Home & Garden

Home & Design: The Future

A following for eccentric Moody cottages

Caption

Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

By Frank Nelson They are called the Moody cottages, about three dozen pixie homes built in the 1930s and '40s in the Santa Barbara area by sisters Harriet, Mildred, Brenda and Wilma Moody. With ceilings slanted to an extreme, windows irregularly sized and rooms configured in odd shapes, the...

By Frank Nelson They are called the Moody cottages, about three dozen pixie homes built in the 1930s and '40s in the Santa Barbara area by sisters Harriet, Mildred, Brenda and Wilma Moody. With ceilings slanted to an extreme, windows irregularly sized and rooms configured in odd shapes, the... (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Caption

Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Hoehner bought her two-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot Moody cottage about five years ago. "It's not linear, not sophisticated," she says. "But it is charming and cozy, very homey and very comfy. I like 'English' and I like gardening. And I love lots of nooks and crannies." Inside, she has plenty...

Hoehner bought her two-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot Moody cottage about five years ago. "It's not linear, not sophisticated," she says. "But it is charming and cozy, very homey and very comfy. I like 'English' and I like gardening. And I love lots of nooks and crannies." Inside, she has plenty... (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Caption Moody cottage

Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Built-in bookcases and display nooks can be found throughout Hoehner's cottage. Born in the 1890s, the Moody sisters pioneered a style of property development that was ahead of its time. By combining their varied training and talents, they provided a complete package: Between them they could...

Built-in bookcases and display nooks can be found throughout Hoehner's cottage. Born in the 1890s, the Moody sisters pioneered a style of property development that was ahead of its time. By combining their varied training and talents, they provided a complete package: Between them they could... (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Caption Moody cottage

Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

A Dutch door opens onto Hoehner's living room. The Moody sisters made full use of windows, beams, doors and other house parts salvaged from large homes being torn down after the Depression to save on property taxes. These recycling efforts only lent their already fanciful creations another...

A Dutch door opens onto Hoehner's living room. The Moody sisters made full use of windows, beams, doors and other house parts salvaged from large homes being torn down after the Depression to save on property taxes. These recycling efforts only lent their already fanciful creations another... (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Caption Moody cottage

Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Today these cottages -- mere dollhouses when compared with Montecito mansions -- continue to command serious money. Three Moody cottages on the market recently were listed at $1,695,000 to $2,595,000, putting their price per square foot about 20% higher than the average 2009 per-square-foot...

Today these cottages -- mere dollhouses when compared with Montecito mansions -- continue to command serious money. Three Moody cottages on the market recently were listed at $1,695,000 to $2,595,000, putting their price per square foot about 20% higher than the average 2009 per-square-foot... (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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