House Tour: A Minimalist Sanctuary in a Former Train Depot in Montecito
Photography by Ye Rin Mok and Logan White
We're previously featured the home of LA jewelry designer Kathleen Whitaker; recently, she told us, she temporarily moved into a rental in Montecito during the pandemic. The cottage dates to the 1920s, and Whitaker redid it into a peaceful escape (despite being limited from painting or making permanent changes).
The cottage came painted white, which Kathleen liked, though she swapped out the wall sconces for silver-tipped bulbs.
Much of the furniture is vintage; the Noguchi floor lamp is from OK in Santa Monica.
The antique table was handed down from a friend.
In the bedroom, Kathleen created a corner desk with a piece of varnished birch plywood.
“Last year, I found on Craigslist an original set of four 1940s butterfly chairs and had new slings made for them in heavy-weight canvas," says Kathleen.