Palm Springs House

The exotic landscape and dry heat of the desert has always held a special allure for me. This may well be due to my upbringing in contrasting surroundings – the woody mountains of western Montana. For years we had enjoyed weekend escapes to Palm Springs. As these diversions became more frequent, so did our thoughts of something more permanent.

Though our favorite hotel provided us with the charm and comfort of easy, carefree weekending, the yearning to decorate, to entertain, to own became too overpowering. We had toyed with the idea of purchasing for several years. We would venture out after circling possibilities in the morning newspaper, only to return to the hotel disappointed.

After years of visiting and staying with friends who had homes in the desert, we had compiled a list of must haves. It wasn’t a long list, but it was important. It had to be Modern home. 1950’s or 1960’s – that is what Palm Springs meant to us. It needed be long and flat with walls of glass. A pool was a must and the house had to focus itself onto it. We also wanted a sexy fireplace. Perhaps a large hanging hood over a flagstone dais where logs could be sacrificed for the sake of atmosphere. And finally a sexy master bathroom. I had always secretly coveted our friends’ master bathroom with a sunken tiled tub and shower with a sliding glass door that opened onto a private patio.

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