New York Times Announces To World Palm Springs Is Cool Again.

Today, the Sunday (!!) New York Times did quite a nice write up on Palm Springs being in "demand" right now. You can read the full article  HERE.

One of the statements made in the article is that Coachella is responsible for bringing the most recent boom in development. 

Photo Courtesy of The New York Times/Patrick T. Fallon

Funny enough, many of my posts have already addressed what was in the New York Times piece: the bits that perhaps a certain A-Lister who purchased a certain high profile home cemented the notion of making it "permissable" for others to follow, while the rumor of another A-Lister looking for a home and coupled with this article about the Hollywood "elite" pushing prices up just slammed Palm Springs to the front and center of the zeitgeist stage.

Palm Springs is officially a brand, and exploding y'all. 

Media spotlight on Palm Springs Part 2 + 3 coming up. 

Palm Springs Realtor Tip # 254:

Dress to match your listings. 

My listing in Indian Wells Country Club which will open escrow Monday! 

#sunshine #palmsprings #YellowisWorkingForMeTheseDays

A Serious Look at Palm Springs Real Estate

One-third of The Paul Kaplan Group  captured at the Palm Springs Real Estate Association 

Anniversary Party.

You know, another ho-hum night out. 

The Boss Man Paul Kaplan, Samantha, and Simon

In case you didn't realize, I'm in the silver jacket.

Coachella, Elvis Presley + Anne Hathaway

First things first: Coachella kicks off today! 

The line up for today has everyone from OutKast to Bryan Ferry to Gabba Gabba Hey. 

For those poor souls that weren't able to get tickets, good news! 

For the first time ever, Coachella will be live streamed on youtube.  

(weekend 2 will have a diff live stream venue) 

While we're on the subject of music, a few days ago Elvis Presley's Honeymoon House was listed for a cool $9.5M! 

(Can we just have a moment to envision Elvis at Coachella??!)

I personally think Anne Hathaway should purchase it, don't you? 

She and the house would compliment each other beautifully. 

My deep thoughts for Friday.

That is all.

Living in Palm Springs: A Different Take on Mid-Century Homes

For those of you that may not know, I moved out of a 1200 sq foot Alexander Mid-Century home with a pool and into a 1988 Airstream Trailer which I renovated this past Summer/Fall.

I call my home The Silver Suitcase®

And, yes, my residence is in a Trailer Park.

Here's a taste of the before:

And here's a taste of the after:

I don't mess around. 

I always had a fascination with the trailers growing up, so I thought why not give it a whirl? I'll live in the trailer for at least one year to get the full experience.

I had loads of fun making the airstream over and reactions from people have been huge.

One of the phenomenas of having a unique home is when I send out an invite to have guests over, my RSVP "Yes" rate hovers around 98%.  

Having had so much fun, and receiving requests from clients and people from afar (Hi London!) I have embarked on doing a few more on my down days. 

So, meet the newest additions to my Silver Suitcase® Family:

Silver Suitcase® # 2: My Baby 1966 Safari

Design is all in the Details, people!

Nice spare tire in the foreground

And here she is, cleaned out and with a base coat of paint

Paint really is the miracle drug. 

 Silver Suitcase® # 3:

1949 Spartan Mansion

This is a big undertaking, but I can't wait.

Renovation is really all in the attitude!

And finally, my summer cottage:

Silver Suitcase® #4:

1960 Park Model

Look at those bones, would you??

I just started on Baby Safari, and with a lot of work and some luck, I am hoping to have all three done by August at the latest.

To keep up with the renovations on my Airstreams, follow my blog 365 Days in An Airstream.

Happy Travels, indeed. 

A 10 Second Hollywood History in Palm Springs: American Gigolo Version

American Gigolo was on the other night and lo and behold I had forgotten about this pivotal (and dark) scene that takes place in the Canyon Club area of Palm Springs

Richard Gere's character Julian Kaye drives to Palm Springs as a favor to service the client of a pimp/friend.

Here is the mid-century home as it appears in the film with the Julian Kaye character driving up in his Mercedes 450 SL.

And how it looks today:

The front has obviously been rearranged. A lawn was put in, as well as the driveway being moved to the left. The Canyon Country Club has some incredibly beautiful and tasteful homes and most were preserved to their original mid-century design. 

Now I'm a little obsessed to see the inside!

HOLLYWOOD IN PALM SPRINGS EDITION: Are the "Who's Who" of Hollywood Fueling Home Prices??

The Hollywood Reporter devoted a section on Palm Springs in their March 14 Magazine Edition. In the various pieces, Hollywood Heavy Hitters were asked to weigh in on Palm Springs living.

