At the tail end of the summer, Gossip Girl and The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz sold his Sherman Oaks estate for $6.9 million. The buyer was tennis pro Sloane Stephens, and the selling price was significantly under Schwartz’s $8.1 million buy-in.

The creative fellow assuaged that unfortunate turn of events with a recent sale of a property located in a perennially desirable area. This month, the writer and producer cheerfully accepted an above-ask offer for his property in Santa Barbara. The 4,440 sq. ft. Spanish Style sold for $8.974 million; Schwartz paid $5.175 million for it in 2016, according to public records, and listed it at $8.7 million in October of this year.

The house was completed in 2000. It features a tower chimney and a red tile roof, and a loggia in back. All in all, a convincingly atmospheric recent Spanish-style that fits right into the Santa Barbara lifestyle.

The home’s interiors put a modern spin on the romantic style; the softness is there, but modified by a relative lack of ornament. Wall niche, arched doorways, exposed beams, French doors and wide-plank hardwood floors are among the details. The kitchen is designed in the shaker style, with a farmhouse sink and rustic pale blue cabinetry; the master bedroom, one of four in the home, is a bright space with French doors opening to a private balcony and a shallow hipped ceiling.

The 1.1-acre lot also fits right into the Santa Barbara style. A verdant fantasy of varied plantings, lawns, walking paths, patio, gardens, and a lower pool area, it sets the ideal tone for the area.

Schwartz’s current projects include The CW’s Dynasty and Nancy Drew, and HBO Max’s Gossip Girl—a standalone sequel of the original.