Digs for Sale/Summerland Home

Tucked behind dense strands of bamboo, plumeria, haleconia, exotic palms and heavenly ginger, sits a tin-roofed, tropical pavilion-style residence owned by designer Scott Hogue.

Designer Scott Hogue came to Santa Barbara over forty years ago and has left his inimitable mark. He began as the popular executive chef at Birnam Wood Golf Club and then later opened downtown restaurant the Epicurean. For many, the romantic outdoor garden dining area became the place where first dates, marriage proposals and anniversaries were celebrated. When it closed in the mid-80’s, many locals were heartbroken.

But Scott was moving on to yet another creative and successful career as a floral designer, event planner and retailer, launching S.R. Hogue and Company. The store was in several locations (each one impeccably designed with Scott’s signature style) before settling in the upper village in Montecito. For fifteen years, Scott held court in his store, planning imaginative parties and floral extravaganzas for Montecito’s most exclusive residents.

Once again, Scott decided to sell the business and pursue his current obsession: shells. His encrusted mirrors, wall sconces and other objects sell in select stores from Santa Barbara (Botanik and S.R. Hogue) to San Miguel de Allende. He uses his dining room as his studio, blissfully removed from the constant activity and pressure of his past careers.

His home is a reflection of his many talents, interests and travels. Visitors have been known to walk around for the first few minutes without uttering a word, captivated by collections of Chinese porcelain figurines, textural ethnic fabrics and wall coverings, and the exquisitely blended color palette of corals, blues and ebony. It is sensory overload at it’s finest.

Scott worked closely with his architect and building contractor when building the home over three years ago.You enter through antique wooden gates and a bridge over a koi pond with cascading waterfalls.

A formal entry leads to a living room surrounded by a series of ten-foot high French doors overlooking exquisite Balinese-style tropical gardens. Chinese doors lead to formal dining room with Scott’s custom shell chandelier and built-in wooden cabinets.

Ocean view terraced gardens with crushed granite pathways, specimen plants, hand-hewn cut bar and stonework wind throughout the property. This extraordinary setting expresses the best of the upper Summerland lifestyle.

Most would be content living in paradise, but Scott’s tropical masterpiece is currently on the market and he’s moving to downtown home that will allow him more space for a workshop for his shell design business. It will be interesting to see what the next chapter in Scott’s ever-changing, artistic life-pursuits will bring.

Scott Robert Hogue – Interior & Landscape Design