Lockwood de Forest: The Artist–Architect Who Shaped Santa Barbara’s Landscape
Photo courtesy of Pacific Horticulture
If you’ve ever stepped into a Montecito estate and felt that seamless blend between garden and architecture—the way lavender borders soften stucco walls, how a courtyard feels perfectly framed, how stone paths seem to guide you without force—you’ve felt the quiet influence of Lockwood de Forest.
Though less well-known than some of his architectural contemporaries, de Forest was one of the most important landscape architects ever to shape the Santa Barbara area. His work helped define the indoor–outdoor sensibility that’s now synonymous with California living—and his imprint remains visible across Montecito’s most storied properties.
From Artist to Landscape Visionary
Born in 1850 in New York City, Lockwood de Forest began his career not in landscape architecture but in the fine arts. A painter, designer, and globe-trotter, he became deeply inspired by the craftsmanship and natural materials of India, where he spent significant time working with artisans and studying garden traditions. Having been raised between Greenwich Village and Long Island, Lockwood began attending boarding school at Thacher School in Ojai in 1912. His attachments to Western landscapes would come to define his life’s work.
This global perspective shaped the way he approached every project. To de Forest, landscapes weren’t simply arrangements of plants—they were emotional experiences. Pathways, sightlines, shade, fragrance, stone, and texture all mattered as much as architectural geometry. This sensibility made him a natural fit for the emerging design ethos of early-20th-century Santa Barbara.
A Defining Partnership with George Washington Smith
When de Forest moved to Santa Barbara in the 1920s, he formed a creative partnership with architect George Washington Smith—a collaboration that produced some of the finest estates on the Central Coast.
Where Smith brought Andalusian symmetry, Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, and crisp plaster forms, de Forest supplied the softness: terraced gardens, sculptural hedging, courtyards planted to feel centuries old, and paths that unfurled like stories.
Together, they forged the blueprint for what we now consider quintessential Montecito style.
Some of their most notable collaborations include:
Casa del Herrero
A National Historic Landmark in Montecito, where de Forest’s layered gardens—citrus allées, tiled fountains, olive alleys, and intimate outdoor rooms—remain among the most studied and admired examples of Spanish Colonial Revival landscaping in America.El Pueblo Viejo district influences
Their shared design ethos informed many of the early guidelines that shaped Santa Barbara’s architectural identity following the 1925 earthquake.
De Forest’s landscapes were the essential counterpart to Smith’s architecture—quiet, grounded, and deeply rooted in Mediterranean principles adapted to California’s climate.
Photo by Matt Walla, courtesy of Casa del Herrero
A New Language of California Gardens
While many landscape designers of his time favored manicured lawns or overly formal European gardens, de Forest championed a different approach. His gardens were:
Climate-conscious
He understood Santa Barbara’s Mediterranean climate intuitively and favored drought-tolerant, regionally appropriate plants long before “native landscaping” became part of the conversation.
Layered and textural
Sages, rosemary, climbing roses, bougainvillea, agaves, and olive trees appeared frequently—plants that soften architecture and age gracefully.
Architectural
Arbors, pergolas, tiled fountains, stairways, and carved stone basins turned gardens into living extensions of the home.
Meant for living
His outdoor rooms became places for reading, dining, walking, napping, gathering—spaces that invited presence rather than perfection.
This human-centric approach helped establish the indoor–outdoor lifestyle that defines Montecito homes today.
A Legacy Rooted in Beauty and Restraint
Lockwood de Forest passed away in 1932, but his impact has only grown. His landscapes—particularly at Casa del Herrero—remain teaching pieces for designers, architects, and gardeners worldwide. His philosophy feels especially relevant now: use what belongs, borrow from nature, and create beauty that deepens with time.
His legacy endures in the courtyards, stone paths, clipped hedges, and terraced gardens of Montecito estates—spaces that whisper rather than shout, and that shape the quiet luxury of life along the Central Coast.
Call to Action
If you’re drawn to the architecture and garden traditions that define Montecito’s historic estates—from Casa del Herrero to the Spanish Colonial Revival jewels of George Washington Smith—we’d love to help you find a home that carries this heritage forward.
Explore Montecito properties with historic gardens, architectural pedigree, and timeless design—or follow @montecitovalley for more stories of the builders, artisans, and landscapes that shaped California’s coastal identity.
