PALM SPRINGS STYLE
Style is an ever evolving reflection of the spirit of the times, and Palm Springs has evolved considerably in the past 75
years. When the city was incorporated in 1938, it already had a hotel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s son Lloyd Wright
– the 3-story Moderne/Art Deco-style Oasis Hotel completed in 1925 that stood at 121 South Palm Canyon. There were
cowboys, Indians, old-timer settlers and newly relocated city folk living here, but it was already a getaway destination
for the Hollywood set. The famed Chi Chi had opened in 1936 and quickly became a hangout for big name entertainers
from Eddie Cantor, Sophie Tucker, and Rudy Vallee to Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and the Big Bands.
O
ver the years, a lot of Hollywood people bought homes in Palm Springs as getaways from Los Angeles, and their presence enhanced the stylish reputation of
the city. Among them were Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, Liberace,
Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Clark Gable, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn has been hanging out in Palm Springs lately, this time as a colorful 26-foot high
sculpture by American artist and Johnson & Johnson heir Seward Johnson that was derived
from her famous pose in the movie The Seven Year Itch. The sculpture is on loan through
March 2014, but her presence near the intersection of Palm Canyon and Tahquitz Canyon
will never be forgotten by this generation of locals after she has relocated to her next home.
While Spanish style architecture was popular in Palm Springs in the early 20th
century, modernism took over after World War II and has thrived ever since in
all aspects of desert living, from furniture to fashion. In February 2006, a group
of local design and architecture aficionados created a Modernism event to showcase the city’s famous mid-century modern architecture. Since then, Modernism
Week has become an enormous event that attracts people from all over the world.
Fashionwise, the queen of midcentury designs is Trina Turk, a part-time resident of
Palm Springs who opened a boutique here in 2002, showcasing her midcentury taste
in clothing and home furnishings (891 N. Palm Cyn). But modern style is reflected in
many Palm Springs shops, particularly in the Uptown Design District, which starts where
Palm Canyon becomes two-way (North of Alejo). Boulevard (800 N. Palm Cyn) presents a
superb mix of vintage mid-century modern furnishings coupled with beautifully selected
contemporary furniture, lighting, art and accessories. Jill Home Accents and Gifts (515
N. Palm Cyn) presents fine home accents, contemporary art, personal accessories and
gifts. Revivals Midcentury Modern Thrift Shop (611 S. Palm Cyn) sells art, pottery, dinner
ware, books, vintage clothing, and home accessory items. Retrospect Palm Springs (666 N.
Palm Cyn) offers vintage Knoll, Herman Miller and other well-known furniture designers.
Boulevard (800 N. Palm Cyn) is a store devoted to offering a unique selection of pristine
Vintage and New furniture, art, lighting and accessories that will appeal to discriminating buyers and designers. Mod Springs (1117 N. Palm Cyn) offers Hollywood Regency
modern and classic modern furniture and art. Modern Home (2500 N. Palm Cyn) has
everything you need for a remodel, from sculptured wall paneling, unique glass tile blends,
to flooring & wall tiles, and counter tops. And Highestform (668 N. Palm Cyn), clothing
for men and women, recently opened.
A La Mod
A La Mod (844 N. Palm Cyn) has a large selection of
vintage modern furniture, lighting, art, pottery, glassware
and accessories, and Just Modern (901 N. Palm Cyn
#101), specializes in unique mid-century modern inspired home accessories, art, furniture and décor, while
Pelago (901 N. Palm Cyn #105) offers a unique blend of
contemporary gifts and well-designed home accessories.
When you get hungry in the Uptown Design District, try Trio (707 N. Palm Cyn) for
great American Modern Food at reasonable prices, Jake’s (664 N. Palm Cyn) for hip, casual
Euro-style bistro, or Café Europa (515 N. Palm Cyn at The Corridor) for a vegetarian or
vegan breakfast or lunch.
