Palm Springs: Part One

It’s been two months since our office took a trip to Palm Springs (or as we like to say, Palm Spraaaangs) and it’s taken us that entire time to digest, absorb and recover! We had the absolute best time! 

Palm Springs offers an annual Modernism Week each February, celebrating the area’s midcentury architecture and design. It’s long been on our bucket list to visit and we finally decided to take a well deserved break and book it. Fortunately we had a local guide in Bonney as she was raised in the area. Ryan's sister, Dana, also flew to Palm Springs to join with the fun.

First day, just landed!

First up was a tour of the Royal Hawaiian Estates, a close-knit community designed in 1960 by Donald Wexler and Richard Harrison. Thirteen of the forty units were open for self-guided tours and each were just as fun and tiki as the next. The structures all have an undeniably midcentury aesthetic but there are details of Polynesian inspired design like the “flying sevens,” bright orange buttresses that were designed to look like stabilizers on outrigger canoes. The 7 is in reference to their shape. You can see them on the right in the image below:

"Flying Sevens" on the right!

Communal pools, shaded lanais and colorful courtyards with walkways all spoke to the strong connection between the indoors and out. Many of the homeowners were available to answer questions and they all spoke to how close their community is, how they visit each other, know each other and spend time together. (They mentioned a float & movie night where they all watch a movie on a projector while soaking in the pool. We were jealous.)

For the interiors, we saw immaculately preserved spaces with original tiles, finishes, countertops, even window treatments. The tiki vibe was strong with incredible collections on display of lighting, furniture, art, kitchen & bar ware, appliances…Palm Springs is not afraid of color! Or wallpaper! 

 The next day began with a visit to the Turkel Design’s Desert House. Turkel Design is a collaboration between husband and wife architects, Joel and Meelena Turkel, both of whom we were able to meet. The Desert House is their personal family home where they live with their daughters. Though it’s a newer contemporary home, it fits seamlessly into the traditional modernist aesthetic of Palm Springs with the central pool area being the heart of the home. Walls and windows can retract fully into thickened walls and a window seat turns into a pool side lounger, blurring the boundary between what is interior and what is exterior.

Turkel Design felt strongly about the house being as sustainable as possible in a desert environment. For example, they discussed sun studies dictating its orientation and length of eave overhangs, demonstrating how in winter the sun rays extend further into the house, warming the occupants whether as in summer, it stays in the pool area.

We could have taken our booties off for the photo but we were having too much fun to notice!

After viewing the 21st century designed Turkel House, we then toured the historic Edris House. Designed in 1954 by E. Stewart Williams (a name you hear a ton in Palm Springs), the house is immaculately preserved just as it was designed. Fun fact: William Edris, the owner of the home, was also the owner of the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. You meet lots of PNW people in Palm Springs! Many of the elements seen at the Turkel House were here: deep overhangs, framed views, warm woods and a connection to the landscape. It was truly like visiting an inspiration. 

Next up was a tour of the Las Palmas neighborhood. We actually toured this neighborhood twice: once as an exterior walking tour and other with a few select open homes. Nicknamed the “Beverly Hills of Palm Springs,” the Vista Las Palmas neighborhood once was filled with celebrities who had their second homes here. We walked by Debbie Reynolds’s house (almost unrecognizable today, speaking to the need and importance of preservation) as well as homes once belonging to Kim Novak, Dean Martin, Cyd Charisse and Nate King Cole amongst others.

We were unable to tour the interior of the famous Elvis’s Honeymoon Hideaway home as it recently transitioned owners. Our tour guide informed us that though the house is connected to Elvis, it was built by Robert Alexander, owner of the Alexander Construction Company, for him and his family. The Alexander Construction Company was primarily responsible for the midcentury homes in the Las Palmas neighborhood and Robert and his wife, Helene, wanted their personal home to be a showstopper, a small cul-de-sac focal point, in the neighborhood. They sadly perished along with his parents in a plane crash, thus bringing an end to the company. 

Honeymoon Hideaway or more appropriately, the Robert & Helene Alexander Residence

Our favorite homes in the neighborhood were Charles Du Bois designed “Swiss Miss” chalets, inappropriately nicknamed as the style was more Polynesian influenced design rather than alpine.

So many people in Palm Springs had their vintage cars prominently displayed in their driveways, making you feel like you were walking back in time. 

But our main takeaway after touring Las Palmas: people in Palm Springs are not afraid to have fun. Fun with color, with texture, with taking chances.

So much fun to be had!

Stay tuned for Part Two!