One piece that jumped out (of course) is a view of the Palm Springs Real Estate Market; and because it's the Hollywood Reporter, there's a lot of name checking and bold faced names of who live/have homes here; in addition, the article discusses the price surge in mid-century homes, with an angle on Hollywood's "elite" pushing the prices up.

Are mid-century homes selling? Absolutely - for instance, just last week, we had a listing for $1.2M that sold within 6 days of being on the market.

Are there still bargains to be had? Yes. Are they becoming fewer and farther between? Yes.

Is it the Hollywood Elite pushing prices up? I think the better question is:  Have we seen a younger set of Hollywood/Start Up/Creatives from LA, SF, Seattle, London + NYC recently?
Oh, YES. Absolutely.

Listen, the Hollywood Stars and the power players have been coming here since the 1920's. That is not going to change any time soon. They in turn attract others, and so on and so forth.

The Reporter also did a nice profile on Suzanne Somers 73 acre compound which, by the way, is A REAL honest to God compound complete with hiking trails, and trolley.  Major bonus points for the Albert Frey designed guest house! If you have some extra cash laying about, I suggest you look into it.

On the opposite end of the Real Estate spectrum, the Reporter looked at the Who's Who of Hollywood who live in Big Horn Golf Club.

Big Horn photo courtesy of BigHornGolf.com

Big Horn is everything mid-century is not. (Love your movies, Mr Weintraub!)

The magazine looked at new restaurants in the area cloaked under the guise of where to eat during Coachella.

Seriously? Have they ever been to Coachella? Dining out is truly the last thing on your mind. Between seeing the bands, the parties and travel time, who has time to eat? Don't get me wrong - keep the list, because it's a great one. Just an ambitious goal on the weekends of Coachella.

Speaking of dining out and drinking, The Reporter did a piece on the Hollywood regulars and where they like to eat and what to do - a nicely compiled list, though it can't compete with my list of Palm Springs old school eating and drinking spots that I did in my Welcome Wagon Letter to Leonardo DiCaprio. :) The Hollywood Reporter's list is great - keep it bookmarked, along with mine.

The article gave a nice shout out to Wil Stiles Shop which I love  and in a different piece  they talk about the the Grand Dame of Palm Springs Style,Trina Turk.

Photo of Trina Turk Courtesy of LA Times

Trina has been the unofficial ambassador of Palm Springs for over 20 years. Her original shops on Palm Canyon Drive are the epitome of Palm Springs Style. She has Mr Turk for the Men, Trina Turk for home and of course Trina Turk for women. You can never go wrong with Trina. Never.

Another shop is Deja Vu Vintage Finery  a must stop for vintage clothes at reasonable prices.  (Trina mentioned this shop as one of her favorites in her Reporter interview during Film Fest)

Photo Courtesy of Deja Vu Finery

Speaking of Style, some of my favorite Home Decor shops they missed (understandably so; otherwise, the article would be pages + pages long.)   

Modern Way in Palm Springs. Courtney will steer you right. And if he doesn't have the piece you desire, he will know how to get it. 

Hedge In Cathedral City for mid century furniture + home accoutrement. They have incredible finds, at really reasonable prices. Great fun shop.  

Colin FIsher Studios in Cathedral City has an eclectic mix of modern, abstract, figurative, and traditional paintings + sculptures. Curated beautifully.

And lastly, a nice write up on the latest hotels which have gone up/are going up including Hard Rock Hotel + Arrive Hotel.

The Hollywood Reporter's section on Palm Springs is a well thought out and well researched love letter to our wonderful town. Bravo!

Mid-Century Home on Alejo newly listed, just in time for Palm Springs Modernism Week!

What's better than Modernism week which begins tonight?

Getting a listing for an incredible storied mid-century home with a glamorous Palm Springs back story!

1080 East Alejo Road Pool with hot tub and fire pits

This pedigreed home was custom built in 1951 by Paul Summers and Caroline Birge  (Hicks) the owners of the Ingleside Inn (home to Melvyn's!)  The Ingleside Inn has and continues to be a wonderfully oasis of Palm Springs Chic that will never go out of style. Martinis, Oysters Rockefeller, a Tuxedo Wearing Maître d', live music most nights, movie stars over the years who have called it home away from home, a glamorous pool with sexy bungalows - what's not to love?

The home remained in their ownership until 2003.The new owners took great care and respect  bringing all aspects up to date.

Located in the chic neighborhood of the Movie Colony and a few doors down from The Frank Sinatra Estate Twin Palms, the home is centrally located while preserving a compound feel.
Coming in at  little under 2500 square feet, on a little more than half an acre,  this spacious 3 bedroom 3 bathroom home offers state of the art modern amenities.

