Far Afield is one of two significant historic estates remaining in the prime Montecito “Golden Quadrangle” commanding apx 10.5 acres with over 25 separate cultivated and native garden attractions.

In 1916 famed American writer Hobart C. Chatfield-Taylor and wife Rose Farwell, Daughter of US Senator Charlie B. Farwell, purchased the land and named the property Far Afield by name blending, symbolizing the estate as their vacation home “far away” from their primary home. This Preeminent Mediterranean Villa Estate was designed in 1917 and completed in 1918 by renowned Santa Barbara architect Francis T. Underhill, outdoing his other masterpieces such as Villa Solana and La Chiquita.

Today, after a 15-year exhaustive restoration completed in 2017, Far Afield delivers art and architecture thoughtfully finished with hand-crafted custom details using reclaimed 17th & 18th century building materials curated throughout Europe. Each of the parquet floor patterns were custom built on site with hand-cut French Oak, imported from historic Chateaus. A curated collection of Dutch, Italian and Spanish antique tiles are attentively integrated throughout the estate’s interior and exterior. The elegance of the villa’s architecture, facade and finishes are enhanced by the estate’s unparalleled and completely updated infrastructure including a structural and mechanical engineering overhaul with added subterranean levels and state-of-the-art systems rivaling modern hotel resorts of today.

And finally The Far Afield Gardens, which include the original Bridal Path connecting horticultural, botanical, native and formal parterre gardens across acres of fertile land. Also featuring historic statuary of Rose Farwell “The Lady” and Dionysus & The Historic Folly. Stroll the beautiful winding paths connecting all the incredible natural orchards and groves such as The Citrus and Stone Fruit Orchards. Wander The Forest Pansy and Oak Cathedral Groves. Peace and serenity await tending the formal roses or dozens of other varieties of native flora. A wonderland of discovery invites the entire family; swing under the Ancient Eucalyptus, explore the Native Meadows or dine alfresco under the Grandfather Oak.  All intangible, private, and priceless features of nature at Far Afield.

Far Afield is a legacy estate for the ages with everything you would expect to represent success, class and sophistication. The gated stately driveway approach introduces an unassuming, yet unbelievably awe-inspiring romantic Main Villa and Guest Residence with indelible charm and character. Truly a trophy legacy asset to be cherished by children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren for decades to come offered for the first time in over 20 years. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with location, acreage, gardens, and pedigree architecture impossible to replicate today.