SUNRISE PARK
VACATION PLANS
LANDSCAPE, RENOVATIONS + FURNISHINGS | PALM SPRINGS, CA
Homeowners came to us with a request: turn our newly-purchased ‘standard vacation rental’ into a Palm Springs-worthy destination, outside and in.
We had seven months and two major goals: re-orient the pool to be more focal and integrated; and re-think the interiors to be casual and comfortable—with a mid-century wink.
Photography: Oscar Flink
Pool Builder: Rammell Construction
The owners wanted to relocate the pool from the side yard to the back to take advantage of mountain views and better integrate outdoor and indoor living spaces. They had enlisted Rammell Construction to remove the existing pool and construct a new one. We simplified the proposed design, eliminating a wall and centering the pool on the newly-divided patio. We replaced that wall with deck-mounted jets for sound and splash.
Because we were losing a few trees in the back yard, it was important to maintain a mature garden feel from the start. We’ve seen too many vacation rental backyard ‘gravel pits,’ so we relocated plants and trees when possible and added more.
The existing patio was an expanse of concrete that ran the length of the house. Columns for the pergola had been ‘modernized’ as chunky 2 x 2’ pillars. We stripped those back to more period-appropriate supports, separated the patio with a low breezeblock wall, and added a garden to create distinct spaces— one for the living room and one for the primary bedroom.
The side yard became an outdoor dining space set in a stand of olives and large bowl planters. The olives will quickly grow into a shady canopy. Nearby, a new fire pit hosts six with its low-slung lounge chairs.
Previous updates to the home introduced heavy black window and slider frames to the 1958 Alexander. We embraced them and stretched eras to draw from the late midcentury: a wall-to-wall modular sectional in a deep blue compliments rusty orange and cognac accents. Wallpapers and overscaled art lend graphic punch to the bedrooms.
We installed a pale brick set in a stacked grid to ‘unmodernize’ the fireplace; carrying it to the corner provided scale and architectural cred. We took the same stacked approach to the new kitchen tile, creating vertical interest to the ceiling.
BEFORE AND AFTER
