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T THE COLLECTOR’S HOUSE WE BELIEVE HOME IS OUR SANCTUARY WHERE THE MUSIC OF LIFE BEGINS WE BELIEVE OUR DREAMS KEEP THE BEAUTY OF LIFE DANCING AROUND US WE BELIEVE THE RELATIONSHIPS WE BUILD TODAY WILL ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF OUR LIVES LOCALLY AND ABROAD FOR THE BETTERMENT OF TOMORROW WE BELIEVE IN HOME

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CONTENTS

UP FRONT

The I List: Look Up

Must Haves: The Mahjong Renaissance

And Beyond: The Art of Suspension

In Good Taste

By Madeleine Perich

Escape by Design By Bailey Badillo

The Coastal Getaway

By Jennifer Lee

A New Take on Vintage

By Madeleine Perich

LAST WORD

I Questionnaire: Lisa Vossler Smith By Jennifer Lee Live Beautifull y

ON THE COVER 14

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A private property in Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells. Designed by interior designer, Jen Samson. Cover photo by Chad Mellon.

HOM E FURNISHINGS

H O M E D É CO R

OUTDOOR LIVING

I N T ER I O R D ES I G N

TOMMY BAHA M A HOME PAL M DESERT

TOMMY BAHA M A HOME NEWPORT BEACH

Across from The Gardens on El Paseo

Fashion Island Across from Anthropologie

442.282.8275 | tbfurniturepalmdesert.com

949.706.9928 | tbfurniturenewport.com

CONTENTS

FEATURES

Glass Walls & Desert Skies

By Bailey Badillo

Midcentury Modern, Refreshed

By Nora Trulsson

Chiseled to Perfection

By Kris Ann Valdez

Form + Function By Jennifer Lee

Retro Revival By Jennifer Lee

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PUBLISHER’S POV

THE GIFT OF DESIGN T

here’s something especially inspiring about fall in the desert. As the mornings become a little cooler and the light takes on a softer glow, it feels like the perfect time to appreciate the beauty of the spaces we live in and the creativity that makes them uniquely our own. In this Fall issue of ICONIC LIFE, we’re celebrating the talented people creating beautiful spaces throughout the Coachella Valley. One of the great pleasures has been getting to know so many of the people behind them. Every conversation has given me a new appreciation for the creativity, thought, and personal style that goes into creating a home.

Meg Perich Publisher

meg@iconiclife.com @iconiclifemag

This issue is especially meaningful as we shine a spotlight on our Showcase house. It brings together ideas, craftsmanship, and design, with each room offering its own point of view. Together, they tell a beautiful story about living in the desert. There is so much creativity throughout the desert communities, and I’ve enjoyed discovering more of it with each issue. From interiors and architecture to fashion, entertaining, and the people who make this place so special, I hope you’ll find something that inspires you, too. As fall begins, I hope you’ll enjoy exploring this issue as much as we’ve enjoyed bringing it to you. Discover the people behind the Showcase house, step inside their creative process, and find a little inspiration for your own home and the season ahead. Here’s to fall, fresh inspiration, and living beautifully. WIth Gratitude,

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Discover sophisticated wallcoverings, fabrics, trim, furniture, and area rugs. thibautdesign.com Twilight Mural. Bed in Cabretta. Pillows in Rafﬁa Squares and Palisade Linen. Bench in Elgin. Chair in Sasso. Westport rug.

EDITOR’S POV

WELCOME TO A NEW SEASON A s the summer heat cools in the Coachella Valley, the desert undergoes a metamorphosis. Temperate climates and breezy evenings bring life and entertainment back to the scenic outdoors. For ICONIC LIFE, the transition represents more than just a shift in weather and lifestyle – it’s a change in a new direction.

Jennifer Lee

Editorial Director jennifer@iconiclife.com @iconiclifemag

Assuming the role of Editorial Director at this juncture feels entirely fitting. This fall issue establishes a deliberate shift — building upon our foundation while refining our perspectives on regional luxury, design, and culture through sharper focus and deeper storytelling. The Valley is a vibrant creative community, inspiring artists and practitioners who interpret this landscape through fashion, architecture, and design. Our objective is to unearth and explore those native stories capturing the true character of desert living. Whether we examine the craftsmanship behind modernist architecture, interview local designers, or report on the latest culinary trend, our focus remains on authenticity and a distinct point of view. In this issue, we showcase three distinct luxury designers with an in-depth look at their creative processes behind their most recent projects. We also feature a stone artist who carves outdoor and indoor home accessories, highlight a popular al fresco dining destination, and spotlight an exclusive interview with the CEO of Modernism Week on her design perspectives. We hope these feature stories set the tone for the type of articles and point of view that you, our readers, can expect moving forward. We invite you to explore this issue as an introduction into a new chapter at ICONIC LIFE.

Photo by John Barbour

Sincerest regards,

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EXPER IENCE. K NOWLEDGE. R ESULTS. YOUR PALM SPRINGS REALTOR CONNECTION More than a decade of Palm Springs real estate experience, personalized service, and over $150 million in sales.

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CONTRIBUTORS

KRIS ANN VALDEZ

Kris is an Arizona-based freelance journalist, the editor of Queen Creek City Lifestyle magazine and a columnist for DiningOut Phoenix. She is the author of this month’s featured story about the artist, James Lostlen. Her work appears in Afar, Travel & Leisure & Fodor’s, among others. krisannvaldez.com

NORA BURBA TRULSSON

Her most recent book is Taliesin West: At Home With Frank Lloyd Wright (Rizzoli, 2024). noraburbatrulsson.com

MADELEINE PERICH

Madeleine is a Scottsdale-based writer covering luxury lifestyle, design, architecture, travel and fashion. With a background in luxury media, she has a passion for discovering beautiful spaces, unique experiences and the people behind them. A longtime Arizona resident, Madeleine brings a local perspective to her work, highlighting the best of the Valley and beyond. When she’s not writing, she’s either exploring a new restaurant, planning her next trip or appreciating the little luxuries in life.

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BAILEY BADILLO

Bailey is a writer and content marketer with more than a decade of experience turning ideas into stories worth reading. An Arizona native, she has written across travel, lifestyle, luxury and award-winning marketing scripts, having been featured in Arizona Foothills, Southwest Travel & Life, Northwest Travel & Life and Arizona Republic. Her favorite assignments uncover the people, places and unexpected details that make a story memorable. When she’s not writing, Bailey can usually be found in her Southern Arizona home with her family, usually baking something, lost in a fantasy novel or hanging out with her animals, whose company she prefers to crowds. baileywickmarketing.com

Nora Photo by Scott Baxter

Nora is a freelance writer based in Scottsdale who specializes in architecture, design, travel and lifestyle topics. She has written for numerous local, regional and national publications and has authored design-related books. For this issue, she interviewed interior designer, Jen Samson, on her remodel of a storied mid century home in Indian Wells.

