I recently traveled from New York to Palm Springs with my 7 year old, who’s in every way a better traveler than me, for a brief family getaway. I chose it so I could experience some of the old world Hollywood glam (the place where the stars of the 20’s thru 60’s would run off to, and the legacy in the form of brilliant architecture they left behind). That and so my kid could enjoy warm weather and swimming in a pool all day, while hanging in the desert amongst palm trees, something he’s always been interested in. If I had to choose 2 words to sum up our experience, including the retro-inspired hotel we stayed at, it would be pink and palm trees - and what more could you possibly want…? Dropped smack dab in the middle of the desert, Palm Springs truly is an oasis brimming with art, architectural gems, and great dining options - which you would only come to expect catering to such a diverse crowd flocking to it year round due to its almost always sunny climate.

As an interior designer part of my job is to have knowledge of historical styles, trends in art and design - both past and present, and be familiar with who influenced them. Scroll through to see some of my favorite homes, restaurants, and my interior design company’s own projects with iconic mid-century designs woven into them.

Its all pink and palm trees at a restaurant we loved next to our hotel, Gigi’s. Retro pink enamel lights, vinyl upholstered banquets, palm leaf clad wallpapers, sputnik chandeliers, and a glittery metallic ceiling make a perfect addition to the iconic mid-century surroundings. Plus the food and drinks were on point and the staff lovely to us.

The Architecture and Design Center is not to be missed, the architecture itself is an outstanding example of mid-century modern design well preserved as a previous bank, whereas the vault is now part of their note-worthy gift shop where I wanted one of everything.

Loved seeing the colorful graffiti seemingly juxtaposed within the mid-century buildings and signs for big brands like Sephora faintly seen in the background. These columns were spotted after walking around the museum, sadly the days we were there the museum was not open - currently open Thursdays-Sundays, possibly residual from the pandemic? But it only means we must go back.

The self guided home tour you can do in your car (or on bike or by foot) was the highlight of the trip by far. Some I cant get out of my head are below (and above). I did catch a glimpse of the facade of the Neutra’s Kaufmann Desert House with its incredible grounds including boulders and a cactus garden along the front gate (shown below). Looking back at past interior design projects, we had chosen a Slim Aarons photograph of the same home a decade ago, happy to say now worth many times what our client paid for it, Poolside Gossip, seen in the very last image below.

Not far from the Kaufmann house I spotted 2 homes on the tour with the most incredible forged metal gates. Guessing if I did a google deep dive I could find the brilliant artesian behind them, but arent they stunning? Pictured above and below.

A few more nods to mid-century design can be seen in our upper west side, nyc apartment renovation where our clients had mid-century accessories and even an original Lobmeyr chandelier we got to sprinkle into the new designs, and inspired our dining room design using Prouve chairs and a George Nelson table x 2 to make it long enough for them and their frequent guests.