Some of the features are: vaulted ceilings, flagstone fireplace, gourmet kitchen, and walls of glass are a few of the magnificent attributes of this special property. Outside is a beautifully landscaped backyard with a swimming pool surrounded by 3 fire pits set against the dramatic backdrop of the mountains.

Apparently, we weren't the only ones who felt this way!  Today, The Desert Sun did a loving write up in honor of this special house!

Here's a walk through video of the home

Questions on this property? Give a ring 760-969-2270 or mrmodps@gmail.com

Questions on why to buy in Palm Springs? click here!

New Listing, Indian Wells Country Club, $749,000

Bright Fun Resort-style midcentury home in prestigious Indian Wells Country Club. This house has many special features, among them being a view of four fairways and a second kitchen for party preparations or caterers. This 3 bedroom, 3 bath home features designer wall coverings and mirrors throughout maximize lighting. High clerestory windows in the entry hall lead to a living room (with fireplace!) that overlooks the Regency pool and golf course and mountain views. You'll enjoy waking up in the master bedroom with the same fantastic views.

Feature in November 2013 Desert Outlook Magazine

I was very excited and flattered to be featured alongside my Airstream (The Silver Suitcase) and colleague Chris Bale of Modern Bear in the November issue of Palm Springs' Desert Outlook Magazine.  Thanks for the mention, Will Dean!

The short of it is:  The Paul Kaplan Group will be bringing my Airstream to Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles for a brokerage tour and throwing Palm Springs-style Pool Parties in these cities.  We can't help but have fun in Palm Springs.

Palm Springs Modern Committee Fall Home Tour 2013

I spent part of Saturday touring homes for PSmodcom's Fall tour, with such homes as 1961 by Home Lab, the new Dee Residence in Rancho Mirage by architect Lance O'Donnell of o2 Architecture, and a recent renovation of a rear patio unit at The Ocotillo Lodge, which was designed by Palmer and Krisel and built by the Alexanders (one of my favorite condo complexes, there are plaques with celebrity names on the doors, harking back to when it was a favorite weekend haunt of celebrities).  This one had a "Dinah Shore" in gold on the door.  The Estrella Swim club house in Indian Canyons was a crowd-pleaser.

Paul Kaplan Group and The Silver Suitcase to Tour Northwest

Exciting news- The Paul Kaplan Group is planning a four-city tour to promote Palm Springs real estate and our chic casual lifestyle.  Look for upcoming parties in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles.  We'll also be making my Airstream a Joshua Tree mobile office on designated weekends!

If you haven't read the blog about the Airstream's renovation at The Happy Traveler RV Park in Palm Springs, check out: www.airstream365.blogspot.com

Postcard From Palm Springs

 

(You missed a lot this Summer!)

I frankly couldn't believe how busy Palm Springs was this Summer- I've been here twelve years, and this was the first year that I noticed no downturn in the number of visitors.  Chalk it up to mild temperatures, activities year round now (Splash House for example) and a general giddiness about travelers enjoying the heat, Palm Springs is becoming a year- round getaway.  This fall we're looking forward to new hotels: Kimpton (2014), Arrive (2014) The Hard Rock Hotel (this October); new nightclubs Smoketree Supper Club, a re-imagined Purple Room by Trio, and the Palm Springs Tonga Room.

Jim Jennings House, Deepwell, Palm Springs

I went to the unveiling of the Jim Jennings-designed and Blue Sky Homes-material sourced materials home in Deepwell.  The party was thrown by Palm Springs Modern Committee, and really was a chic home- I was really impressed by the delicate details of the home's design- particularly the lacy perforated ceiling finish, which directs AC air through it entirely, rather than through single vents.  The house picks up right where the Wexler/Harrison Steel houses left off, and expands entirely.  The vertical steel walls around the courtyard look so much like the steel guest houses from the Alexander's Twin Palms development.  Very cool concept.  The house is listed for sale at $1.3 million, which is breathtaking in itself.  Can't wait to see it sell.

Desert Center: California Ghost Town and Modern Ruins

Desert Center's history is as colorful as it currently is colorless.  Nearly a ghost town, there are a few inhabitants left in this village that was founded in 1921.  Now that everyone seems to have pulled up and left- even all the gas stations are closed, the town remains remarkably intact.  It's just on the outskirts of Lake Tamarisk, which was built by Kaiser Steel.  Check out the full history of Desert Center on Wikipedia, and get out there for a drive- it's only about an hour East of Palm Springs. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Center,_California

My favorite quote from the founder of the town is: "If You Don't Believe Me, You Can Go To Hell, or Visit Me in Desert Center in August!"

Was definitely worth a stop on my way back from Phoenix Modern.