Post Palm Springs Modernism Week: Dwell Magazine Dinner

As part of Palm Springs Modernism Week's celebrations, Dwell magazine contacted The Paul Kaplan Group to arrange a dinner party at six separate architectural homes.  The dinner party was underwritten by Lincoln Motor Company, and was catered by Workshop Bar + Restaurant in Palm Springs.  60 attendees were invited, among them architectural aficionado Moby.  I was a guest at the home of Liz and Frank Malinka, where we dined after cocktails at the Fontinell, the former Max Factor family compound.  The Malinkas own a 1963 Charles DuBois-designed Alexander in Vista Las Palmas.

Post Palm Springs Modernism Week

One of my favorite events every year during Palm Springs' Modernism Week is the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation's Retro Martini Party.  This year it was held at the Abernathy house, designed by William Cody in 1962.  Everyone dresses to the nines at these, arrives in vintage cars, and most are in vintage clothing.  It's a perfect Palm Springs evening, and I always look forward to the really fantastic homes that they hold this event in each year.

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.