THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT CHAPTER II: when place and purpose align
STUDIO THOMAS MONTECITO OFFICE
As our roots in Colorado continued to grow, the tug towards California never left. It wasn’t loud or urgent, it was a consistent thought in the back of Kristen’s mind. It wasn’t a feeling of needing to leave Colorado all together, but rather a realization of another place that lived in tandem with the same philosophies we had been building from the beginning.
In 2015, a few years after founding Studio Thomas, Kristen and her husband took their young family to Santa Barbara for the Fourth of July. They had made this trip many times before, but this particular visit felt different, and Kristen could sense that. Studio Thomas was still in its early stages. There wasn’t a clear path that would lead us there. And yet, standing in Montecito that week, Kristen turned to her husband and said, with complete confidence,
“We’re going to have a design studio here one day. This feels like home and we need to be here.”
The Thomas family in Santa Barbara for the 4th of July
Over the next few days, they walked through open houses, imagining what could be. On their last day, as they were clearing out the car before heading to the airport, her husband was gathering loose papers and brochures they had collected. One of them, a simple real estate flyer, was about to be thrown away when Kristen stopped him. She went back to the bin and pulled out the flyer, she wanted to keep it. Not because it was innately beautiful or practical, but because it was a tangible reminder of what she was working towards.
For the next decade, that flyer lived on her closet wall, something she saw each morning as she started her day. It was her way of holding tight to the vision of aligning with California, while she continued to build a foundation that would make it possible.
The flyer kept in Kristen’s closet
Back in Colorado, projects continued to come in. Our firm was growing, our portfolio deepened, and every project became more aligned with the philosophies that had always guided our studio: natural materials, spaces designed for gathering, and homes that support our clients’ wellbeing and the rhythm of their everyday lives.
When opportunities began to bring Kristen back to Santa Barbara – events, meetings, furniture sourcing – she found herself returning to the same beach each time she was in town. She would stay near Coast Village Road and would walk through the underpass to the beach. When she was there she had the same feelings: calmness and clarity. It became a sort of ritual to return to this particular beach, becoming the perfect place to rebalance and think.
As time went on, the possibility of opening a physical studio in Montecito began to move from an idea to reality, but doubt also started to creep in. Was this the right time? Was it the right decision for the team? For the firm? Was this the right thing to do?
These questions kept circling in the back of Kristen’s mind. She was feeling overwhelmed, when her husband texted her and encouraged her to go to a beach that was nearby to clear her mind and think of her dad. He sent her the location, she got in the car, and drove to the beach.
She walked to the shoreline and let herself finally feel it. The pressure of making the right choice for her team, the uncertainty, it came to the surface all at once. But as she began to look around, she realized where she was. The path. The view. Even the feelings she was experiencing felt familiar. Butterfly Beach wasn’t a new place to her. In fact, it was the same beach she had been coming back to year after year without ever knowing its name. This was the place she had instinctively come to again and again for calm and clarity. It had always been this beach. Butterfly Beach.
The beach’s name was tied to Butterflies, tied to her dad. Butterflies had always reminded Kristen of her dad. Since her wedding when they danced to Butterfly Kisses and after his sudden passing, butterflies were Kristen’s quiet reminder of him. This felt like a small confirmation from her dad to keep moving forward. After that, everything felt lighter. She felt the confidence she needed to take the step forward.
What had felt like a risk, now felt aligned. From there, relationships continued to deepen and the community opened its doors. Conversations turned into friendships, and friendships turned into meaningful projects. The welcome we felt in Montecito was immediate. Montecito was no longer a dream, it was turning into a second home. Because the lifestyle there aligned with our personal philosophies.
The emphasis on outdoor living feels just as important as indoors. The respect for natural materials and craftsmanship. The understanding that true luxury isn’t about excess, it's about how a space makes you feel. The pace there is relaxed, but still intentional and considered.The desire to place wellbeing at the top of the priority list.
Moving to Montecito was never about expansion for the sake of growth, it was always about alignment. Colorado was where the studio was formed, where our systems were built, where our team became a family, and where our work found its voice. Now, Montecito is another place where that voice naturally belongs. Our two homes strengthen each other. For Studio Thomas, Montecito will always be more than just a location.
It’s a reflection of our why in design. It’s the living embodiment of our personal beliefs and philosophies. This might be a new chapter for Studio Thomas, but it's a continuation of the foundation we’ve already built. A second home, rooted in considered living.