Going in the other direction, Deko (464 S. Palm Cyn) sppecializes in exotic home accents, many of which reflect and extend the natural beauty of the desert lifestyle. The Heath
Gallery (222 E Amado Road) holds regularly scheduled receptions and shows featuring
internationally recognized artists. Warren Furnishings & Decor (407 Industrial Place) offers
mid-century and modern furniture, lighting, art and decor from some of the most respected
designers. The Estate Sale Company & Consignment Shop (4185 E. Palm Cyn) offers fu rniture from the 50s, 60s, 70s with a Hollywood-glamour design style including furniture
and accessories in Vinyl, Chrome, Lucite, from Designers like Eames, Herman Miller, Knoll,
Mies van der Rohe and others. Casa Moderno (368 S. Palm Cyn), award-winning menswear fashion designer and photographer George Machado offers some great buys on retro
furniture, art, lamps, home décor and more. Vintage Oasis (373 S. Palm Cyn) specializes
in furnishings from the 1940’s to the 1960’s. Smoke Tree Village (1775 E. Palm Cyn) is a
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recently remodeled neighborhood shopping center with several restaurants, True Value Hardware,
banks, salons, Ralphs supermarket , and a post office. Just down the road is a newer architecturally
Modern shopping center, Smoke Tree Commons
(2465 E. Palm Cyn), where you’ll find shops like
T.J. Maxx, Chipotle Mexican Grill, World Market,
and the only McDonald’s in the country built in
Mid-Century Modern style (designed by Palm
Springs architect James Cioffi).
Of course, not all things Palm Springs are retro. Kimbals (288 N. Palm Cyn) features
an array of unique, contemporary women’s clothing, jewelry, scarves, handbags, hats and
a variety of gift ideas. Wil Stiles (875 N. PalmCyn) offers a cheerful, well-edited collection
of contemporary and retro fashion, art, and accessories for men and women. RaymondLawrence (830 N. Palm Cyn) presents a stylish collection of clothing and gifts, and now has
a boutique in the Saguaro Hotel (1800 E. Palm Cyn). Christopher Anthony LTD (800 N.Palm
Cyn) sells 20th Century furniture, art, sculpture and
lighting. Paperdolls Boutique (146 N. Palm Cyn) is
a young contemporary women’s clothing boutique,
offering an alluring selection of purses and accessories. Bobby G’s of Palm Springs (160-C S. Palm
Cyn) focuses on menswear with labels including
James Campbell, Marcello Sport, Ike Behar, Brandolini, International Laundry, and Luchiano Visconti.
Design Pure + Simple (301 North Palm Canyon) is Raymond Lawrence
the retail design studio of interior designer Michael A. Thomas, FASID, that’s filled with home
accessories from global markets. And PartyLab (383 N. Indian Cyn) is everyone’s personal
playground of inspiration for party supplies.
VillageFest every Thursday evening in Palm Springs just may be the one event that everybody loves to love for lots of reasons. For instance, Palm Canyon Drive is closed to motor
vehicles between Baristo and Amado and more than 100 arts, crafts, and food vendors set up
their booths up and down the street. Admission is free. You can bring your leashed dog with
you. There’s no dress code, although clothing is not optional. There’s really good live music.
It’s fun for the whole family. A lot of the shops and restaurants are open for business. And the
Palm Springs Art Museum on the next street over has no admission fee that night.
The arts contribute a lot to “Palm Springs Style,” with dance, theater, literature, music,
architecture, art and film. The City of Palm Springs established a Public Arts Commission
in 1988 to implement a visual Public Arts Program, funded by fees collected for new development and remodel projects. Should a developer choose not to include artwork as part
of a project’s aesthetic treatment, a fee may be paid in lieu of artwork placement. Hundreds
of projects contribute to the fund each year, in varying amounts. As sufficient funds accumulate, artworks are carefully considered to most effectively use these funds.
Some of the artistic items include Tony Berlant’s diptych mural “A Personal History of
Palm Springs,” in the Convention Center lobby, Felipe Castaneda’s “Standing Woman,” on
Palm Canyon in front of the Historical Society, Doug Hyde’s “Agua Caliente Women,” at
the corner of Tahquitz and Indian Canyon Way, Emmanuil Snitkovsky’s “Lucy Ricardo,” on
Tahquitz at the corner of N. Palm Canyon, George Montgomery’s “Charlie Farrell,” at P.S.
International Airport, and David Morris’ “Rainmaker” fountain at Frances Stevens Park.
Recent additions to the collection include “Lawn Chair” by Blue McRight at Pepper Tree
Inn (622 N. PalmCyn), “Whirlwind” by Gary Slater at Ruth Hardy Park (700 Tamarisk
Rd.), and “Wave Rhythms” by John Mishler at Sunrise Park between the Boys and Girls
Club and the Library.
The spacious Palm Springs Art Museum & Annenberg Theatre (101 Museum Dr.) features compelling exhibitions and a robust permanent collection of modern, contemporary,
Native American, Western and Mesoamerican
and glass art. The museum offers educational
lectures, films and an assortment of programs
and art workshops for all ages. The museum’s
Annenberg Theatre features outstanding muPalm Springs Art Museum, photo: Sherrill & Assoc.
sical, theatrical and dance performances.