LUXURY RESIDENTAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COACHELLA VALLEY | LOS ANGELES | MALIBU | BEVERLY HILLS

Vantage Mgmt provides concierge level property management services and solutions for luxury property homeowners and landlords. If you’re looking for someone you can trust to care for your home, add value to it, and is highly responsive then we’re the people you should call. We do what most people don’t: we listen and we pay attention. Our clients know us, like us and they trust us. And that’s what differentiates us. MAX NELSON FOUNDER & CEO 323.578.5221 MN@VANTAGE-MGMT.COM DAMIAN NELSON CO-FOUNDER & VICE PRESIDENT 310.384.3934 DN@VANTAGE-MGMT.COM

TRUST | COMMITMENT | TRANSPARENCY

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VOLUME 03.26 TRACY THOMAS II | President & CEO MEG PERICH Publisher

JENNIFER LEE Editorial Director

DOROTHY COSTELLO Associate Publisher, Orange County

ISABELLA ORAMA Marketing and Event Coordinator

MICHAEL DAVIS Associate Publisher, Palm Desert

NANCY ERDMANN Features Editor

RENEE M. DEE Publisher Emeritus

LAUREN MIZIA Project Coordinator

ERIN SUWWAN Publication Designer

CONTRIBUTORS Madeleine Perich, Nora Burba Trulsson, Bailey Badillo, and Kris Ann Valdez Advertising Queries, contact meg@iconiclife.com. Editorial Queries, contact editorial@iconiclife.com. 8145 E. Evans Road, Suite 7 Scottsdale, AZ 85260 480.577.0399 Subscribe NOW: ICONICLIFE.COM Follow us @iconiclifemag

ICONICLIFE.COM Live Beautifully © 2026 ICONIC LIFE. All rights reserved. All material in this magazine may not be reproduced, transmitted or distributed in any form without the written permission of ICONIC LIFE.

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FEATURING WORKS BY

CHARLES GREEN SHAW (1892–1974) JOHN GRILLO (1917–2014) REX RAY (1956–2015) MICHAEL CHILDERS GREG GORMAN LADDIE JOHN DILL JACK EARLY MARC MARTIN JO HAY IDAN BITTON MARK LIFVENDAHL ROBERT DELANEY GARY JOHNS

RANGERIE O fine art gallery

HUNTLEY MUIR

ATELIER Custom Framing is open to the public within the Gallery. 610 South Belardo Road, Palm Springs, CA 92264 Jim Landé, Gallery Director www.orangeriefineart.com @orangeriefineart

Greg Gorman, Andy Warhol, platinum print, 22 × 17 3/4 in. (image) Rex Ray, Untitled (Surfboard), with board shaper Cordell Miller, 83 1/2 × 21 1/2 × 2 1/2 in. Charles Green Shaw, Untitled, oil on canvas, 11× 9 in. Huntley Muir, Me, archival pigment print after collage, 48 × 36 in. Michael Childers, The Hockney Swimmer, archival pigment print, 9 3/8 × 14 in. (image)

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By Madeleine Perich Roll & Hill Modo Chandelier, $4,850. dwr.com

Becki Owens Living Ariana Pendant, $1,299. beckiowensliving.com

Up Look

Corbett Lighting Varanasi 28-Light Chandelier, $8,769. pdlighthouse.com

Statement lighting brings a fresh perspective to the fifth wall.

he ceiling can do far more than hold a light fixture. In a well-designed space, it becomes another opportunity to add character, define the mood and draw the eye upward. Sculptural pendants, statement chandeliers and thoughtfully placed recessed lighting each bring something different to a room, whether the goal is to create a dramatic focal point or a softer, more understated glow. Eichholtz Ceiling Lamp Nuvole, $928. eichholtz.com

The Oblist ‘Bonnie Config 5’ Pendant Light, $12,270. oblist.com 28

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Crate & Barrel Etienne Glass Chandelier Light 27.7”, $799. crateandbarrel.com

ROBERTO AMARAL ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST

THE AMARAL STUDIO

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NOVEMBER 4 - 29, 2026

CONTACT FOR STUDIO VISITS AND PRIVATE GALLERY VIEWINGS

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4116 MATTHEW DRIVE PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA BACKSTREET ART DISTRICT

MUST HAVES

Geoffrey Parker Custom Mahjong Set, $5,098. geoffreyparker.com

By Jennifer Lee

The

Brunello Cucinelli Wood and Krion Mahjong Set, $10,600. shop.brunellocucinelli.com

Mahjong Renaissance

The centuries-old pastime has quickly evolved into a defining cultural zeitgeist. And luxury houses are taking notice.

ahjong, the ancient tile game, is having a moment. Once confined to quiet neighborhood tea parlors and nighttime kitchen tables, the four-player game has suddenly grabbed the attention of audiences from Gen Zers to Boomers. Luxury designers have also taken notice, seeing an opportunity to create elevated versions. Whether fabricated in pebbled leather carry cases or hand-carved tile designs, novices and experienced players are curating their interior spaces with game boards that double as modern art.

Hermès Macao Mahjong Set, $17,200. hermes.com

Here are five standout Mahjong sets defining the trend.

Jonathan Adler Savile Mahjong Set, $695. jonathanadler.com

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Abask Pinetti Mahjong Set, $3,250. abask.com

SELLING A HOME HERE TAKES MORE THAN LISTING IT. Selling a home in the desert is about more than square footage and finishes. Living here gives us a firsthand understanding of the communities, amenities and lifestyle that make each home distinctive. We pair that local insight with the global reach and marketing strength of Coldwell Banker Realty to connect your home with the right buyers, near and far.

LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR HOME PALM DESERT · INDIAN WELLS · LA QUINTA · RANCHO MIRAGE

cgallagherre.com/contact-us

CHARLES GALLAGHER Luxury Property Specialist 917.545.1155 DRE#02073898

SOOJIN CHOI 646.251.1043 DRE#02356345

AND BEYOND

Redefining luxury lounging with the bold architecture of Tidelli’s Pendulo Swing. By Jennifer Lee

here is an easy elegance to the Brazilian handcrafted swing. Suspended in the open air, its circular silhouette and tactile nautical rope texture offer a quiet sanctuary suited for any sophisticated outdoor spaces. Beyond its striking, sculptural shape, the true heartbeat of the swing lies in the integrity of its raw material. Handcrafted by artisans using Tidelli’s proprietary nautical rope, the Pendulo is engineered to endure harsh sunlight and high temperatures without warping, fading, or losing its structural integrity. Rooted in a zero-waste philosophy, each piece reflects a meticulous manufacturing process. The rope is individually woven by Brazilian craftspeople, ensuring the durability and distinctive finish that define the brand.

The Art of

Suspension 32

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It is functional art, designed for those who appreciate authentic craftsmanship and enduring outdoor design. To accommodate the level of detail and individual attention, made-to-order pieces require a lead time of up to 15 weeks. Retail price upon request • tidelli.com

COASTAL GETAWAY By Jennifer Lee

itting alongside an enviable 500 feet of pristine California shoreline, Surf & Sand Laguna Beach has unveiled a comprehensive, multimillion-dollar redesign centered on refined, unpretentious coastal living. Each space has been intentionally revised to foster an intimate connection with the Pacific Ocean. The transformation begins in the open-air lobby, where clear ocean views meet clean 34

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architectural lines and neutral tones. Honoring Laguna Beach’s rich creative community, the space doubles as a curated gallery, displaying works by prominent artists including Dale Chihuly, Ran Ortner, Eric Zener, Geoffrey Gersten, and Kelsey Irvin. The newly reimagined guest rooms and suites, all 165, have private ocean-view balconies accessible through floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, creating spatial

continuity. Inside, the design relies on bespoke furnishings, soft textures, and Italian marble finishes. Smart room controls and motorized window treatments make the experience effortless. The refreshed Splashes restaurant now features a brighter atmosphere with windows that open onto the Pacific. The blue-toned, hand-blown Chihuly light fixture brings the colors of the ocean into the dining room, creating a seamless atmosphere with the coastline. Outside, the Bella Vista Terrace provides an al fresco setting complete with fire pits and unobstructed ocean views. The revitalized Aquaterra Spa offers guests a bright new atmosphere with eight serene treatment rooms, including an ocean-view

