waking up to that every morning!
The master bathroom was also redone and modernized with onyx countertops and shower walls that also have the appearance of waves.
“We placed the slabs to follow the curves of the glass and reiterate the waves,” Williams explains. Radiant heat keeps the floors warm in all the bathrooms in the house and tower.
A second bedroom and bathroom were also added so that there are a bedroom and bathroom on each floor.
Their deck had sustained significant dry rot, so it was ripped out and a new Brazilian ipe wood was installed in its place. Doors were added to the exterior of the home so that there is access to the first-floor shower/bathroom, the living area, and a bedroom.
Now we’ve all heard of guest houses, but have you ever heard of a guest tower? Well, the Wave House has one. It was
Well, the Wave House has one. It was recently renovated to incorporate new siding and a new bedroom/bathroom. There is a second and third floor which both have a bedroom and a bathroom. The 30-foot tower also has an observation deck complete with LED lighting to illuminate the night and landscape surrounding the deck.
There is a private staircase that goes down 60-feet and leads to a limited-access beach north of Refugio State Beach.
Williams says the renovation was one of the most difficult projects he has ever worked on.
“The goal was to modernize the house but provide a much higher level of quality and integrity to the construction,” he told TODAY. “It was really important to the owner and ourselves that we preserve the integrity of the design. We wanted to enhance it, but we took almost a purist approach.”
It’s obvious that the results are well worth it. You can see a full photo gallery of the Wave House here.
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