The location of this house was a big selling point for interior designer Elizabeth Backup. “It’s in the Lower Riviera neighborhood of Santa Barbara, perched on a hillside among native oaks and overlooking the coastline, with views out to the Channel Islands,” she tells us. “What do we love most about the area? The view, the view, the view. The last stretch of the 90-mile drive up from LA is along the coastline, and you can feel your blood pressure drop as you approach.”

The 1971 post-and-beam house is obscured from the road, and it unfolds like a surprise as you step down to the entrance. Elizabeth and her partner, Isaac Aptaker, live here along with their two-year-old child and dogs. “Isaac and I rented a home in Santa Barbara in the summer of 2020 and fell in love with the area,” she recalls. “We watched the market and looked at dozens of homes, writing an offer only on this one. We felt that special energy right when we set eyes on it. The fact that it has a guest house really sealed the deal for us given that our families live across the country and we had a vision of long weekends and holidays with friends and family as houseguests. Our primary goal was to create a home that we’ll have forever and where our loved ones will always feel welcome and comfortable.”

This the third of four properties that Isaac and Elizabeth have remodeled together, so interior design has turned into a family affair for the couple. “I believe this house had only two owners before us,” she says. “Inspired by the architecture and surroundings, we took an organic modern approach to renovating and furnishing the home.”

Their scope of work included reworking the floorplan to better suit their lifestyle, opening up the kitchen to the living area. “It was quite tight before and could barely accommodate two people at work,” she recalls. “We also relocated the fireplace, which was previously a stone-clad behemoth dividing the dining area from the sitting area.”

In addition to remodeling the kitchen, they reimagined the bathrooms, as well as bringing in new floors, doors, and skylights, and adding new lighting throughout. “We also updated the hardscaping and pool out back so that our friends and family can soak up the view, which features sailboat races, the occasional cruise ship sighting, and evening rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base,” Elizabeth says. 

Details truly defined the renovation, with hardware from Emtek guiding a lot of design decisions. “It’s rustic yet refined and so connected to the earth,” Elizabeth notes. “I knew I wanted to feature living finishes in the home, and so the Emtek Sandcast Bronze material was perfect for our door hardware. I love the imperfections and softness that results from the sand-casting process, and the Winchester door knobs in particular paired perfectly with our walnut slab doors and are so comfortable to the touch. We also incorporated Sandcast Bronze knobs on many of the cabinets throughout the home.”

There’s a bit of a learning curve when specifying door hardware, and Elizabeth says she’s always found the Emtek written guides and reps to be very helpful throughout the process. “It’s also incredibly easy to find Emtek products and finishes in local showrooms, and I often direct clients to check them out in person,” she explains. “When I incorporate Emtek hardware into a project, I know I’m getting excellent finishes and quality at a great value – and that’s why you’ll see their pieces both in my own home and in client projects.”

The greatest challenge the couple faced during in the project was timeline. “Santa Barbara has strict permitting rules and a small office, and it required a lot of patience to get the plan set and permit in hand,” she says. “We were both so involved in the remodel that there was no ‘reveal’ to us, but it has been a source of constant fun over the years as our friends and visitors discover the home.”