Photos Courtesy of Surf & Sand Laguna Beach

A mere two-hour drive west brings relief from the Coachella Valley heat to the laid-back vibes of a newly renovated, luxury oceanfront resort.

couples suite. To complement traditional treatments, the spa offers a broader wellness program, including beach yoga, boot camps, and sound baths. The result is a quiet, modern oceanfront sanctuary that serves as a cooling respite from the searing desert heat. “This breathtaking transformation represents a significant repositioning and reinvestment by JC Resorts into Surf & Sand Laguna Beach,” said John Doane, president at JC Resorts. “Our exceptional location set directly on the sand, paired with our thoughtfully redesigned oceanfront spaces, accommodations, and enhanced amenities, and service, provides the ideal backdrop for guests and locals to forge unforgettable memories deeply connected to the restorative power of the ocean.” Surf & Sand Laguna Beach 1555 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 888-579-8544 • surfandsandresort.com ICONICLIFE.COM

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Good Taste Porta Via Palm Desert brings fresh California flavors, modernist design, and effortless hospitality to El Paseo. By Madeleine Perich

n El Paseo, where Palm Desert’s boutiques, galleries, and restaurants create one of the Coachella Valley’s most recognizable destinations, Porta Via feels right at home. Its midcentury-inspired design, indoor-outdoor setting, and California-driven menu come together to create a restaurant that feels polished yet relaxed—a natural fit for the desert. For owner Peter Garland, bringing Porta Via to Palm Desert was less about expansion for expansion’s sake and more about finding a setting where the concept belonged. The name loosely translates to “take away,” reflecting its original focus on food to go, catering, breakfast, and lunch.

That sense of place is evident from the moment guests walk through the door. General manager Rebecca Elliott describes the design as distinctly Palm Springs, with terrazzo floors, warm wood, detailed millwork, and clean architectural lines creating a modern interpretation of the region’s midcentury heritage. The restaurant’s strongest design feature may be its connection to the outdoors. Rather than separating the dining room from the

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patio, Porta Via allows the two spaces to flow together, bringing the energy of El Paseo and the surrounding landscape into the dining experience. From the patio, guests can look toward the San Jacinto Mountains while watching shoppers move along the corridor. “It just is such a natural, comfortable environment,” Elliott says.

Italian influences appear throughout the menu, including rigatoni Bolognese and butternut squash ravioli with sage cream sauce. Salads are another mainstay, particularly at lunch.The Porta Via Salad, served with fresh dill and a champagne-shallot vinaigrette, is a showstopper.

For Garland, that connection between architecture and place is intentional. Each Porta Via location has its own visual identity: Beverly Hills reflects an urban, high-energy setting; Pacific Palisades embraces a coastal California feel; and Calabasas draws from the California ranch aesthetic. In Palm Desert, modernism takes center stage. “We try to understand the environment that each restaurant is in,” Garland notes.

Sushi is a specialty unique to the Palm Desert location, with six to eight sushi and sashimi offerings. The jalapeño tuna roll is one of the restaurant’s best sellers, while the miso-glazed Chilean sea bass with bok choy and sticky rice is another favorite.

Porta Via’s culinary approach centers on high-quality, fresh ingredients, creating a menu that feels California-inspired without being confined to a single cuisine. “We’re blessed with the abundance of great ingredients available in California,” Garland says.

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The wine and cocktail program similarly emphasizes fresh ingredients and house-made components. One signature is the Cali Cleanse, a vodka-based cocktail made with cucumber-celery juice prepared fresh in-house each day and finished with cayenne. While design and food establish the atmosphere, hospitality is what keeps guests returning. Elliott says Porta Via attracts a broad mix of

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diners, from families and longtime desert residents to visitors and groups gathering for birthdays, bachelorette parties, corporate events, and local gatherings. Many guests are regulars, returning several times a week or month and developing genuine relationships with staff members. Several members of the Palm Desert team have been with Porta Via for years, creating a sense of familiarity that is increasingly rare in restaurants. “They really do know each other on more of a personal level rather than just a transaction,” Elliott says. Since opening, Porta Via has participated in local events including the Palm Desert Golf Cart Parade and Paint El Paseo Pink, while collaborating with neighboring businesses, galleries, and nonprofits. “It’s really easy to find ways to collaborate and network with our neighbors on El Paseo,” she notes.

The momentum continues beyond Palm Desert. After a 19-month closure following the 2025 Pacific Palisades fires, Porta Via reopened its Palisades location in August. The original Beverly Hills location on Canon Drive is set to reopen a few blocks north in fall 2026. More than 30 years after Garland opened his first 900-square-foot café in Beverly Hills, the vision remains the same: thoughtful design, fresh ingredients and genuine hospitality. In Palm Desert, it comes to life through terrazzo floors, sunlit patios, fresh California flavors and familiar faces, a restaurant that feels not simply in El Paseo, but part of it. Porta Via Palm Desert 73100 El Paseo, Palm Desert, CA 92260 760-610-6670 portaviarestaurants.com/palm-desert

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Escape Elevated Rentals Design 6 pgs by

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Disappear into the desert at these architecturally striking Airbnb homes. By Bailey Badillo

here’s something almost spiritual about Joshua Tree. Maybe it’s the mountains rising like shadows beyond an endless sweep of desert, or the scent of creosote carried on the air across the open land—a feeling like a place where you can breathe. Maybe it’s what happens after the sun slips below the horizon and the sky, protected within Joshua Tree National Park as an International Dark Sky Park, fills the night with more stars than seems possible. Whatever it is, this corner of the California desert has long inspired people to create. Here, creativity isn’t confined to canvases and galleries, but built into the landscape. The modernist spirit of nearby Palm Springs seems to drift out here, too, where architects have taken the desert’s solitude as an invitation to experiment. Across Joshua Tree’s Mojave Desert, remarkable Airbnb homes pair seclusion and adventure with private pools, hot tubs, fire pits, and ICONIC designs.

SPHERE IN THE ROCKS

Photo courtesy of Sphere on the Rocks

Out in Joshua Tree National Park, the desert itself is part of the wellness experience, and this Airbnb home, Sphere in the Rocks, takes that idea most literally. Set among massive boulders, mature Joshua trees and a carefully curated cactus garden, the 2.5-acre retreat feels immersive into the park itself, with all the lux amenities included. The property features a main house and a guesthouse that seamlessly blend midcentury modern and organic elements, though it is a third structure tucked deeply among the surrounding rocks that gives this escape its name. Designed by architect Nestor Mancini, this sculptural Sphere in the Rocks won a 2022 Airbnb OMG! Award and serves as a private meditation and sound-healing space lined with sustainably sourced quartz crystals. Inside, specialized acoustics amplify the rich tones of singing bowls and other instruments, ensuring that the profound feeling of isolation and inner retreat is very much by design. “Our intention behind Sphere in the Rocks was to create more than just a beautiful place to stay,” shares owner Allie. “We wanted to create a unique place that would invite our

guests to slow down, reconnect with themselves and nature, and experience the desert landscape in a meaningful way.” Spend the morning immersed in a sound bath inside the Sphere, soak in the outdoor tub beneath the stars, or gather around the fire as the desert cools after sunset. There’s also a hot tub, pool, outdoor shower, hammocks, and lounging spaces scattered across the property, with 360-degree views keeping the desert ever-present. “I think what makes a stay at Sphere in the Rocks so special is the almost indescribable feeling that comes over you when you’re surrounded by the vastness of the desert,” Allie says. The beauty of Joshua Tree and the surrounding desert has always inspired artists. These homes simply happen to be among the largest canvases. Whether disappearing into mirrored glass, floating beneath a cave-like grotto, or spending the night inside a giant avocado, each stay invites you to experience the desert differently and discover how architecture here can be every bit as memorable as the landscape itself. ICONICLIFE.COM

