“The desert always wins” is the certainty that guided Brett Woods’ design of his own family retreat in the hills above Palm Springs. “It can be 50 degrees at night and 112 the next day. That fluctuation takes a toll on people, cars, objects, and houses,” he says. This Miesian pavilion takes the harsh environment in stride with an exterior volume bookended by burnished CMU block. Custom created to match the earth, it slips into the living room and primary bedroom at opposite ends of the house. On the house’s long side, an 8-by-10-foot grid of patinaed brass panels also expresses the desert elements. “The panels take the heat differently,” he says. “Some look homogenous, others like a patchwork quilt on the elevation.”
The dreamlike desertscape is ever-present inside the house. It spans a natural arroyo, allowing seasonal water to run under the house. There, a glass-enclosed bridge connects the two wings across a trellised atrium that can be viewed from nearly every room. Glass great room walls dematerialize, creating a seamless transition to an outdoor dining area, deck, pool, spa, fireplace, and lounge.
No mere afterthought, the sensitively designed gardens are integral to household life. “There’s a consistent, interesting engagement with the landscape,” a judge said. “Within that desert landscape, they were able to create a magical, habitable outdoor space.”
Citation
Custom Outdoor Living
Woods + Dangaran
Desert Palisades
Palm Springs, California
Project Credits
Architect/Interior Designer/
Lighting Designer: Woods + Dangaran, Los Angeles
Builder: HJH Construction, Palm Desert, California
Civil and structural engineer:
Labib Funk + Associates, El Segundo, California
Plumbing engineer: California Energy Designs, Burbank, California
Project size: 3,800 square feet
Site size: 0.49 acre
Construction cost: Withheld
Photography: Joe Fletcher
Key Products
Cooktop/Vent Hood/Ovens/Dishwasher/Refrigerator: Miele
Countertops: Caesarstone, Ceppo, white onyx, silver travertine
Entry doors: Otiima
Faucets: California Faucets
Fire sprinklers: AFP Systems
Flooring: Eco Outdoor
Lighting control systems: Meljac
Sinks: Blanco, Kohler
Surfacing: Ann Sacks (kitchen backsplash)
Toilets: TOTO
Tub: Hydro Systems
Washer/dryer: Whirlpool
Wine refrigerator: Sub-Zero