Contemporary Life in Toro Canyon
The Giefer-described “flying carpet” roofline was an addition to the first remodel by architects Brett Ettinger and Pamela Ferguson. The floating steel structure looks out to the widespread views of Toro Canyon.
There’s no doubt that compromise creates a strong marriage—and apparently a stunning abode too. “We are 100 percent collaborators on our home,” says Cheryl Giefer. “Sebastian is more technical, while I dream of the furnishings, colors, and personal touches. But even with our differences, it’s always a fun process…give and take.” The couple—Sebastian, a German-born photographer turned entrepreneur, and Cheryl, an Armenian beauty and former modeling agent turned full-time mother of two—have been together for more than 30 years and relish the pursuit of living artfully.
Like many of us who stumbled upon Santa Barbara’s splendor on a weekend getaway, the Giefers, who lived in Los Angeles at the time, saw a real estate sign as they wound through Toro Canyon. Ten days later, they were transplants. That was 13 years ago before three phases of renovations. “We instantly fell in love with the property,” remembers Sebastian. “But the existing house was completely square with no views, with an atrium inside but none of the rooms were connected. We called it a ‘square doughnut.’” Even though the house was determined to be a teardown, Sebastian (also a trained architect) and his hired design team of Brett Ettinger and his wife, Pamela Ferguson, felt a deep respect for the house’s original master, Paul Tuttle—a mid-century architectural icon and Santa Barbara resident. “We were privileged to work on his design and were very respectful of his intent,” says Ettinger, who invited Tuttle to his studio for his comments on the study model of the new concept. “He enthusiastically endorsed it—and us.” So rather than copy or mimic his design, the team deliberately departed from it, to create “a clear dialogue between the new and original,”
he adds.
Sebastian and Cheryl seemed to have found kindred creative souls in Ettinger and Ferguson, and the foursome embarked on a “desire to break out of the box,” opening up the otherwise introverted home to the breathtaking views of the Channel Islands and canyon below. Extensive structural renovations ensued—the soaring “flying carpet” roof that embraces the sky and landscape, the complementary curved entryways to the loggia and bilevel deck, the glass-walled atrium that now had encircling interior walkways that connected all the rooms in the house, and additional landscaping by Eric Nagelmann, who planted tropical trees mixed with Japanese bamboo and succulents throughout the 10-acre property.
The Giefers—who have a son, Nikolai, a musician in Los Angeles, and daughter, Taiana, a fashion designer based in Santa Barbara and Manhattan—are no strangers to unconventional living and exploration. The duo continues to travel (they also have escapes in Vail, Colorado, and Careyes, Mexico), collecting treasures and one-of-a-kind art for their home. Contemporary leather Italian furniture and European paintings and sculptures by revered artist Gabriele Schnitzenbaumer mix with oversized vintage textile pillows and sheepskin rugs in the living room, while floor-to-ceiling mystical flying bird wallpaper pairs with a museum-quality Gerrit Rietveld chair in the master bedroom. Not to forget the open kitchen with its 360-degree views where Cheryl—a passionate cook who is on the board of the Organic Soup Kitchen, which services local individuals and families at risk—spends most of her time entertaining and preparing elaborate meals.
The miniretreat is a paradise for kids and guests who often trek the hillside digging for unearthed crystals, picking oranges, swimming in the lagoon like pool, dancing in Moroccan tents and a starlit repose on a remarkable slab of rock jutting over the canyon. “We literally live in the wild—everything in nature you could possibly imagine,” says Cheryl. Sebastian—who admits to constantly changing things and feeling the house and grounds “are transforming and never finished”—chimes in with his love of the climate and Riviera-like environment, reflecting, “Where else would we go? What else would be as fulfilling as the life we have here?” Alas, these free spirits have landed.
The center atrium deflects natural light to all four corners of the house. Tropical trees, meandering mosaic stone walkways, and a koi pond bring the outdoor vibe inside.
The living room is an inviting, if not sumptuous, space to relax and entertain. A large sheepskin rug sits plushly underneath a Roche Bobois sectional couch squared by two oversized B&B Italia leather chairs. One-of-a-kind pillows by Christine Clayton. The Three Ladies by UC Los Angeles art professor Roger Herman mounts the fireplace.
The small outpost on the ridge of the 10-acre property is the original studio dwelling of mid-century master architect Paul Tuttle, who designed the original main house as well. It now serves as a home office.