The Fontenell, Palm Springs

The Fontenell is one of the most exciting renovations that I have seen in a long time.  The stunningly curated furnishings of the already dazzling property only makes it seem more like a time-warp.  This multi-unit stucture was once the Max Factor family compound.  One of my favorite features are the original eye-height turquoise refrigerators and the doorbell/clock combos.  Look for it to be a regular venue for the hippest events in Palm Springs this season.  For more information, visit their facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/thefontenell

Palm Springs Feature IDEAT Design/Architecture Magazine

Palm Springs should be flattered!  We had a major mention in IDEAT, a favorite Paris-based design and architecture magazine.  This is our second mention in a year!  I was interviewed last summer for this July feature- and Genevieve Brunet mentioned Deja Vu Vintage! I love all the European press that Palm Springs is getting- I love you, PS!

Palm Springs Real Estate: A Quincy Jones Condo

I still have vivid dreams about living in this sleek white space.  Windows on every side, glimpses of sky and mountain from every clerestory window.  Space-age furnishings.  All that is missing is Rosie the Robot Maid.  Visit the full listing at: http://www.paulkaplanrealtor.com/details.php?mid=170

Life in Palm Springs: Brunch at Spencer's

Today, I went out to brunch with family and friends at Spencer's in Palm Springs- at the Historic Tennis Club.  Nicole and I happened to be wearing yellow!  (Mine is by Mr. Turk).  I got to squeeze in flash-fried oysters and a wedge salad before running off to write a counter offer on a property for a client and show a fabulous midcentury modern Meiselman home that I have as a listing.  I'm not just a fashion plate and social butterfly, I'm also a real estate agent!
 

Down on the Street, Palm Springs

There is something really appealing about finding a neglected car that is still in regular service parked in a neighborhood.  Repairs made on a budget- dents hammered out, every scar on the paint since the day the car left the factory appears present.  If this car had been on the East Coast, it would have already been recycled, but fortunately, the California Desert is kind to steel.  This 1960something Pontiac Lemans, wearing mismatched tires, original weatherbeaten paint, and a tattered interior, is driven every day by its owner in Palm Desert.  Survivor.  Palm Springs is a haven for older cars.

 

Paul Kaplan Modern Real Estate Mad Men Office

I am totally grooving on these vintage teak screens that were installed in our office lobby.  They were salvaged from a fabulous William Cody-designed home in Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells.  The new owner had no appreciation for the sexy atomic-age-jetset aesthetic of the home she had inherited, and was gutting it (boo hoo) to obliterate any character with travertine tile and granite countertops.  Fortunately, these were able to find a new and much-loved location!

A. Quincy Jones Condo In Palm Springs

I have to say, my 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado looks pretty breathtaking in the carport at the A. Quincy Jones-designed Condominium at 1969 Camino Real in Palm Springs.  Both the car and the condos were designed about the same time, and are vaguely reminiscent of the servants' quarters at Sunnylands, The Annenberg Estate in Rancho Mirage.  We have this condo listed for sale, and was recently featured on Curbed LA.

Paul Kaplan Modern Real Estate Group Shoot

We had the best time doing a photoshoot at the historic 1949 Herbert Burns-designed residence on Via Miraleste in Palm Springs.  I sold the house a few weeks ago, but the owner was kind enough to let our entire real estate group do a photoshoot there a la Mad Men style- with vintage clothes and accessories from Deja Vu Vintage Finery on Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs.  Look forward to seeing all the great photos!  Here's a sneak peak of me (Matthew Reader) and fellow agent, Kris Rain, giving me a light.

Paul Kaplan Modern Real Estate @ Raymond|Lawrence

If you've not yet been to the new Raymond|Lawrence space on North Palm Canyon Drive in the Uptown Design District in Palm Springs, you're missing out!  Among all the great vendors there, The Paul Kaplan Modern Real Estate Group also has a 'mod shack' kiosk there with open house guides, flyers for midcentury modern homes, a realtor on site to answer your questions, and books and maps that hightlight Palm Springs' rich architectural resources.  It's located at 830 N Palm Canyon Drive.

Palm Springs Car Wash

I do love going to the car wash in Palm Springs several times a week.  You never know what will pop up.  This '61 Chrysler Newport is dreamy. 

Palm Springs Designer Avanti to be Auctioned

The personal Avanti of Raymond Loewy will be auctioned off by Bonhams on May 11.  Legend has it that this car was designed on a cocktail napkin by Mr. Loewy while in Palm Springs.  Who says you can't mix business and pleasure?  This is the second Avanti belonging to Loewy to be auctioned off in the past few months.  This particular vehicle resided at Loewy's Parisienne address.

http://acn.liveauctioneers.com/index.php/features/grand-prix-cafe/7005-bonhams-to-sell-designer-raymond-loewys-72-avanti

Rooms from Yesterday's House of Tomorrow

Is anything better than looking at old idea books for home design.  Does anything current look newer than these designs do?

Desert Lounge Tour; Courtesy Cocktail Lounge

Tickets are selling fast for the first event for The Desert Lounge Tour.  Our first stop will be  May 26 at The Courtesy Cocktail Lounge in Blythe. Part of the Googie architectural movement, The Courtesy was built in 1964 and retains a remarkable amount of its original finishes.  Now that the I-10 has passed Blythe by, the Courtesy does not get the same traffic that it used to.

Join us for a swinging good evening at The Courtesy Cocktail Lounge!  Ticket price includes Transportation to and from Blythe (with fun and games on the bus a go-go), Appetizers, Two Cocktails, Dinner, Dessert, Coffee, and Entertainment by The Gand Band.  Tickets are $80 per person, click on the link below to purchase.

Call Matthew for any questions: 760-969-2278

Number of Tickets

1 Ticket $80.00 USD 2 Tickets $160.00 USD 3 Tickets $240.00 USD

Alexander Home Illustration

Sometimes a client has a hard time visualizing what a home will look like after a facelift.  I love to be able to do a 3D rendering on my own- fortunately, I have some training as an interior designer and did this one in a couple of hours.  I've loved drawing since I was a kid, and I always forget that I know how to make something look really fantastic with very little work.

Palm Springs Past

Some of my favorite things to collect are ephemera; things that were meant to be thrown away.  I have a budding colletion of ashtrays and matches from Palm Springs Nightclubs, was really surprised to find this tabletopper from The Doll House, famous for Peggy Lee's performances there, and where Joan Crawford apparently took up waiting tables for an evening, to prove she could do it, just like her performance in Mildred Pierce.  Also love the Chi-Chi menu! 

Poolside in Palm Springs

It's really wonderful to be eating dinner outside in the evenings in March.  Had a great poolside pizza dinner at the home of Laurie and Larry Weitz, talking about doing a fashion and interior event at their posh Las Palmas home in April.  Can't wait!  It's always great to spend time in an Alexander home, particularly when it's been renovated in a fabulous way. White on white on white.

Vintage Cruisers on Palm Canyon Drive

One of the best things about living in Southern California is that you get to see all these great cars on the road all of the time.  Living in Palm Springs, I can drive a nice older car every day and not worry about it being parked on the street.  Everyone loves the old cars here!

Palm Springs Art Museum Photography Council Party

The Palm Springs Art Museum's Photography Council hosted a Moroccan-themed party at the home of Sally Riggs in Thunderbird Heights in Rancho Mirage.  I'm a longtime admirer of Sally's swank hilltop perch with all its wooden screens, intimate corners, and cool Middle-Eastern flair.  One of the greatest homes in the desert!