Has the weather turned grey, making you long for summer? The Palm Springs Modernism Week Fall Preview (running 14 – 17 October 2021 with some 50 events) is here to remedy that, offering a glimpse of what might be on offer during the annual architectural festival in the West Coast of America. Desert Modernism? Check. Lush poolside parties? Check. City-wide tours, exhibitions and house visits? Check, check, check. This is the ultimate way to get to know the architects who built Palm Springs. Get ready for the autumn preview – a slice of what's to come during the 2022 Palm Springs Modernism Week in February’s full-blown extravaganza (scheduled for 17 – 27 February 2022), which celebrates desert building, modernist architecture, Californian lifestyle, and good old-fashioned Palm Springs glamour.
A taster of the 2022 Palm Springs Modernism Week Preview
Twin Palms guided walking tour
Hugh Kaptur (b. 1931) is one of Palm Springs’ most prolific architects and part of a group of modernists who defined Desert Modernism. Pictured here is his house for Hollywood actor Steve McQueen. Photography: Mark Davidson, excerpted from the publication Hollywood Modern (Rizzoli, 2018)
Take this walking tour for an insider's look into one of Palm Springs’ most coveted and older neighbourhoods for midcentury architecture. Peek into homes and stroll around blocks to admire the works of Hugh Kaptur, William Krisel, Donald Wexler, and more, accompanied by juicy information from the tour's knowledgeable guides.
Frank Sinatra's neighbourhood
The four-bedroom Twin Palms, which was infamous as a party house during Sinatra’s second marriage, to Ava Gardner, features a swimming pool shaped like a grand piano.
This tour takes you through the old stomping grounds of one of the most famous American stars of all time. Frank Sinatra's modernist home by renowned architect E Stewart Williams is, of course, part of the package, but there's more, from midcentury gems to Spanish revival abodes.
Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F Cody
Goldberg House designed by William Cody in Palm Springs in 1962
This lecture offers everything you need to know about one of Palm Springs’ most iconic architects. Open and free for all, the one-hour event ‘chronicles modernist architect William F Cody’s significant contributions to Palm Springs’ built environment'.
Frey House II Tour
Albert Frey was well known in the Palm Springs architecture scene for having designed some of the town’s most iconic houses. Pictured here, a key example, Frey House II
Another Palm Springs classic, the Frey House II comes with an arid, rocky location, amazing views of the city and the finest, experimental midcentury architecture. This house tour is complemented by a Palm Springs Art Museum tour (a fine architectural jewel in itself, designed in 1974, by E Stewart Williams). Don't let this rare opportunity to visit this house by modernist Albert Frey pass you by.
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Wallpaper* checks in at the refreshed W Hollywood: ‘more polish and less party’The W Hollywood introduces a top-to-bottom reimagining by the Rockwell Group, capturing the genuine warmth and spirit of Southern California
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Book a table at Row on 5 in London for the dinner party of dreamsRow on 5, the first restaurant ever to open on Savile Row, emerges as a perfectly tailored fit for fans of fan dining
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How a bijou jewellery salon in Monaco set the jewellery trends for 2025Inside the inaugural edition of Joya, where jewellery is celebrated as miniature works of art
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A revamped Edinburgh apartment combines Californian-style modernism with modern craftArcher + Braun have transformed an apartment in a historic house with finely tuned contemporary additions and sympathetic attention to detail
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A vacant Tribeca penthouse is transformed into a bright, contemporary eyrieA Tribeca penthouse is elevated by Peterson Rich Office, who redesigned it by adding a sculptural staircase and openings to the large terrace
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We walk through Luther George Park and its new undulating pavilionLuther George Park by Trahan Architects and landscape architects Spackman Mossop Michaels opens to the public, showcasing a striking new pavilion installation – take a first look
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A vibrant new waterfront park opens in San FranciscoA waterfront park by leading studio Scape at China Basin provides dynamic public spaces and coastal resilience for San Francisco's new district of Mission Rock
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Tekαkαpimək Contact Station: a building ‘as inspiring as the endless forest and waterways of the land’The new Tekαkαpimək Contact Station by Saunders Architecture with Reed Hilderbrand and Alisberg Parker Architects, opens at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in the USA
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Entelechy II: architect John Portman's majestic beach home hits the marketEntelechy II, architect John Portman's beach residence in Georgia, USA, goes on the market; roll up, roll up for a home that is as grand as it is playful
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First look: Honolulu's Victoria Place blends cosmopolitan living with Hawaii life and natureVictoria Place is a new residential tower at Honolulu's Ward Village; take a first look at its interiors
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A look inside the home of George Homsey, one of the fathers of pioneering California modernist community Sea RanchGeorge Homsey's home opens for the first time since his death, in 2019; see where the architect behind some of the designs for Sea Ranch, the pioneering California modernist community, lived