THE AVOCADO HOUSE

Not every architectural masterpiece needs steel, glass, or dramatic angles. Sometimes it starts with a piece of fruit. Shaped like an oversized avocado (yes, that’s right), this playful retreat has become an ICONIC stay in the desert. While the exterior is delightfully whimsical, the experience inside is surprisingly sophisticated. Stepping inside reveals an airy, open-concept layout that continues the desert-modern aesthetic. Sunlit living spaces flow seamlessly into a fully equipped kitchen, offering a serene sanctuary that feels entirely secluded from the outside world. Set on private property surrounded by citrus groves, the Airbnb’s interior features natural textures, and custom furnishings that seem built into the home. Warm

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woods and floor-to-ceiling windows create an experience that’s equal parts cozy and elevated. Outside, a private pool, hot tub, fire pit, and shaded lounge spaces encourage long afternoons beneath the palms before settling in for an evening beneath the stars. The architecture may spark conversation, but the peaceful setting is what invites one to stay another day. This rental is part of the Fieldtrip real estate hospitality group, whose portfolio of homes reflect their ethos of providing exceptional properties that offer a boutique feel. “Paired with the five-star, hotel-caliber amenities and service Fieldtrip is known for, it delivers something truly rare and unique, and a can’t-miss when visiting the Palm Springs area,” shares the management team.

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Photo courtesy of FieldTrip

“THE GOAL WAS NEVER JUST TO DESIGN A BEAUTIFUL HOUSE. IT WAS TO CREATE THE KIND OF PLACE YOU REMEMBER BECAUSE

Photos by Abi Jane Photography

OF HOW IT MADE YOU FEEL.”

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LA CAVE

Luxury looks a little different out here. Wellness can mean a private sauna or a soak beneath the stars, but it can also mean silence, space, and nowhere you need to be. One can probably guess which design is most architecturally striking in this Airbnb, based on the name. At the heart of La Cave is a private saltwater pool and spa tucked beneath a sculptural, cave-like grotto, making one feel like you’ve escaped into a cave. Inspired by the whitewashed simplicity and organic forms of Cycladic Mediterranean architecture, the space feels as if it were practically plucked from a Greek island and dropped into the wild California desert. “What makes La Cave special is the feeling of discovering something completely unexpected in the middle of the desert. We wanted to create a stay that felt transportive—almost like stumbling upon a hidden Mediterranean grotto in Joshua Tree,” shares home creator and designer, Cherish Delgado. “The cave pool and spa became the heart of that experience: a place where you can escape the desert heat during the day, float beneath the rock formations, and then soak in the spa at night while looking out at the desert and stars.” In addition to the grotto, you’ll find a feeling of escape in every curve, color, and material chosen to complement the serenity of the desert. “The goal was never just to design a beautiful house,” Delgado shares. “It was to create the kind of place you remember because of how it made you feel.” And how you’ll feel here is likely refreshed, inspired, and rejuvenated. Two king bedrooms offer plenty of room, along with an open living space, a full kitchen, and panoramic desert views. Spend the afternoon alternating between the saltwater pool and adjoining spa, find a shady corner to read a book, then watch the desert fade into darkness beneath Joshua Tree’s famously star-filled skies. With the Joshua Tree National Park nearby, adventure is waiting when you want it, although at La Cave, doing absolutely nothing may be the greater luxury. ICONICLIFE.COM

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A New Take on

VINTAGE A little bit market, a little bit treasure hunt, and entirely Palm Springs, Market Market is a one-ofa-kind destination created by James Morelos. By Madeleine Perich

n a city known for its design legacy, creative energy, and appreciation for the unexpected, Market Market has become one of Palm Springs’ most distinctive destinations. The nearly 40,000-square-foot marketplace brings together vintage furniture, fashion, art, collectibles, and one-of-a-kind finds, creating a space that invites people to browse, linger, and discover. For founder James Morelos, Market Market grew out of more than a decade of experience creating spaces where people could connect with independent makers and unique objects. He started hosting makers markets in upstate New York in 2014, drawn to the idea of bringing together vendors and giving people a place to find things they wouldn’t typically see in a traditional store.

That eventually led him to Palm Springs, where he launched Mojave Flea and built a community of vendors, collectors, and creatives. As the markets grew, Morelos saw an opportunity to create something permanent. “We realized there was a real appetite for this kind of experience,” Morelos says. “People wanted to be able to come somewhere and spend time, discover things, and have that element of surprise.” Market Market was born from that idea, but Morelos wanted it to feel different from a traditional antique mall. The open space bazaar is made up of individual vendors, each bringing their own mix of furniture, fashion, art, and collectibles. There’s no single aesthetic, and that’s part of the appeal.

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“We wanted to reinvent the antique mall,” Morelos explains. “We wanted it to feel elevated and curated, but still have that sense of discovery.” The inventory is constantly changing, so what catches a visitor’s eye one week may be gone the next. For designers and collectors, Market Market is a place to find pieces with personality. For everyone else, it can simply be a fun place to wander. Shopping is only part of the experience. Market Market also incorporates art installations, vintage automobiles, food and beverage offerings, pop-ups, and events, giving people plenty of reasons to spend more time there. The marketplace has become part of the larger Palm Springs cultural scene, hosting and participating in events year-round. “We wanted to create a destination,” Morelos says. “It’s not just about coming in, buying something, and leaving.” Vintage is central to the concept. Morelos appreciates the sustainability of giving existing pieces new life, but he is equally interested in the history and character they bring. “I think vintage is inherently sustainable,” he remarks. “You’re taking something that already exists and giving it another life.” That history is also what makes vintage appealing. A well-worn chair, an unusual piece of art, or a midcentury collectible can bring something to a room that a new, mass-produced piece simply can’t. “There’s something special about owning something that has a history,” Morelos says. “It has a story, it has character.”

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The mix at Market Market ranges from approachable finds to more collectible pieces, keeping the experience open to longtime collectors and people simply curious about vintage. Morelos doesn’t want the category to feel intimidating or exclusive. “We don’t want vintage to feel intimidating,” he says. “There should be something here for everyone.” That accessibility is part of what makes the marketplace work in Palm Springs. The city has long attracted people interested in architecture, interiors, art, and design, and Market Market taps into that culture without taking itself too seriously. As his business continues to grow, Morelos is also expanding his presence. He currently has Moajve Flea Trading Post in Palm Springs, and the Fog City Flea in San Francisco. His second Mojave Flea Trading Post will be at Cotino by Disney development in Rancho Mirage and is slated to open in the spring of 2027. The acquisition made sense alongside Market Market, sharing many of the same vendors, customers and, most importantly, the same love of finding something unexpected. For Morelos, that element of discovery is what keeps physical retail interesting. “I love retail. We’re obsessed,” he says. “It’s all about the real-life experience of walking into an environment and having a reaction to it.” Market Market 1555 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Unit F, Palm Springs, CA 92264 760-248-8557 • shopmarketmarket.com

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Glass Walls & Desert Skies 54

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By Bailey Badillo Photography by Stephen Morgan

he peculiar thing about the windows at Marx Road residence is how easily they fade from view. For all their extraordinary scale, they were designed to do something rather counterintuitive: disappear. What draws the eye instead is the landscape beyond them. Palm trees rise past the dining table. Desert gardens seem to wander directly into the living room. At night, warm interiors glow against a deep blue California sky.

