The Santa Barbara getaway that popped up for sale last October courtesy of rocker John Mellencamp changed hands this month. The rustic, nest-like perch, which initially listed at $4.5 million but slashed to $3.8 million a few weeks ago, found a buyer willing to part with $3.6 million to adopt its irretrievably laid-back living style as their own.

Laid-back it is, but literate too, a white-painted brick and timber retreat ideal for brushing up on postmodern lit and taking a crack at the novel that’s been waiting years to emerge. Boasting inspirational views along with traditional Southwestern details including a semicircular tile roof and a kiva fireplace, the 1980-built home gets in a lot of licks in its 1,800 sq. ft. of interiors.

Like the home’s interior, the property exterior features landscaping that looks like years of weekending; aside from the creeping vines that add cottagey atmospherics to the cottage itself, it was designed in that turnkey style, enhancing the lot and, especially, the covered porch with terra-cotta tile floor that takes in the meditative and quite dramatic panorama of Summerland and the Pacific.