Colonial Beach House

Address: 75 Olive Mill Road
Status: On the market
Price: $3,495,000

“Terar Dum Prosim” is engraved on a tile set above the marble fireplace in the living room at 75 Olive Mill Road. The Latin translates to “May I be consumed in service,” and it’s the motto of a boarding school in Ontario, Canada. The tile and the entire striking fireplace are exemplary original details that were preserved when this home underwent a recent renovation.

We’ve all noticed 75 Olive Mill Road countless times: Its grand facade peeks over the front hedge as we stroll or drive from Coast Village Road to the Biltmore Hotel and Butterfly Beach. 

I visited while the house was being readied for sale and felt fortunate to receive a guided tour from the owners. This personal touch provided firsthand insight into myriad details like the Latin-engraved fireplace tile. 

The house is full of pleasant surprises and designer finishes. The result is a gorgeous home that feels both stylish and livable.

From first glance, the tall white pillars in front of the four-bedroom, five-bath, two-story facade mark it as colonial in style. Its window shutters and sunny tone, reminiscent of a genteel East Coast manor, also provide a distinct beach-home feel as well. 

Tucked behind a privacy wall, the blue front gate opens to reveal a large, brick-lined motor court. A central fountain greets visitors with a lilting splash that lends a pleasant welcome. 

I stepped through the front door into a classic foyer, with hardwood stairs leading up to the second floor. A large, bright family room sits to the left, open to the kitchen beyond. To the right of the entry lie a formal living room, dining room, and a guest bedroom suite. A finished wine room is also nestled behind a sliding barn door off the hallway.

As the owners, Ted and Cynthia, showed me around, I learned that almost every surface of the home was reimagined in their recent remodel. They changed the footprint of more than half of the house and added 600 square feet.

Almost all the first-floor rooms view the backyard. Telescoping doors from the living and family rooms open out to a large back patio, providing a comfortable indoor-outdoor flow for entertaining. The dining room has a vaulted ceiling plus two walls of windows that look out over a majestic oak tree in the backyard.

The family room is bright and comfortable, but it’s the kitchen that beckons. An oversized blue island makes a bold statement in the center of the room, with Carrera marble countertops and plenty of surface space for both food preparation and serving. I admired the nifty coffee bar, panel-fronted appliances, custom cabinetry, and herringbone-patterned marble backsplash. Cynthia shared that the double-sided breakfast bar is one of her favorite features in the house.

Unexpected touches kept causing me to turn my head: the nautical-themed powder room, the laundry room with its blue Dutch door, and the light fixtures all throughout the house. Each new delight was worthy of exclamation.

Upstairs, two bedroom suites anchor one wing while the master bedroom suite occupies the south-facing side of the house. The master offers a sitting area, fireplace, walk-in closet, and open office area. The master bathroom is truly decadent with a heated marble floor and designer fixtures, plus a huge marble shower with a glass French door and built-in bench. 

It’s notable that this property is two legal lots. Cynthia and Ted went through the often-arduous process of splitting and permitting the land into two separate parcels. The property line allows for access down the side of the house into the oversized backyard. A new owner could build a house or duplex that would have a separate address or add a pool and cabana for their own enjoyment.

Walking back through this gorgeous house, I couldn’t think of one thing that I would change. I loved every detail and had the feeling that if I had been able to stay twice as long, I would have found twice as much to love. I headed back to work, however, to find myself “consumed in service” at the office once again.

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75 Olive Mill Road is currently for sale in Montecito, listed by Jamie Faletti of The Epstein Partners of Keller Williams Realty. Reach Jamie at (805) 886-5223 or jamie@theepsteinpartners.com.