Commonly referred to as Santa Barbara, Spanish Colonial, Mediterranean, this style is a common and popular reflection of the various influences of our cultures. The tile roof, originally made from clay and imported from Mexico, now is made of cement, a more durable and stronger material that can be molded into a flat, slate-like tile, or an s-curved tile. The fact that it is cement means it can be colored and is no longer just the popular brick-color clay. Its durability gives it a lifespan of approximately 50 years.

Spanish Colonial revival is really a catalog of styles, unified by the use of arches, courtyards, form as mass, plain wall surfaces, and tile roofs, all derived from the Mediterranean world. Designers were inspired by a number of sources: the adobe and colonial buildings of Monterey, California; late forms of Moorish architecture; medieval Spanish and Italian church architecture; Ultra-Baroque design of colonial Spain and Portugal; rural forms from Andalusia; Italian Romanesque and Renaissance revival elements; and southwest Hopi and Pueblo Indian adobes. This broad source base made it relatively easy to create a convincing harmony between the exterior image, interior space, decorative elements, and the building's function. Eclectic as the Spanish revival was, the purity of single elements was often retained, such as an Ultra-Baroque entry decoration. In some cases an entire style source, such as Andalusian, was virtually transplanted.

Spanish Colonial Revival architecture shares many elements with the very closely-related Mission Revival and Pueblo styles of the West and Southwest, and is strongly informed by the same Arts & Crafts Movement that was behind those architectural styles. Characterized by a combination of detail from several eras of Spanish and Mexican architecture, the style is marked by the prodigious use of smooth plaster (stucco) wall and chimney finishes, low-pitched clay tile, shed, or flat roofs, and terra cotta or cast concrete ornaments. Other characteristics typically include small porches or balconies, Roman or semi-circular arcades and fenestration, wood casement or tall, double–hung windows, canvas awnings, and decorative iron trim.

Typical color palette includes:
Santa Barbara colors, todays interpretations embrace the gamut of the earthy palate: pale moss greens; deep, gleaming coppers; and smoldering, indigo blues. Whether classic or modern, the Santa Barbara home is always designed for the utmost in hospitality, both for its residents and its fortunate guests.

Distinctive Features:

• Flat or low-pitched roof (typically with red clay tile) and little overhang
• Red roof tiles
• Little or no overhanging eaves
• Stucco siding
• Arches, especially above doors, porch entries and main windows
• White stucco walls over brick
• Asymmetrical front with small, irregularly placed windows
• Doors often heavy with decorative carving common on heavy wooden doors and windows.
• Wrought-iron fixtures, and balcony railings
• Arched entryways; low round or square towers.
• Rectangular or L-plan
• Predominantly one-story