Palm Springs Modernism Week 2024 is upon us, celebrating all things midcentury in the Californian desert; it's also the perfect excuse for a Palm Springs winter escape (if you're in the midst of the northern hemisphere's cold months), and one that combines hot climes, modernist architecture and plenty of opportunity for a poolside cocktail. Festivities run from 15 – 25 February 2024, spanning tours and house visits, talks and exhibitions. For ideas beyond the beaten track, our experts' hot tips for lesser-known desert architecture finds from 2023’s Palm Springs Modernism Week are still valid – and they enrich the bevy of new offerings in this edition's official programme. Scroll down for 2024's highlights.
Palm Springs Modernism Week 2024: the highlights
House of Tomorrow tour
Can't get enough of Elvis, following the release of two movies surrounding the music legend's life – Priscilla and Elvis – in the last year or so? You might want to add the newly renovated Alexander Estate, known as the House of Tomorrow, to your to-do list.
The House of Tomorrow was originally built in 1960 by well-known developer Robert Alexander for his family when they moved to Palm Springs. It was their dream home, built in four circles on three levels with four bedrooms and five bathrooms. Elvis and Priscilla Presley honeymooned there in May 1967, as part of their stay in Palm Springs, later nicknaming the residence the ‘Honeymoon Hideaway'.
Poolside at the historic Casa Cody Hotel
A behind-the-scenes tour of this lesser known Palm Springs property in San Jacinto Mountains will be matched with brunch dishes and cocktails at Casa Cody Hotel during the festival's first week. This is a new addition to the Palm Springs Modernism Week festivities and it puts the spotlight on the hotel, which was created by Harriet Cody. The owner, a female pioneer and cousin to the legendary Buffalo Bill, founded it in the 1920s, and celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin, American Opera Singer Lawrence Tibbett, and AnaÏs Nin stayed there over the years. Today, the business is still operating on 175 South Cahuilla Road – and is, famously, the oldest working hotel in town, and now thoughtfully refreshed by Casetta Group and featuring interiors by Electric Bowery and landscaping by Terremoto.
An Evening Soirée at Frank Sinatra’s Twin Palms Estate
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
The Twin Palms Estate, designed by architect E Stewart Williams in 1947, is one of the most famous, celebrity loved addresses – as well as the former residence of Frank Sinatra. Exclusivity and high design meet in this home – and while its daytime tours book up fast, this evening event, courtesy of hosts and Save Iconic Architecture (SIA) founders Jaime Rummerfield and Ron Woodson, offers a further chance to glimpse inside, and get an exclusive tour, followed by a festive soirée there.
Francisco Artigas at Midcentury: Modern Houses of the Mexican Miracle
Renowned Mexican architect Francisco Artigas was a modernist pioneer working tirelessly in his home country – but his influence, and output, spread far beyond the Mexican borders. Prolific in the 1950s and 1960s, Artigas has left a lasting legacy in midcentury style, and the presentation of his oeuvre at Palm Springs Art Museum during Modernism Week 2024 is an exciting new entry this year.
Garden Tour of the Kaufmann Residence
If you're a midcentury modernism aficionado, you will no doubt be familiar with Richard Neutra's Kaufmann Residence – but how much do you know about its garden? This tour focuses on the landscaping around the famous Palm Springs home's near 2-acre estate, which includes the 'Orchard,' a tennis court and tennis house, and 100-year-old specimen cacti – one of which was personally gifted by Frank Lloyd Wright to the Kaufmann family, as the Palm Springs Modernism Week's website highlights.
Modular House prototype display
Palm Springs Modernism Week 2024 sponsor First Wave Development is showcasing a full-scale, prefab prototype during the event – the Modular Front Facade Showstopper. The structure, which will be on display for the first time at the entrance of the Convention Center, will be open and available to tour 16 – 19 February. The design features First Wave Development’s ZS2 Technology panels, and DIRTT Residential interior finishes inspired by Palm Springs style.
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Jack White's Third Man Records opens a Paris pop-upJack White's immaculately-branded record store will set up shop in the 9th arrondissement this weekend
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Designer Marta de la Rica’s elegant Madrid studio is full of perfectly-pitched contradictionsThe studio, or ‘the laboratory’ as de la Rica and her team call it, plays with colour, texture and scale in eminently rewarding ways
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‘Nothing just because it’s beautiful’: Performance artist Marina Abramović on turning her hand to furniture designMarina Abramović has no qualms about describing her segue into design as a ‘domestication’. But, argues the ‘grandmother of performance art’ as she unveils a collection of chairs, something doesn’t have to be provocative to be meaningful
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This Rocky Mountains house is a ski-lover's dream escapeBozeman, a Rocky Mountains house by Pearson Design Group and Frederick Tang Architecture, is a contemporary retreat that sits low in its natural, Montana setting
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Take a deep dive into The Palm Springs School ahead of the region’s Modernism WeekNew book ‘The Palm Springs School: Desert Modernism 1934-1975’ is the ultimate guide to exploring the midcentury gems of California, during Palm Springs Modernism Week 2025 and beyond
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A wavy roof tops this sophisticated take on a backyard cabin in CaliforniaThis Californian Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) by Spiegel Aihara Workshop (SAW), offers an aesthetic and functional answer to housing shortages and multigenerational family living
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Palm Springs Modernism Week 2025: let the desert architecture party beginPalm Springs Modernism Week 2025 launches on 13 February, marking the popular annual desert event’s 20th anniversary, celebrated this year through more midcentury marvels than ever
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On the shores of Discovery Bay, this wooden house is the ultimate waterside retreatDekleva Gregorič’s Discovery Bay House is a structured yet organic shelter that blends perfectly into the surrounding Pacific Northwest landscape
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The 10 emerging American Midwest architects you need to knowWe profile 10 emerging American Midwest architects shaking up the world of architecture - in their territory, and beyond
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A light-filled New York loft renovation magics up extra space in a deceptively sized homeThis New York loft renovation by local practice BOND is now a warm and welcoming apartment that feels more spacious than it actually is
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Inside Bell Labs, the modernist vision behind Severance's minimalist settingWe explore the history of Bell Labs - now known as Bell Works - the modernist Eero Saarinen-designed facility in New Jersey, which inspired the dystopian minimalist setting of 'Severance'
