“We live out there,” says owner Tom Bollay about the rectangular 12- by 23-foot brick-paved terrace beside the dining room at the Montecito, California, home (pictured above and on the cover) that he built with his wife, Nancy.”We have lunch there every day; dinner too, as often as possible.” French doors make the patio easily accessible, and an outdoor fireplace – sharing a chimney with the dining room fireplace – warms up the evening air. Another terrace opens up the living room.The fluid indoor-outdoor relationship, the thick, white-plastered walls, and the brick and tile accents recall the architectural traditions of Spain, Indeed, Bollay studied the courtyard architecture of Andalusia before beginning his design.

Design: Thomas Bollay Associates, Santa Barbara (805.969.1991; Architect.com)
Contractor: J. T. Elder Construction, Santa Barbara (805.682.6883)