Most homes in Montecito California seem a little grown-up as if you have to be of a certain age to enjoy the storied pleasures of this seaside enclave. Today's home would be the perfect choice for someone in the enviable position of having both youth and a ton of money. Or maybe I'm just swayed by the comic panel art in one of the bedrooms. Either way, this home on Fernald Point is absolutely gorgeous. The contemporary seven-bedroom home sits right on the water and is made with many beautiful exotic woods including ipê, padauk, ebony and South American mahogany. There is an excellent chef's kitchen; and a temperature-controlled wine room and a wet bar complement the dining room. You don't get a pool with this one but you do get several decks including one right on the shore in order to enjoy the ocean. This home is listed at $29.5 million.

I know I don't need to school you on Montecito, California, the pricey enclave near Santa Barbara which is home to so many celeb getaway homes and some of the steepest prices in the state. Today's home is a freshly renovated turn-of-the-century carriage house that was part of the Earleton Lodge estate, built in 1907. The carriage house is cottage cute with a board and batten exterior and pitched roof. Inside it has been beautifully decorated by interior designer, John Roberts. It's absolutely charming with rooms straight out of the Crate and Barrel catalog. No pool but you do get some great outdoor entertaining spaces with sun lounges and an outdoor fireplace and there are ocean views from the upper floor. But for a four-bedroom home on less than an acre, $12 million is a bit steep (Zillow's zestimate has it at $4,876,582). Bigger pics of all that fantastic interior design are in the gallery.

I've seen a lot of very pretty sinks in my surfings around the net, and I have to say this amber Rivenrock Terra Acqua Stone Vessel is one of my absolute favorites! Cut from boulders found in riverbeds in Yunnan each one is unique and beautiful in its own way. The full Montecito Stone collection includes vessels of all shapes, sizes, and colors created of stones from around the world. The Miramar basin of natural queen stone also strikes me, with varied bands of contrasting color streaking throughout. Priced at $1,195 and up.

Most listings appeal to the visual sense, this one, I look at and I can easily imagine the smell of sunwarmed rocks, spicy manzanita and other bushes, and very faintly, the scent of the sea drifting in from the distance. This home is in Montecito but is a bit less formal than many of the homes we have seen in the area. This unique weekend getaway is created from site-made adobe bricks. It sits on 8.5 acres of hillside with native trees and plants and small ponds. The home has heavy wood lintels and interior beams, wood floors and doors, tile details and cool white walls. Over 5,000 square feet and how many bedrooms? Just the one, although there is an office that could perhaps be used as a bedroom. Only two baths too. It is listed at $11.275 million. After the jump, a beautifully tiled doorway.

Oh those computer guys, they have a habit of building monster homes. Norman Waitt, Jr. co-founder of Gateway had a hankering for a vacation home (and why not, he lives in Omaha, Nebraska, he could use a little sun). So where else but Montecito, the place where Oprah and others with the wherewithal to jet in for weekend getaways chose to nest. According to Ben Casselman of the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Waitt built a roughly 12,000-square-foot home, known as "Belle Époque." He picked up the property in 2003 for $12.6 million, tore down the existing house and spent the last four years creating his dream home. Now that it is done, he's done, deciding to sell without ever settling in. He put the house on the market last year for $24.8 million and has now dropped it to $22.5 million.

Belle Epoque was designed to maximize the views and make sure that plenty of gorgeous Santa Barbara light flooded the home. It has a large formal living room with gently curved French doors. The dining room is designed for dining in the round and more French doors open to the terrace. The breakfast room faces east to catch the morning sun There is a conservatory with custom gothic style windows and doors, Carrera marble flooring and thresholds and motorized windows. Key details include antique light fixtures, tiles, glass mosaics, refurbished bath fixtures, old stone tops and exquisite reclaimed antique oak flooring. The 2.76-acre property has a pool and spa, formal garden, meditation garden and three-car garage. After the jump, take a look around and let me know in the comments if you would rather have this home in Montecito or Ellen's?

