LLStyle PRO Spotlight: Designer Heather Fox Creates Mid-Century Modern Oasis in Palm Springs

Have you ever been to Palm Springs, California? If you have, you know that it is known for its incredible mid-century modern architecture. As you drive down just about any street, you will find some of the most unique, iconic homes that you'll likely ever see. Since its original heyday as a fashionable vacation destination in the mid-20th century, Palm Springs has had a complete resurgence and has turned into a great family travel destination.

Fox Homes recently completed a project for a family who decided it was time to invest in a short-term rental in the city of Palm Springs. The family opted for an income property, where they could also go to spend time with their family. A win-win! But, when they purchased this home, it was a mess: there was nothing modern about it. And as it was, it didn't have many redeeming characteristics.

Luckily as a realtor, the owner of the home, Tyler Dill, could see the potential and knew it was worth the headache. It was great to partner with someone who had a vision and who was up to the task of making this home more than a typical rental, but instead a dream home. Over the course of a year, we went through an intense renovation to turn this dud into that dream home.

As I worked with the Dill family, they wanted to capture every mid-century modern detail they could while also making sure their home was modern, fun, and somewhere that they were excited to spend time. In their everyday home, they went with a more neutral color palette, so they wanted to take some risks and add pops of color to their vacation home.

In mid-century modern architecture, you'll notice that the floors are rarely made of wood, and more likely to be terrazzo or tile. Wood is still prevalent, mind you, but rather than the floors, it’s more likely found on the ceilings and walls. To stay true to the style and impart some modern warmth with wood in the home, we decided to install LL Flooring’s R.L. Colston New England White Pine on the ceiling throughout the house, sticking to traditional terrazzo on the floors.
 

As you enter the home, the wood ceiling is one of the first things you'll notice. The ceilings are bright and modern, while adding a uniquely mid-century design detail. In any of my projects, I truly believe the ceiling is one of the most underrated design opportunities. Why not add wood, paint or wallpaper to make it really sing?

In this stunner, we carried the wood ceiling throughout the entire home, even into the bathrooms and closets. For most people who enter, they’re fooled to think that it is original, which is the goal of any designer—to make something unusual look like it belongs. The bathrooms are bright and playful, but feel especially well-designed with the beautiful wood ceiling detail. The kitchen is also quite merry, but the wood ceiling again makes it feel a little more serious and grown-up.

If you're looking to add a uniquely mid-century modern element to your home, consider installing wood planks on your ceiling, or as an accent wall. The installation process was easy, and the result is absolutely stunning.

This project was a great exercise in thinking out of the box—with creativity and some bravery, there’s no limit to how you can apply conventional materials throughout your home.

By Heather Fox

www.foxhomes.com/

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See the project below in this beautiful video.