How renowned architect Steven Harris brought his vision to life, requiring glass on an extraordinary scale and a window company willing to rethink the rules. PHOTOGRAPHY Stephen Morgan. ARCHITECT Steven Harris Architecture. INTERIOR DESIGN & LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Rees Roberts + Partners. BUILDER Stoker Construction. WINDOWS INSTALLATION Awake Windows & Doors Co. LOCATION Rancho Mirage, California.

But look closer, and the disappearing act becomes all the more remarkable. For architect Steven Harris, founding partner of New York-based Steven Harris Architects, that was precisely the point. Harris has spent a career designing homes around a set of principles: proportion, procession, landscape, and the rituals of everyday life. But Marx Road in Rancho Mirage presented a particularly intriguing commission. For this project, the client was himself. “This was not the first house we’ve made for ourselves, so the process was familiar,” the architect says. “We were able to prioritize certain things that our clients might not have been so indulgent about, such as the windows and size of the glass, and of course, the garage.” There would be no convincing the client to compromise here. ICONICLIFE.COM

A HOUSE DESIGNED TO MOVE

Marx Road began with a desire for experience. For Harris, architecture is not simply something to be viewed, but something that unfolds and moves you. “Experiencing architecture, particularly domestic architecture, is not static,” Harris explains. “As one moves through a house, everything changes: the view, the light, the use. If we can induce and direct movement, there is the chance to choreograph the experience, to provide another opportunity to curate the experience.” That choreography begins before reaching the door. The house initially appears from across the golf course and behind hills before retreating again behind an intentionally quiet courtyard. Only after entering the home do the views begin to reveal themselves. Step down into the sitting room, and the tops of the mountains emerge beyond the panes of glass. Continue moving, and the landscape expands. Harris has described the effect as a kind of architectural “tease” designed to induce movement. Glass became essential to controlling those reveals.

FINDING SOMEONE WILLING TO SAY YES

That scenario created a bit of a challenge, to say the least. “The size of the glass was very important to us,” Harris says. “I believe these are among the largest panes of glass in North America.” Conventional window systems couldn’t deliver exactly what he envisioned. Harris wanted narrow door stiles, frames suppressed into floors and ceilings, and bespoke glazed corners where almost nothing interrupted the view of the landscape. A few companies either didn’t get the vision or wouldn’t agree to it, he notes, but there was one company ready for the challenge: Awake Windows & Doors. Based in Gilbert, Arizona, the aluminum window and door manufacturer had tackled

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ambitious custom work before. Marx Road, however, would ask something different of the company. “This was really the first project that took us to a level that we hadn’t been at before,” says chief revenue officer and co-founder Andrew Darr. Other manufacturers had proposed adding structural posts where Harris wanted uninterrupted glass. Awake instead began experimenting. “Rarely did Awake say anything was impossible,” the architect recalls. “More often, it was a conversation. We wanted a particular detail, and Awake suggested an alternative. We said, ‘If you can do that, can you do it this way?’ It was a collaboration.” 58

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Awake took existing extrusions and reconsidered how to assemble them. Fixedwindow and sliding-door components were combined almost like, in Darr’s words, a “Lego system,” allowing operable panels to disappear into a visually continuous wall of glass without the additional posts that would have broken Harris’ carefully composed elevations.

MILLIMETERS MATTER

The simplicity visible in the finished house belies extraordinary complexity. Some individual panes approach 17 feet wide by 10 feet tall. Awake worked with Canadian glass fabricator Agnora to achieve the required scale, while coatings and thermal performance had to account for

Rancho Mirage’s punishing desert climate. Frames were buried within the structure itself, disappearing behind interior drywall and exterior stone. Then someone had to install them. Darr recalls one enormous pane that required a crane and a glass manipulator. The installer spent roughly four and a half hours setting that single piece, inching it into position “millimeter by millimeter” because the tolerances were so tight. “If you look at the elevation of the home, you’ll kind of see like everything just looks like it goes together,” Darr points out. “And because it does, there’s no added structure

by others or steel posts that separate one product of ours from the next. It all just was created to be one continuous system.” It requires a significant amount of engineering to create something designed not to be noticed, and yet, that invisibility allows the architecture to do something else entirely.

BORROWING THE LANDSCAPE

When Harris and his husband, landscape and interior designer Lucian Rees-Roberts, began the project, the property was flat and treeless. By the time it was finished, they had planted more than 100 palms and reshaped the ground itself with berms and contours designed to echo the neighboring golf course.

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“Our idea was to extend the golf course up to the yard of the house, and our yard to include the golf course,” Harris notes. “It looks like it has always been there.” The glass, of course, is that finishing touch that completes the illusion. Rather than conventional vertical windows, Harris insisted upon horizontal proportions that mirror the breadth of the landscape. Mullions were eliminated wherever possible. In the dining room, the garden seems to wrap around two sides of the table. Elsewhere, glass corners nearly dissolve altogether. From outside at dusk, the roof appears to hover above transparent walls while palms, artwork, and furniture layer together through the glazing. “The absence of mullions was intended to virtually eliminate the distinction between inside and outside,” Harris explains. “The house reads as a ‘pavilion’ and is surprisingly intimate.” For Awake, Marx Road became more than another completed residence. The project changed the company’s perception and, as Darr says, “helped us see…that our product was capable of many, many different things.” Today, similarly complex custom work represents a meaningful portion of Awake’s business. For Harris, the experiment was more personal. He had lived across the street in a Donald Wexler house for nearly a decade before designing Marx Road, using those years learning what he loved about desert living and what he wanted to reconsider. The windows were one of the biggest elements he wanted to explore. The result is architecture in which an extraordinary amount of work went into making something disappear. And when the glass recedes from view, what remains is exactly what Harris wanted all along: light, landscape, and the experience of moving through the home.

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Chiseled to

PERFEC

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TION

Inspired by generations of rockhounds and refined through years of precision engineering, James Lostlen creates sculptural works that bring the Mojave Desert indoors. By Kris Ann Valdez Photography by Jeep Eddy

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rtist James Lostlen admits he can spend more than 15 hours searching for the right stone to turn into his next Lunar Rock Lamp.

Lostlen’s collection of table lamps, made of natural stones sourced from the Pinto Mountain Fault near Joshua Tree, are polished and hollowed out but otherwise left intact. Each lamp’s interior glows with warm light, drawing attention to the organic colors and patterns of the stone, from speckled to crystalline to striated. The result is sculptural lighting that celebrates the raw beauty of the natural world without imposing itself upon it. A fine line to walk, but one the artist, who might be likened to a rugged bohemian from Topanga Canyon in the 1970s, tiptoes well. Lostlen views his work as art first, functional objects second. Although there’s sometimes a stigma on art serving a dual purpose, he thinks that’s absurd. To him, beauty and utility don’t have to be mutually exclusive. The artist comes from a lineage of rockhounds, amateur hobbyists who hunt for, collect, and study rocks, minerals, gemstones, fossils, and crystals. In 1952, his great-grandparents homesteaded in the high desert of Morongo Valley, between Joshua Tree National Park and Palm Springs, where the Mojave Desert meets the San Bernardino Mountains. Four generations later, the family still resides here. It’s a land rich with geological formations, a sunken valley in between two fault lines, with streams and narrow canyons that feed the washes below with an abundance of stones. A territory so notorious for rocks, in fact, that Lostlen says contractors tend to turn down jobs in the Valley, and rental companies sometimes refuse to rent certain excavating equipment for fear of wear and tear. Lostlen’s great-grandparents were the presidents of their local Rockhounds chapter. At five or six years old, Lostlen recalls attending the group’s meetings. “I would see all these old people draped in turquoise and silver. I remember them being such happy, wholesome people…and the smiles I’d see when they opened up a geode.” Watching adults delight over these “simple little natural things” imprinted on him. He determined that someday, when he had time, he, too, would want to find deep satisfaction in working with and learning about stones. Life, however, took him in another direction. Lostlen spent his twenties and early thirties establishing a business with his father, manufacturing precision measuring instruments to install cabinet hardware, and starting his own machinery business.

