Perched high like a fortress on a landscape of mountains and lush, immaculate grounds, the panoramic mansion soaks up sun and dramatic ocean vistas from every vantage point, like all the great ancient palaces.The grand rotunda entrance is decorated with a carved marble fountain.Stacked hedges and manicured trees virtually guard the villa like in-formation soldiers defending both sides of ascending steps. Broadway’s Usher’s also owner of Villa Tragara, the most eclectic listing in Montecito, California—metro Santa Barbara’s celebrity-rich coastal enclave and home of Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Rob Lowe, and other celebrities.The extraordinary four-bedroom, four-bathroom villa recalls another time and place, like a Moorish monarch’s palace from the 13th century (except situated on a picturesque hillside in affluent Montecito). Kinka Usher’s custom-built home is on the market.

Kinka Usher is a director of television commercials. Radiantly heated floors are covered in antique tiles. Villa Tragara is inspired by Spain's Alhambra palace.The home blends Moorish, Spanish and Italianate architecture.Inspired by Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain, Villa Tragara is a striking fusion of Moorish, Spanish and Italianate architecture. The buyer was Kinka Usher, ... Mabel went with George to Capri, where, using her giant fortune, he “created the most beautiful life for her,” says Usher. The owner is Kinka Usher, a director of television commercials who has filmed spots for Taco Bell, Nike and Pepsi . It was spawn an economic engine in California’s Central Valley, producing a range of products from the ubiquitous terracotta roof tile to mail-order catalogues full of architectural details.The cooling sounds of water are as much a part of this house as the courtyards of the Alhambra.Usher once considered becoming a chef, and the kitchen is a cook’s dream, a cinematic, out-scaled space with seating, dining/meeting areas looking out to the ocean.Occupying the entire second level of the central pavilion– and including a Kinka Usher. (Theo Wargo/WireImage)The estate is enveloped by nature—gardens, olive trees, waterfalls and the 90,000-gallon pond.The 2.5-acre estate overlooks an olive orchard and the Pacific Ocean.I’m the über curious type. He imported almost all the floors from Europe, and spent around $400,000 building a large swimming pond on the grounds. Usher built this estate, called Villa Tragara, inspired by the Alhambra in Spain. But Kinka Usher has left his mark in his adopted hometown of Montecito, like a TV commercial king abdicating his grand throne—an architectural marvel. But Villa Tragara isn’t misplaced at all here. A little Alhambra palace in Montecito is up for sale c/o House of Usher, Santa Monica. While Andalucia’s villages were built of whitewashed stone, Smith’s versions were built with a new technology– dimensional cast terracotta tile that enable him to build lightweight, fireproof structures clad in stucco and whitewash, a technique that would spread down the coast to Los Angeles.

Best of all, the tile was easily cut, allowing for concealed plumbing, gas, and electrical lines. The House That Kinka Usher Built Author: Philip Ferrato Kinka Usher may not be a household name, but the images he’s created in commercials and videos are not only brilliant but unforgettable. To call it a great room is an understatement. An attached guest house boasts a living room, kitchen and a bedroom suite.The estate’s technology includes discreet Crestron automation, geothermal cooling, radiant heating and a home theater with DLP cinema projector surround sound. Montecito estate inspired by Spanish palace hits market for $35M. Usher, who was born in France and spent much of his childhood in Europe, said he was inspired by a childhood trip to Spain, where he was impressed by a Ferrari Dino sports car and the Alhambra, which was built primarily between 1238 and 1358. There’s also a large garage with luxury car lifts.The grand rotunda entrance is decorated with a carved marble fountain that leads to a central groin-vaulted colonnade with radiant-heat flooring and antique tiles. But Kinka Usher has left his mark in … Rustic isn’t my first choice but I promise to share a variety of curiosities with you—as I did for Robb Report, Town & Country, Haute Living, Veranda, Uptown and Luxury magazine readers.Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.Odds are, you’ve never heard of Kinka Usher.

Like Alhambra it emits a reddish clay hue.Outdoor spaces offer a pool, sports and 16-seat covered pergola.“My favorite aspect is the unique and visionary architecture, designed as if the home was [refined] over the generations by different cultures—giving rise to the three different, but complementary, architectural styles,” says Rose.Villa Tragara spans 2.5 acres on a 106,000-square-foot plot.Al fresco dining is indulged in the 16-seat covered pergola (with outdoor kitchen, pizza oven and barbecue) or in the Japanese pavilion that floats above a koi pond.