press | architectural digest

Several years ago surfer, sailor, firefighter, maker, and world traveler Jeff Wapner – who also happens to be a long-time friend of Archipelago Workshop’s CJ Paone – returned to his home town of Santa Barbara, CA. Looking for a home that would mesh with his active and creative lifestyle, he came across an early-70’s floating home for sale in Santa Barbara harbor. Named the Thomas Jefferson, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own one of only four structures classified and approved by the city as “manmade floating objects” – a designation that would never be issued again.

Seizing his chance, Jeff purchased the craft, recruited his father (a retired engineer) to help with the rebuild, and reached out to Archipelago Workshop for design and engineering support. Inspired by the dwellings of coastal Swedish towns, CJ provided iterative design concepts, development guidance, technical drawings, and no small amount of moral support as the father-son duo also addressed 40-plus years of deferred maintenance.

You can read more about the journey and view additional images of the completed project on our full project page here and in Architectural Digest’s full story here.