Corinne Mathern turns a California home into a territory where beauty becomes a synonym for silence and emotional well-being

High in the hills of Mission Canyon, this home seems to have found its natural place between the mountain and the horizon. Designed by Corinne Mathern Studio in collaboration with Dovetail Architects, this residence in Santa Barbara is a hymn to serenity and to the silent beauty of the landscape. A home that breathes to the rhythm of the sun, where every material, every texture, and every shadow are called upon to return us to the essential.

The project, designed for a former professional football player and his wife, interprets the purest form of Californian living: a seamless continuity between indoors and outdoors in a mild climate that invites life with open doors, and a deep sensitivity to the enjoyment of nature. “We wanted the house to feel like a retreat where they could enjoy the landscape and the calm of the mountains,” explains Corinne Mathern. She achieved this through contemporary architecture with a mid-century spirit, where clean geometry dissolves into a warm, intimate, and earthy atmosphere.

The soul of the masters

This project carries the influence of architects who defined the twentieth century through sensitivity and light. Luis Barragán, with his ability to turn simplicity into emotion; Mies van der Rohe, for his transparency and the dialogue between structure and void; Eileen Gray, for her human scale and the furniture that accompanies daily life; and Alvar Aalto, for the tactile calm and honesty of his materials.

But beyond these references, what distinguishes this home is its own language: a contemporary interpretation of modernism, shaped by Mathern’s feminine and sensitive gaze, transforming architecture into an inner landscape.

A refuge of living materials

The material palette is an extension of the terrain itself — wood, clay, stone, plaster. Everything seems to have emerged from the same earth on which the house stands. The designer summarizes it simply: “We worked with materials from the landscape so that the flow between interior and exterior would feel natural.”
The tones —muted greens, ochres, and earthy neutrals— evoke the vegetation and the warmth of the sun that caresses the hills throughout the year. In the living and kitchen areas, an open-plan space framed by floor-to-ceiling windows, light becomes the protagonist. In other rooms, such as the media lounge, color takes on depth in the warm green Victoria Garden by Benjamin Moore, giving the space an enveloping and domestic character.

Living serenity

The design seeks stillness as much as beauty. There is no excess, no artifice — only a harmonious composition of textures, objects, and silences.
The selected pieces —from Stahl and Band, Atelier de Troupe, Una Malan, Georg Jensen, Christopher Norman, JF Chen, Nickey Kehoe, Tom Dixon, Workstead, Holly Hunt, and Gubi— coexist with furniture designed by the studio itself and artworks by Gala Porras Kim, Michael Wilson, Paula Greif, and Christiane Perrochon. Together, they compose an atmosphere that invites one to pause, to look, and to breathe.

The result is a home where everything seems to serve emotional well-being. “Life in Santa Barbara is made of light and open air,” Mathern recalls, “and we wanted that experience to be felt in every corner.”

Project: Hills of Santa Barbara.
Location: Mission Canyon. Santa Barbara (California).
Completed: 2023.
Architecture: Dovetail Architects.
Interior design: Corinne Mathern.
Builder: Allen Construction.
Photography: Nicole Franzen.
Production: Karine Monié.

Corinne Mathern

Corinne Mathern is an interior designer and founder of her eponymous studio, Corinne Mathern Studio, based in Southern California. Her sensibility is nourished by the observation of the Californian landscapes she has called home — particularly the forests and hills of Santa Barbara County — and by an ongoing dialogue with modern architecture and its precursors: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Eileen Gray, and Alvar Aalto, among others.

In 2014, Corinne Mathern established her studio, which she defines as a creator of “balanced backdrops for living,” where meaningful objects, art, warm materials, and the absence of distraction come together so that “life feels more serene.”

Her palette revolves around earthy tones, natural materials — wood, stone, clay, and plaster —, handcrafted textures, and commissioned artworks. Her work reinterprets existing architecture, reshaping it with sensitivity and infusing it with an atmosphere of calm — a sense of dwelling that resonates deeply with its surroundings.

After relocating from Los Angeles to the Santa Barbara region in 2014, Mathern notes that her aesthetic became more “earthy, uncluttered, and rich in materials,” responding to the landscape, the light, and the slower rhythm she found there. Her approach combines respect for the original architecture with a new layer of natural elegance: large windows, a seamless connection with the outdoors, materials that “age gracefully,” bespoke pieces, and objects that tell stories.

Mathern gives a central role to the handmade — to the living material that evolves with time and use — and to the union of comfort and honesty. This attitude aligns with a holistic vision of sustainability, understood not only as energy efficiency but also as respect for the building’s legacy, the reuse of elements, and a material, enduring treatment of surfaces.

Beyond design itself, Mathern’s vision embraces daily life — the emotional experience of inhabiting — and the idea that an authentic space can enhance our way of being. Her studio works closely with clients, commissioning specific artworks, collaborating on custom furniture, and responding with sensitivity to each context.

Corinne Mathern is, in essence, a designer who — from the Californian landscape — weaves together architecture, craftsmanship, and nature to create spaces that invite contemplation, stillness, and mindful living. Her work is an invitation to dwell with awareness, beauty, and a slower rhythm.

Project by Corinne Mathern