The Ballardos

Spanish style in La Jolla

The Ballardo home was a small Spanish-style home on Mt. Soledad in La Jolla with views of the Pacific. Young Kelly inherited the home when his grandfather died. His parents lived in Claremont and they expressed an interest living there as well. So they sold their home to help pay for renovations to the La Jolla residence. The family approached Ritz Design Build to build a second story residence for Kelly’s parents and a complete redo of the façade.

Our designer composed a beautiful design with contemporary translations of the traditional Spanish style. The original tin roof and dated wood siding was replaced with traditional stucco and red tile roof. Kelly’s parents now enjoyed a new master suite built over the garage. Ritz Design Build paid particular attention to the small details that make this home a standout. A Spanish style chimney tops a fireplace and exposed rafters echo traditional designs. Beautiful Spanish tiles add a colorful element to the entryway.

Spanish style: quintessentially Californian

Spanish-style homes with signature red tile roofs and white stucco and courtyards filled with colorful bougainvillea are almost synonymous with Southern California. Mission Revival architecture first appeared in the 1880s and was popular through the 1900s. It recalled a romanticized version of the Rancho era, the time before California became a state, as celebrated in the novel Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson. Mission style homes have red tile roofs, parapets, and decorative railings that are typical of the Spanish heritage.

After the success of the California-Panama Exhibition in Balboa Park in 1915 to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal, California turned slightly away from simpler architecture inspired by the Missions towards a more ornate style influenced by a conglomeration of all eras of Spain’s history including Renaissance, Moorish and Baroque. This style was named Spanish Colonial Revival and was very popular in the 1920s and 1940s and continues to be reinterpreted today.

Together we can create a masterpiece

The Ballardo home is a prime example of the collaboration that takes place between our clients and our designer. We’ll visit your property, take extensive measurements, and sit down to discuss the objectives of your renovation. Our designer renders his designs in digital 3D models. You’ll literally get a feeling of the flow of the floorplan and can see how furniture and windows fit into the design. You can see what is working and what’s not and give us your feedback. He’ll then make revisions and you’ll take another look. We won’t stop until the design is just perfect.