VIA ROCA

Santa Barbara, CA

In Progress

Project Type

Commercial, Retail

Client

Runyon Group

Collaborators

Flowers & Associates | Civil Engineering
Cearnal Collective | Architect

Lead Designer

Courtney Jane Miller
Brooks Mikkelsen

LUXE Readers’ Choice Awards 2026

We’ve been invited to enter our Via Tranquila Residence in the 2026 LUXE Interior + Design RED Readers’ Choice Awards! We would be so grateful for your support in helping us win in the Landscape Architecture category.

Click HERE to vote for CJM::LA!

Located on the central coast of California, this steeply sloped property was transformed from obsolete ranch to modern refuge. Floating above restored Oak grasslands, a new midcentury-inspired home is oriented to capture stunning mountain views to the east and peek-a-boo ocean views to the west. Existing majestic Deodar Cedars define the driveway approach, guiding visitors on a winding uphill climb to the main residence. Living areas are organized around a central pool and courtyard planted with old growth Olive trees. Large stacking glass doors fully open to engage the adjacent landscape, seamlessly integrating interior and exterior spaces. The planting design is refined and curated with distinct gardens, each with its own character: native Oak woodland, native Oak grassland, Australian Zen garden, Mediterranean courtyard, and South African succulent collection. Existing hazardous eucalyptus trees and high water-use lawn have been removed, making way for new drought-tolerant and fire-resistant Coast Live Oak plant communities. The resulting landscape is ecologically functional, resilient, and vibrant. The restrained architectural form of the building is softened by the myriad textures and soft blue greens in the landscape, conveying an enduring sense of tranquility and effortless beauty.

Our project is entitled ‘Tranquility and Resilience’.
Voting closes on Friday, January 23.

Click HERE to vote for CJM::LA!

Thank you for your support!

YANKEE FARM RESIDENCE

Santa Barbara, CA

Design Year 2019

Completed 2024

Project Type

Private Residential

Collaborators

DMHA Architecture + Interior Design
Natural Concepts Landscaping Contractors

Lead Designer

Courtney Jane Miller
Cameron Hunt

perspective renderings by DMHA

photos by Caitlin Atkinson

WOODRAT THEATER UPDATE

Woodrat Theater, our collaborative project with MISC Workshop for the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, is now complete and thriving! Selected as part of the Backcountry Casitas competition, this innovative outdoor playhouse has become a beloved feature of the garden since it’s completion in summer of 2024 – engaging children and adults alike in creative play and immersive learning.

Woodrat Theater provides a dynamic space for storytelling, exploration and environmental education. Families, educators, and visitors have embraced the structure, using it as a stage for imaginative performances and as a general gathering place to connect with nature. Designed with sustainability and resourcefulness in mind, the project continues to inspire conversations about the intersection of design, ecology and play.

We are proud to see Woodrat Theater making a meaningful impact in the community and we look forward to seeing how it continues to evolve!

THE POST

Montecito, CA

Design Year 2022

Completed 2024

Project Type

Retail, Renovation

Press

Santa Barbara Magazine, Spring 2025

Client

Runyon Group

Collaborators

Lead Designers

Courtney Jane Miller
Cameron Hunt

photos by Caitlin Atkinson

PERIWINKLE RESIDENCE 2

Montecito, CA

Design Year 2023

Completed 2024

Project Type

Private Residential

Collaborators

Allscape Design + Installation | Landscape Contractor

Lead Designer

Courtney Miller

photos by Caitlin Atkinson

WOODRAT THEATER

We’re excited to announce that Woodrat Theater has been selected as one of the new Backcounty Casitas as part of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s 2024 design competition! This open call for proposals occurs every two years, and celebrates the beauty of the outdoors through temporary and unique outdoor playhouses within the garden’s immersive Backcountry area.

A true collaborative effort, our office assisted MISC Workshop in refinements to the design and produced the renderings which ultimately led to a winning proposal. Developed by Jianhua Chen, the renderings tell the story of the design and how children (and adults) might interact with the theater.

: plan view drawing by Courtney Miller

: perspective sketch by Patrick Melroy

final rendering by Jianhua Chen

BRAEMAR RESIDENCE

Santa Barbara, CA

Design Year 2020

Completed 2023

Project Type

Private Residential

Awards

SBCA Construction Awards/Landscape & Hardscape Excellence 2025

Collaborators

Cornerstone Landscapes | Landscape Contractor

Lead Designer

Cameron Hunt

photos by Caitlin Atkinson

CAL POLY WINTER SHADOWSHIP 2024

As part of our continued partnership with the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Landscape Architecture Department, early this year we hosted three student shadows at our office in downtown Santa Barbara. The shadowship program was developed by the Landscape Architecture Department Advisory Council (LADAC), which Courtney has been an active member of for the past ten years. This is a unique opportunity for students to visit professional offices in order to gain a better understanding of the profession as a whole and the multitude of practice types available to support their early career development.

Hosted by Designer Jianhua Chen, the afternoon started with an informal discussion and meet & greet with the team, followed by a property tour at our neighboring multi-family property Arlington Village. We then gave the students an overview of our projects, after which each team member shared what they are currently working on.

As a team, we truly value our ability to provide mentorship and professional development opportunities to students of landscape architecture. If you are interested in a shadowship, please contact us at info@cjm-la.com.

The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern Receives Honor Award from SOCAL ASLA

We are thrilled to announce that our Inn at Mattei’s Tavern project has been recognized by the Southern California Chapter of the ASLA with an Honor Award in the Historic Preservation and Restoration Design category at the 2023 Quality of Life Awards! This category recognizes constructed, site-specific works of landscape architecture that demonstrate the integration of historic value into the design process.

The new vision for Mattei’s Tavern has been years in the making, and we were honored to be selected as part of an incredible team to help develop a site design that respects this significant historic landmark while also bringing modern amenities to what is now part of the Auberge Resorts Collection. Led by Nicole Horn, our team collaborated with DMHA Architecture, AvroKO, RRM, True Nature, and Ann Kale Associates to bring this incredible property to life.

The existing Mattei’s Tavern building, five cottages, and thirteen specimen trees were designated a historic landmark in 2010. More than one hundred years prior, Felix Mattei built the original “Central Hotel” in 1886 for travelers transferring from the end of the Pacific Coast Railway to stage coach.

Careful study of historic documents allowed the design team to reimagine how this significant landmark would continue to serve as the heart of the Los Olivos community for the next one hundred years. Working with the surviving historic specimen trees, the landscape design pays homage to the rural western vernacular of the late 19^thcentury with traditional Victorian-style plantings, expansive lawns, and formal walkways at the historic eastern side of the property. A new outdoor dining patio with overhead trellis was added to the Mattei’s Tavern building, in a similar style to the existing wood boardwalk and trellis at the main entrance. Visible from the dining patio are a new event barn, chef’s garden with painted brick planters, the refurbished historic water tower, and new event lawn.