michelle kaufmann designs

Whenever I hear or see a great new example of eco luxury I think, “Yes! This is what green can be: beautiful, elegant, something people would be thrilled to call their own.”  Then I want to let people know all about it so they can understand for themselves that luxury and green don’t have to be mutually exclusive.  So when I visited the most recently completed project by our friends John Maienza and Gregg Wilson (of Maienza Limited), a palatial five bedroom Santa Barbara abode with multiple eco-friendly elements, I knew I had to share what I saw.  The greenest aspect of this gorgeous home is that John and Gregg chose not to tear down a house that others had left for “dead” but instead renovated the existing structure.  They even recycled some of the old materials to use in the newly design house.  And they didn’t stop there.

The bamboo cabinetry in this spacious kitchen comes from Henrybuilt. The base units are constructed from FSC-certified panels with FSC-certified birch veneer core.

Accordion glass doors help to maximize natural ventilation and connect the interiors of the home to the picturesque landscape surrounding it.

This lovely pool is heated via solar power.

Every bathroom includes low-flow dual flush toilets and other low-flow plumbing fixtures.

With over 300 days of sunshine a year, Santa Barbara is the perfect place to take advantage of solar power, which is why this house comes with a 7KW photovoltaic array.  The array is actually designed to reduce the home’s power usage and is grid-tied so that owners can sell back any power they generate but don’t use.

Through the miracle of modern technology, many mirrors in the home double as television screens, which helps save space.  Although, space is not something that’s in short supply in this home.

Xeriscaped landscaping is watered via drip irrigation, which delivers water to the drought tolerant plants in a way that drastically reduces the amount that’s lost through evaporation.

For those of you busy fantasizing about what life would be like in this stunning eco dwelling, well, you’re in luck.  The home is on the market and available for purchase!  Anyone interested in finding out more should email John at john@johnmaienza.com.