Our Trip to Palm Springs: Part Two

Our office took an amazing trip to Palm Springs for Modernism Week (see Part One here) and honestly, we can't wait to go back. Should we go back every year? Wise Design Palm Springs satellite office?

As we happened to be there over Valentine's Day weekend, Annie took us all out for a very lovely rooftop dinner at Azucar. So much fun to get all dressed up & out on the town!

The following day we visited the Architecture & Design Center and Art Museum. An special exhibit of Bob Mackie's fashions was on display as well as incredible pieces by Louise Bourgeois, Andy Warhol, Dale Chihully, Anish Kapoor, Henry Moore and so many others.

We all pranked one another with Duane Hanson's Old Couple on a Bench. Don't they look like they are actual people?!

A very kind women saw us sitting on a bench facing a David Hockney and asked if she could take our photo. We look like we're all contemplating his use of photographs as a digital mural medium but really, our feet & backs were exhausted and we just needed a break.

We're missing Tamara in the above image but we took one of her outside the museum by the giant Marilyn Monroe statue.

Twins!

For our final tour of Modernism Week, we were lucky to visit the Frey II House. Designed by Albert Frey in 1964, it served as his personal home part way up the San Jacinto mountain. Called "II" as the first Frey House was demolished, it took him five years to select a site and a year to measure the movement of the sun using a 10ft pole. No bulldozers and no dynamite were his two rules so the home incorporates a large boulder, serving almost as the headboard of his bed, dividing his living and sleeping areas in only 800 sq ft.

Ryan showing off some latent spokesmodel skills

Built on a slope, the upper most level serves as a desk/dining area with a seating and bedroom on the lower, all facing towards walls of glass showing the incredible views of Coachella Valley. Every area of rest or conversation had an outward focus. Even the colors and materials Frey used all spoke to the environment: the curtain color mimicked the wildflowers that grew on the hillside and the aluminum ceiling was painted to match the sky.

Annie sitting in an outdoor built-in seat. You can see how the concrete was poured to match the contours of the surrounding boulders.

A glass expanse and boulder intersecting perfectly, all scribed to fit like they were meant to be together.

And what is a Palm Springs home without a pool? Even Albert with his environmental leanings still had to have one up on the hill.

We miss you, Palm Springs!