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At one trade show in Canada, a lighting manufacturer approached him with what sounded like an impossible request: drill an 18-inch channel through a shelf just five-eighths of an inch thick, leaving only an eighth-inch margin on either side to conceal wiring for a light fixture. It sounded impossible. So, he agreed to try.

After a year or so, his endeavors expanded to other “rock hobbies.” Then he dared to carve a stone tub from a 25,000-pound granite boulder, recording the process and posting it online, to mass enthusiasm. To date, his video has more than six million views.

After extensive testing, he developed a solution. The tooling proved so successful that lighting manufacturers around the world began designing their products around it. By Lostlen’s mid-thirties, both of his companies were running smoothly, and he found his attention shifting to rock.

Suddenly, he found himself absorbed in work that centered around a simple artist’s statement: find ways to get stones into people’s homes so they could be appreciated. Lostlen credits his experience with precision tools—and learning to retrofit them for stonework—for much of what he’s accomplished, as well as his lifelong learning, which draws on the experiences of others.

Living on a 25-acre quarry, Lostlen began sourcing stone from his own property to build dry-stack walls, a centuries-old building method that arranges and interlocks stones rather than relying on mortar, cement, or glue.

Today, in his 10,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor mixeduse studio, Lostlen creates many functional and sculptural objects, from dining tables and bathroom sinks to his signature Lunar Rock Lamps.

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As for his greatest creative muse? Nature. “When you’re surrounded by so much native beauty, it becomes difficult not to share that or express that in some way,” he says. “There’s been a strong desire in me over the last 10 years to just share the experience that I’m so moved and enriched by. It almost feels selfish not to share.” No stranger to working with a variety of mediums, from wood to concrete to metal, Lostlen says granite is by far the least forgiving. It requires careful premeditation, patience, and problem-solving. You must “calm your mind to endure the amount of time it takes to reach the point of completion.” Because granite is so temperamental, he says he must approach each problem and detour as a “puzzle” to be worked out; otherwise, he’d likely grow frustrated and quit. To help him sort these out, he spends long hours in the surrounding Mojave Desert, mountain biking at least an hour and a half each morning. In the middle of a trail, sometimes he’ll pause and take notes. After spending hours immersed in nature, the very birthplace of the stone Lostlen works with, he returns refreshed, grounded, and energized. Humbled, even.

“I think it’s really important to remember the context of life, where we’re at in the picture. Nature’s massive, and the world’s a big place. And it’s really good to appreciate it and feel the smallness of it all. It’s kind of freeing in that way, realizing it’s not all on your shoulders.” Working with granite has also taught him about the fragility of life. People regard granite as strong, but the artist says we may have an “over-reverence” to its durability…if there are any cracks in it, the water when it rains gets into those and then freezes, and that will split the piece. ‘Weathering’ [from exposure to the elements] is extreme on these pieces.” Although he lives where rock is abundant, Lostlen doesn’t see abundance as permission to waste. To him, rocks are not static, but alive. “I want to honor the material that I’m working with and not waste anything. All of these stones are precious, even if they are abundant…I think these little historical pieces of nature have so much to say.” jameslostlen.com ICONICLIFE.COM

Midcentury Modern,

Refreshed Interior designer Jen Samson uses a light touch to update an Indian Wells midcentury classic. By Nora Burba Trulsson Photography by Chad Mellon

hen Jen Samson first saw her clients’ newly purchased home at the Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells, she felt as though she was walking into a time capsule. “Everything was original,” remembers the Laguna Beach-based interior designer. “There was rainbow-colored carpeting everywhere. The walls were upholstered. There were heavy drapes on the windows. Most of the original furniture was in the house. The kitchen even had an old built-in toaster.” But Samson saw renewal—not a remodeling—in this rambling, 5,000-square-foot home and guest house that overlooks the golf course. Built in 1965, the midcentury gem sparked Samson’s imagination to create a setting that showcases original architectural elements, mixes vintage and new furnishings, features a lively color palette, and includes an updated kitchen and bathrooms. “We didn’t change the home’s layout at all,” says Samson, who worked with Palm Desert builder David Wood on the project. “The 68

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only thing we did was expand the kitchen a bit into a hallway.” The histories of the home and community are as colorful as the hues Samson chose to highlight the project. The 792-acre property was once a fruit orchard, where dates, citrus, and grapes ripened. It became known as Page Farm after Milton Page, a notorious Los Angeles gambler who won the property in a poker game. In 1957, Johnny Dawson and Jimmy Hines developed it into the Eldorado Country Club, an exclusive golf community where the 1959 Ryder Cup match was held. Luxurious winter homes soon sprang up on the property, where notables such as former President Dwight Eisenhower owned a golf villa. Eisenhower also famously hosted President John F. Kennedy at his home in 1962. The home that Samson refreshed was built for Jack Vickers, an oil executive from Colorado who was a serious amateur golfer. It was designed by modernist architect Ira Ritter of Palm Desert, who, along with his business partner George Ritter, crafted

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many homes in the area in the 1960s and ‘70s. Both had honed their skills in the office of William Cody, a noted Palm Springs modernist who designed the Eldorado’s clubhouse. Samson’s clients for the home were an Orange County brother and sister, who were looking for a multi-generational family retreat where parents and children could swim, play tennis, golf, and enjoy the desert climate. “I love the Palm Springs area,” says Samson, “and I love midcentury design. This house is the quintessential midcentury classic.” Samson found inspiration for the home’s colors in some faded mint green and coral tiles near the front door, and she painted the door the green tone, in contrast with the exterior’s charcoal hue. “The front door is original and it has the signature tapered scallop design that you see throughout the house,” Samson says. “We were careful to play up that pattern, such as in the living room’s fireplace hood. When we first came into the living room, the hood was dark and patina-ed. We didn’t know it was copper until we started cleaning it up.” She had the carpeting ripped up and replaced with a pale terrazzo-style tile flooring throughout. While the original slatted wood and beamed ceiling in the living room and kitchen was lovely, it didn’t have enough depth to add HVAC and lighting, so Samson built a duplicate ceiling below the original to accommodate the new systems. The sliding glass doors and fixed-pane windows that overlook the golf course in the back and the pool patio in the front are original. “They were in perfect condition,” the designer recalls. “This house might have been musty, but it was pristinely maintained.” Samson also loved the original rock wall that surrounds the living room’s fireplace, whitewashing it to make the copper hood pop. The back of the wall is shared with one of the bedrooms, where the designer kept the original natural colors. An updated kitchen with new honey-toned cabinetry, an island, new appliances, and a green tile backsplash is command central for casual family meals, which can also be enjoyed at the adjacent breakfast nook, once home to an elaborate stereo cabinet. “I guess this is where the Frank Sinatra records were ICONICLIFE.COM

