PALM SPRINGS MIDCENTURY MODERN

Since the 1920s Palm Springs has been known as the “playground of the stars” to such Hollywood icons as Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Lucille Ball, Liberace, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Elvis Presley, Jack Benny, Kirk Douglas, Cary Grant, and Bob Hope. And, it is a mecca for one of the best collections of modernist architecture in the world. Known as Desert Modernism, the style is known for focus on clean lines, bright colors, glass and light, indoor-outdoor spaces, and creating homes that are both elegant and informal - simple and easy to live in.

These were the storied things that drew Jeff & Alan back to this happy place where they met over twenty years earlier, when it came time to retire. So, right before the pandemic, in 2020, they purchased their new project - a 1956 ranch in the Deepwell neighborhood.

The house was built for academy award winning composer Bud Fuhrer. The Moody family bought the house in 1960 and it remained in their family until they purchased the home from Mary Moody (their daughter) in 2020. The house had been perfectly preserved almost like a time capsule. Jeff & Alan kept as much of the original detail as possible, although they did have to re-do and update all the bathrooms. (Fun story for another time…) The Moodys owned a famous local piano bar in the 60’s and 70’s called Moody’s Supper Club just about a mile from the house. Mary Moody told them that her parents would often have everyone from the club come back to the house to continue singing around the piano. The terrazzo coffee table / fire pit in the living room didn’t work when Mary was growing up so her folks used to fill it with ice and champagne for their many parties. Mae West was one of their best friends and a frequent guest at the house.

The project took over a year to finish and they based many decisions on the “St Charles” Kitchen which is bright yellow. Instead of demolishing it, they embraced it, and bright yellow is a constant theme, as is the theme of Travel, particularly Traveling Female Hollywood Icons. Photographs of these icons appear throughout the house, especially in the entry way where guests try to guess if they can name all… And today this home has one of the most well-preserved bright yellow “St Charles Kitchens” in existence. The combination of bright sky blue and sunshine yellow is a fitting combination in this happy easy elegant home.

The project was so well regarded that it was placed on the well-known Modernism Week tour when it first finished in 2021. Modernism Week is a week-long celebration and home tour each year for the bounty of midcentury designs in the area and for some of the area’s most notable properties.