Like Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres has a lavish Montecito getaway house but unlike Oprah, Ellen is on the move. She and her partner Portia Di Rossi have put their Montecito home on the market. This beautiful home was built in 1926 by George Washington Smith who designed many lovely homes in the Santa Barbara, Calif. area. The house was renovated a few years back before Ellen bought it less than six months ago. The estate has a four-bedroom main house that includes a 1,300-square-foot master suite, a dining room with a curved stairway, a wine cellar, billiards room, a library and an office. The property also has a guesthouse, a studio, a tennis court and a pool/spa. According to Berg Properties, Ellen also recently sold a 20-acre estate at 2710 Roundup Road in Santa Ynez, Calif., for $3,050,000 and sold a 119.8-acre agricultural property in Santa Ynez for an undisclosed price. Is the house worth $9 million more than it was just six months ago? Probably not but it's lovely just the same. The home is listed at $24 million. After the jump, check out the staging on the home: They set out lemonade in one shot and watermelon in one another.

Imagine for a moment you are moving to Montecito, CA and you'd really like to make a splash, maybe make Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres and the other famous residents of this town take notice and maybe even angle for an invitation. If so, let your wallet guide you to "El Fureides" the first grandaddy of Montecito estates. It's another great estate which was designed by renowned architect, Bertram Goodhue, this one for New York businessman James W. Gillespie in 1906. The home measures around 10,000 sq ft and is full of dramatic touches like gilded ceilings, domes and vaults with a definite Moorish influence. The home has five bedrooms and the gardens include a variety of water features. $37.5 million gets you a home famous enough to have its own vintage postcards. After the jump, you'll want to entertain Oprah in the under the gilded dome.

Yesterday we checked out a Stanford White home now check out a home designed by another famed American architect from the past, Betram Grosvenor Goodhue. Pariso Verde,located in Montecito, California has a very different type of appeal. It relies heavily on Spanish design. The home was recently expanded and remodeled. The 7,600-square-foot home captures the feel of Goodhue's orignal design but with an unpgraded gloss of modern luxury. The real history lies outside the home in the garden landscapes conceived by Lockwood de Forest which includes water features, stone pathways and columns. It is listed at $25 million. After the jump, these grounds were made for walking.

In Montecito, the elite California town that is home to Oprah and more recently Ellen Des Generes, the overall design scheme runs toward Spanish revival with red-tiled roofs, arches and an old-European design sense. Step away from the villas a bit with this modern beauty. Just as opulent as other Montecito manors, The home sits on a hill with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. The home has Verscae gates and a motor court that can hold 40 cars. The home has over 5,700 square feet of space but only three bedrooms but with a view this delightful, you wouldn't really want to share it with a lot of overnight guests anyway. It is listed at $14.999 million. After the jump, with that view would you really want your bed to face that ugly painting instead?

Villa Riposo in Montecito was built in 1916 to recreate the look of a classic Tuscan Estate. The four-bedroom house includes luxe details like a gilt ceiling in the dining room, elegantly painted scrolled living room walls. There is also a truly impresive wine tasting room. The grounds include a pool and two-bedroom guest house on two sprawling acres that feature orchards, fountains and sculptures. The villa is listed at $12 million. After the jump, the lovely lady of the fountain.

Montecito, California the elite retreat of Oprah and other celebrities gets a lot of media coverage. But the nearby town of Carpinteria, 12 miles south of Santa Barbara is also home to stunning homes. The latest to hit the market is this stone farmhouse with an Italianate look. The expansive home sits on three acres with jaw-dropping ocean views. The 8,000 square foot home has six bedrooms and the land features a pool that looks out over the ocean. The home is selling for $43 million. Alas, no interior pics on the listing but enjoy the view after the jump.

Another George Washington Smith home is on the market. This lovely Spanish Revival is located in Montecito, the ultra-pricey seaside community near Santa Barbara. The home was designed by Smith and built in 1926 for Arthur E. Ogilvy and has been restored. The estate sits on four acres and has a Spanish tile entry, a living room with a coffered ceiling, a kitchen with a mahogany center island and adjacent wine room. There is a media room, family room, office and four bedroom including a massive 1,300 sq. fr. master suite with a nursery/den, mater bath with his and hers dressing rooms and the third-floor bell tower. The land includes a pool, tennis court, guest house, studio, and six fountains. It is listed at $17.9 million. Pictures after the jump.