played,” laughs Samson. All of the bathrooms were updated, except for the powder room, a 1960s glam setting with a mirrored ceiling and walls, Lucite faucet handles, and a wood vanity. “Why change it?” asks Samson. “It still worked and was fabulous.” Also fabulous was Samson’s mix of old and new furniture, with many pieces sourced from what remained in the house. “I’m always hunting for vintage pieces,” she says. “They add character to a project. It’s not often you can repurpose what was actually in the house.” In the living room, Samson reupholstered two original swiveling club chairs, kept the old coffee table and added two swooping, custom-designed sofas. The breakfast nook features an Ikat-upholstered banquette and vintage Cesca-style chairs. She also refinished an old bar cart she found in the garage, which is used to serve juice and coffee in the morning or wheeled outside for poolside drinks. For the primary bedroom, Samson covered a wall in a sunset-themed wall covering, refinished two original, curvaceous nightstands and reupholstered the existing bench. She made use of two old headboards for the boys’ bedroom, finishing them in a deep green to contrast with the mint green wall. Samson also cast an eye towards the outdoors, working with a landscape designer to “peel back” some of the overgrown vegetation, adding a strip of grass around the kidney-shaped pool, and creating a flagstone pathway that expands to become a dining patio off the living room. A new spa and fire pit add to the outdoor amenities, as does ‘60s-influenced outdoor furniture. “We used white gravel for the planter beds,” says Samson. “It’s very ‘Palm Springs.’” The home, with its new lease on life, has become a warm and happy family gathering spot, at once modern enough for today’s lifestyle needs and respectful of its design heritage. “This house wasn’t technically a historic property, but it was historic to me,” Samson remarks. “It’s a rare gem, and we were careful with it.” Jen Samson Design 1990 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, CA 92651 949-342-4312 • jensamsondesign.com 74

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FORM By Jennifer Lee \\ Photography by Brendan Mainini

t the intersection of form and function, architecture and fashion speak a shared language of structure, line, and volume. For fall, ICONIC LIFE visits the vaulted creative space of Saint Joseph’s Arts Society, where the soaring ceilings and historic moldings provide a striking canvas for modern design. In timeless black and white, the story spans eras, pairing contemporary silhouettes with rare, archival vintage couture. It’s a conversation where silhouettes and construction echo the surrounding environment, proving that true style, like great architecture, is built to last.

PHOTOGRAPHER Brendan Mainini. FASHION DIRECTOR Jennifer Lee. EDITOR Madeleine Perich. HAIR & MAKE UP Lupe Del Toro. TECH Dan Simmons. LIGHTING & PHOTO ASSISTANT Miles Mainini. MODEL Alana Burns.

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UNCTION Custom Made 1970’s Metallic Jumper, Price upon request, Available at Torso Vintages. Cast Bronze and Stainless Steel Sculpture: Shad by Jim Bergeron, Saint Joseph’s Arts Society.

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Oversized White Cotton Button Down Shirt, Sofie D’Hoore $495. Black Tulle & Pleated Mesh Skirt, Sara Shepherd $865, sarashepherd.com, Available at MAC Modern Appealing Clothing. Ivory Pointed Collar Blazer, Alexander McQueen, $2,590. Black Leather Sandals, Model’s own.

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Black wool cut out dress with Swarovski crystals, vintage Geoffrey Beene. Price upon request. Available at Torso Vintages.

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THE LOCATION A former neoclassical Roman Catholic Church, Saint Joseph’s Arts Society is an artistic haven born from the visionary mind of designer Ken Fulk. Merging interior design, gallery exhibits, and design storefront, the reimagined space serves as a vibrant beacon for creative conversation and community. Saint Joseph’s Arts Society 1401 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94103 saintjosephsartssociety.com

THE CLOTHING Torso Vintages San Francisco’s premier vintage couture archive. Exclusively, by appointment only. John Hadeed - 503-348-9195 John@torsovintages.com Black and White Pleated Shell, Vintage Issey Miyake, Price upon request. Black Mermaid Skirt, Vintage Thierry Mugler, Price upon request, Available at Torso Vintages. Black patent flats, Manolo Blahnik, $895, manoloblahnik.com.

MAC Modern Appealing Clothing 387 Grove St., San Francisco, CA 94102 macmodernappealingclothing.com

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Black Leather Teardrop Dress - Vintage Thierry Mugler, Available at Torso Vintages, Price upon request. Black Pointed Boots, Stylist’s own.

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Hand-painted and Illustrated Limited Edition, Lemon Twist x MAC, Shirt, $395, Tie, $195, Skirt, $430, Available at MAC Modern Appealing Clothing. Black Boots - Stylist’s own.

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RETRO 84

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REVIVAL From Broadway to the desert, Palm Springs interior designer Keith Fortner reveals his home, blending clean architectural lines with a calming, sophisticated palette, and bold retro flair. By Jennifer Lee \\ Photography by Public 311

n Palm Springs, Mid-Century Modern homes often get polished into a predictable white box. But designer Keith Fortner has staged an intentional rebellion. As the creative director of Christopher Kennedy, a Palm Springs-based interior design firm, Fortner is no stranger to bold, luxurious aesthetics. However, his most personal project to date, a 1976 Charles Du Bois-designed residence in Canyon Vista Estates, is decidedly restrained. With a color palette Fortner calls “Boisterous Beige,” his home doesn’t just preserve his life; it tells the full story, blending an effervescent past on the Broadway stage with the sophisticated quietness he prefers when designing his own home. “I usually like neutrals. I like layered, textured, calm. I’m not a huge saturated color person; I want color to be a backdrop.” Fortner’s earlier years were spent under the bright lights of Broadway. A native of Waverly, Tennessee, he famously abandoned a loathed engineering major for the stage. “I am from a small town in the South. I had always liked to sing, and while I was in college, I wanted to be part of the University of Tennessee show choir. I auditioned and

got it. And that was the only thing in college I liked,” Fortner confides, about how he was inspired to enter show business. After landing in New York, Fortner rose to dance captain for the first national tour of Annie Get Your Gun, a role that protects the production’s integrity and shapes the environment and people around it. While performing, he supplemented his income through floral design and event production. As a floral designer, he was creating striking arrangements for photo shoots and special events. After 20 years in show business, Fortner moved to Palm Springs. When a friend of a friend introduced him to Christopher Kennedy, Fortner walked into his design studio and asked to volunteer. With his background in show management and creativity in designing eye-catching floral arrangements, Kennedy recognized Fortner’s talent. After fifteen years working with Kennedy, orchestrating multi-million-dollar budgets for elite clients, Fortner faced the ultimate professional challenge: becoming his own client. He purchased his Charles Du Boisdesigned home in 2024; however, he lived in it for a year to allow the house to “talk to

me and tell me what it needed and what it wanted to keep.”

PRESERVING THE 1970S SOUL

Fortner’s home is nestled in Palm Springs’ historic Twin Palms neighborhood within the Canyon Vista Estates, an intimate 1976 enclave designed by Charles E. Du Bois. Encompassing twenty-six spacious residences on an eight-acre parcel, the private resort-style community refined mid-century modern architecture with vaulted ceilings, expansive glass, and indoor-outdoor desert living. His approach was strictly site-specific, and his commitment to the home’s soul required a discerning eye on what to keep. He famously preserved the “wedding frosting”—the heavy, textured stucco on the wall—on the great room fireplace, choosing only to add a new hearth to replace the original, which he described as “gross.” In a rare desert move, he saved the original parquet entry floors, a detail often lost to heat-related warping. His treatment of the ceilings reflects an architectural balance: he stripped the popcorn texture from the lower hallways for a cleaner line. Still, he kept it in the great room, recognizing that the original texture maintained its historic character. ICONICLIFE.COM

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THE GREAT ROOM, SUNKEN BAR & ENTRY

The great room is the home’s heart. In a bold design choice, Fortner installed wall-to-wall white carpeting throughout the living area. It is a soft, hospitality-driven counterpoint to the original mirrored walls and floor-to-ceiling glass doors. The area comes with a strict “slipper protocol” for guests—necessary to maintain the pristine canvas. The entryway (shown on the previous page) sets the tone with a Hammerton light fixture and Thibaut wallpaper, establishing the home’s high-texture narrative. In the great room, lighting by Hudson Valley Lighting illuminates a sophisticated art collection, including pieces from the Christopher Kennedy Collection for Wendover Art Group. An upcycled, clever “objet” made from leftover Kelly Wearstler wallpaper that was covering a hollow door serves as a transitional piece between the hallway and the great room. The sunken bar, a quintessentially 1970s architectural staple, received similar respect. While modernized with a Brizo faucet, Fortner honored his partner Dr. Tibbs’s “non-negotiable” request: keeping the early-80s mirrors. Fortner applied Thibaut wallpaper to the ceiling and ARTE acoustic quilted wallpaper beneath the bar, creating a tactile, sound-softening finish that feels both modern and era-appropriate.

