Tour the Historic Montecito Home of One Creative Couple
The house, which was featured in Vogue almost one hundred years ago, was carefully updated to make room for loads of color
Though a home can be beautiful, treasured, and practical, most people cannot justifiably claim that their property is indeed a perfect example of any one attribute—much less a locale-defining architectural style. But for Justine Roddick and Tina Schlieske, such a declaration might just be valid. “Considering the house as a whole, that is the exterior of the house, the garden, and the interior, I consider it without question to be the most perfect example of the Hispanic Moresque type of architecture developed to suit conditions that exist in America today,” architect George Washington Smith wrote to Vogue features editor John McMullin of his own home—the now Roddick-Schlieske residence. In May of 1926, this letter was written in response to a question posed by McMullin, and Washington Smith—nearly a decade into his architectural career—was making a name for himself throughout Southern California.
A little over a year later, that same Montecito project appeared in a four-page Vogue spread as part of an August 1927 shelter-centric issue. “A Spanish House in California,” reads the story’s headline, which describes Washington Smith as the “best known of California’s architects.” And although the designer’s “without question” was replaced with an editorialized “perhaps,” the sentiment was the same: The home was a near pristine blueprint for what an American, Spanish-inspired home should look like.
For these reasons and others, Roddick and Schlieske were hesitant to be too heavy-handed in their renovation of the property, approximately a century later. Though they’d owned the historic home for about a decade, it had never felt like it was truly theirs. “COVID kicked our desire to make the home ours into high gear,” Schlieske, a musician, explains. At the same time, the couple felt deeply that the intention of Washington Smith couldn’t be ignored or, worse, erased. “We wanted to be so respectful of the bones of the house, and we were struggling to determine how to imprint ourselves and what we love into the fabric of the home without debasing it in any way,” she adds.
So, the pair enlisted Tamara Kaye-Honey, an interior designer and founder of AD PRO Directory firm House of Honey, to help with what Roddick described as this “overarching complication.” As Kaye-Honey explains, “I think what they responded to was our fierce use of color and boldness, and I had been known as someone who can respect the bones of a property, while also creating interior spaces that flip it on its side.”
And flipped it is. Looking back on the project, it’s perhaps the dining room that encapsulates this transformation the most. Before, the family almost never spent time in that part of the house but found themselves drawn to it immediately after Kaye-Honey finished working on the space. “It was one of the first things that Tamara finished,” Schlieske says. “And the colors she chose, the chairs, the amazing pendant light, the curtains…I just couldn’t wait to see what she’d do with the rest of the house.” What is more, it’s the perfect looking glass to confirm Washington Smith is still very much a part of the property. The hand-painted ceiling and handmade red floor tiles—two original details—were not only left untouched, but are also clearly central to the room’s success. “We didn’t want to take away from any of these elements. Instead, it was about pulling colors in, and adding to what had been there for 100 years,” Kaye-Honey says. That sentiment is carried through the rest of the house too, with many of its most unique original features—coffered ceilings, hand-painted tiles, and murals by painter Ramos Martínez—still proudly on display.
But now, it’s also a true Roddick-Schlieske home. A hot-pink entryway greets guests with a chromatic gust, while cheeky details—like an Elvis shrine—wait just around the corner. Textures, layers, and patterns erupt throughout the house, while rooms develop from deep saturation to misty delicacy, building tension in one that is released in the next. “For me, as a designer, it’s always about creating these experiences and unexpected moments,” Kaye-Honey says. “You can have this moment with wild, artistic wallpaper, and then you close the door and it’s suddenly much more subdued.”
Aesthetic intentions aside, Kaye-Honey explains her team strived to create spaces where the family could “live life out loud.” And, with the metamorphosis now done, it’s a goal that’s been easily met. “Before, it never felt cohesive, and I always just felt we could do so much better,” Roddick explains. “And I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had people over to play live music or to gather, and everyone feels so connected, so warm, so held, so loved—I’m very honored it’s our home.”
1/12Vintage Milo Baughman Swivel Tub chairs, reupholstered in Schumacher Rocky Performance Velvet in emerald, anchor the living room. A vintage reel-to-reel sits on a custom shelving system by Jason Koharik. Custom ottomans designed by House of Honey; Redlands coffee table; Pierre Frey Tempo in Terre drapery.
Art: James Holdsworth/APART Gallery London2/12The circular chair formation was Kaye-Honey’s way of creating a space that could be activated in different ways. “You can read a book there, you can have friends over, you can sit and listen to music,” she says. “There’s so many different uses.”
3/12A large Elvis portrait by James Holdsworth can be seen in the great room next to the stairs. The tiles are all original.
4/12Music played a large role in the design ethos of the project. This influence is prominently on display in the new bar room, which includes a small stage covered in vintage Persian rugs for live music. “That room came together in a blink of an eye,” Roddick says. “We were all just so excited about it.”
5/12The dark blue that defines the bar is a custom mix by Portola paints. Soho Home Bryden and Wardell stools; the pendant lights and bar were both custom designs by Jason Koharik.
6/12Both the tile and painted ceiling are original to the house. Drapery and sconce shades are from a House of Hackney Artemis fabric. Vintage dining room chairs; Star14 Star Rock Chandelier; vintage dining table.
Art: Sarena Rosenfeld7/12Original hand-painted tiles frame a painting by Sarena Rosenfeld in the dining room.
8/12Farrow & Ball’s “Eating Room Red” is prominently employed on the kitchen cabinetry, which enhances the red and purple veining in the Calacatta Viola countertops. Lighting by Jason Koharik.
9/12During the renovation, the kitchen was brought down to studs in order to modernize and reimagine the space. “We worked with [someone] local from LA who did the kitchen backsplash, which played well with the original tiles,” Kaye-Honey says. “We worked with dark purples and red, so it felt like the same conversation only in 2022.”
10/12In the bedroom, Kaye-Honey drew inspiration from English country cottages as an homage to Roddick, who is from the UK. House of Hackney Indienne wallpaper compliments Farrow & Ball’s Bancha on the ceiling; Vintage Franco Luce Seguso art glass chandelier, Lulu & Georgia Clementine platform bed, West Elm Vella nesting nightstands.
11/12The downstairs powder room is defined by a Voutsa x Grant Shaffer Trans Power toile wallpaper. “I love that there is a learning opportunity for anybody who’s sitting on the toilet in there,” Roddick says.
12/12“The grounds are exceptional,” Kaye-Honey says. “We were trying to bring the outdoors in for a lot of the spaces—whether it’s the green in the great room or the yellows in the bedroom—to highlight some of those beautiful moments.”
