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.