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THE KITCHEN & BREAKFAST NOOK

The kitchen renovation, a collaboration with designer Joe de Casperis, is a triumph of problem-solving. Faced with a dropped light box that couldn’t be removed because of the original ductwork, Fortner leaned into his theatrical roots and translated theatrical framing into interior design by widening and lengthening the box over the stove, transforming a structural necessity into a “proscenium,” a word used from his Broadway days that describes an arch that frames the stage. The palette here remains serene but high-performance, featuring Caesarstone countertops and integrated Bertazzoni appliances. Emtek hardware and Brizo fixtures provide the jewelry for the space. Fortner creatively used a Palecek console as a floating island—a solution for a space too large to ignore, but too small for a traditional built-in. The adjacent breakfast nook, also outfitted with an alternate proscenium, enveloped in Thibaut woven wallpaper and matching drapes, offers a tranquil “pre-show” space for morning coffee, with views overlooking five citrus trees that provide a lush, private garden feel.

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POWDER ROOM & LAUNDRY

Fortner treats the home’s utilitarian spaces as “jewel boxes,” where the small scale magnifies the impact of high-end finishes. In the powder room, a striking Thibaut mural provides the backdrop for a vanity repurposed from an Arteriors cabinet. The space features Visual Comfort lighting and a Brizo faucet with mother-of-pearl handles. Even the laundry room, a utilitarian “drop zone” off the garage, is elevated with Schumacher wallpaper, keeping the design narrative consistent throughout the home.

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THE GUEST SUITE

The guest suite is Fortner’s personal favorite. Conceived as an “enveloping” hotel suite, it features an entryway with Thibaut wallpaper and a dedicated coffee station. The room is a retreat of textured calm, wrapped in Thibaut grasscloth and matching fabrics. The furniture—including Bernhardt nightstands and a dresser expertly repurposed as a vanity—creates a custom, cohesive environment. The guest bath was transformed into a luxury experience with a walk-in shower and marble flooring. Fortner lived in this room while the rest of the renovation was underway, and he found it so comfortable that he still hasn’t fully moved into the primary suite. ICONICLIFE.COM

THE PRIMARY SUITE, SHOE ROOM & PRIMARY BATH

The primary suite is a sophisticated homage to the late Steve Chase, the legendary 1970s Palm Springs designer known for his “puffy, overstuffed” aesthetic. A massive 17- foot long headboard, upholstered in Thibaut fabric and channeled “marshmallowy” leather, anchors the room. The true highlight, however, is the “Shoe Room.” Fortner removed a wall to transform a dated vanity area into a walk-through sanctuary for his extensive shoe and sweater collection. The anchor of the bedroom’s aesthetic is an Arteriors quilted leather bench he saw at market and used as the starting point for the Steve Chase-inspired design. The space is finished with Arteriors sconces and tables. In the primary bath, Fortner framed the space with fluted travertine on top and Caesarstone below, and repeated it in the surrounding areas. The accessories are intentional, featuring Brizo hardware (including a towel bar repurposed as a vertical shower pull) and DuVerre handles salvaged from a client’s kitchen renovation—a testament to the designer’s eye for “snatching up” high-quality remnants. Seated next to the bathtub is a 2002 Kartell Ghost Chair by Philippe Starck—a sentimental piece of history Fortner purchased for $400 by saving his paychecks from his final Broadway show.

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PERSONAL TOUCHES & THE MEMORY HALLWAY

In the TV room, Fortner has curated a “Marilyn Wall” featuring rare, unpublished Milton Greene test prints of Marilyn Monroe. These one-of-a-kind prints hold deep personal meaning for Fortner, who notes that his niece shares a striking resemblance to the Hollywood icon.

career remained in suitcases in North Carolina. When his partner brought them to Palm Springs, Keith initially set them out to unpack—only to realize they formed a perfect tribute to his first act. The display features original name placards from theater lobbies, costume remnants, and cast photos from several Broadway productions, including a five-year run of Beauty and the Beast.

Finally, there is the “Memory Hallway.” For years, the artifacts of Fortner’s 20-year Broadway

As a visual creative, Keith Fortner has successfully acted as his own client, curating and designing a home

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that is both a professional showcase and a deeply personal sanctuary. “My theme is always elegant, sophisticated, easy, and carefully curated. I don’t like it to be too fussy. I don’t want it to be overdone. I’m not really trying to show off. I want it to be able just to let people walk in and go, ‘Oh my god, it’s so beautiful, but it feels so easy.’” Christopher Kennedy 707 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Ste 8, Palm Springs, CA 92262 • 760-325-3214 keith@christopherkennedy.com

THANK YOU! ICONIC LIFE thanks the following sponsors who provided the foundational elements, finishes, and furnishings for this project. Their contributions and partnership reflect our shared commitment to craftsmanship, design integrity, and industry excellence.

Arizona Tile • Art and Forge • Arteriors • Michael Berman LTD • Bernhardt Furniture Bertazzoni • Black Label Home • Brizo • Casa Bossanova • Desert Supreme Construction Designs Living Inc • Emser Tile • Emtek • Hammerton Lighting • House of Rohl Hudson Valley Lighting • Material House • Monica Stone Fabrication Pacific Home Furniture Phillip Jeffries • The High End • WDC

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QUESTIONNAIRE

LISA VOSSLER SMITH

Chief Executive Officer, Modernism Week

desert native through and through, Lisa Vossler Smith’s connection to the Coachella Valley runs deep—from her very first hospitality role at the historic La Quinta Hotel to her roots growing up in the region.

What’s your signature workday beverage? Homemade iced oatmilk latte… and lots of water all day long.

After completing her education at University of California, Irvine, she entered the work force in event management before channeling her expertise into a long tenure as senior director of administration & operations at the Palm Springs Art Museum. Her Modernism Week story started back in 2006, when she first showed up as an enthusiastic fan and volunteer. The passion paid off when she stepped into the role of executive director in 2013 and took the helm as CEO in June 2022, continuing to champion the region’s rich architectural and cultural heritage.

What texture best describes your personality? Smooth. I like to keep things flowing in my world.

ICONIC LIFE queried her on her design aesthetic in celebration of Modernism Week.

Which color do you secretly find overrated? Definitely mustard! What’s your ultimate design guilty pleasure? I’m afraid I have more than a few. The top three would be anything Eames, vintage VW’s, and midcentury miniatures. What object in your home would you never part with, no matter how dated it might be? Our old waffle iron. They just don’t make them like they used to. What immediately bothers you in a room or product? When there are no comfortable chairs. I like to sit and stay awhile in a comfy seat. What soundtrack powers your deepwork mode? Classical California on the radio. I get distracted too easily if I listen to my favorite dance music while working. Form or function? Function. What material do you wish you could use more often? Velvet, but it doesn’t make sense in the desert most of the year. In one word, how should good design always make you feel? Sublime!

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