Slot Canyon Residence, a new home designed by Los Angeles-based architecture and design studio RIOS, walks the delicate tightrope between creating seclusion and privacy for its owners, while opening up towards its striking, arid, Californian landscape. Located in the Las Palmas neighbourhood of Palm Springs, the project was designed to sit 'naturally among the desert landscape and the classic mid-century modernist architecture that has come to define the region'.
Slot Canyon Residence by RIOS
While nodding to the region's strong modernist roots, the new home was not designed as a blind imitation of the style. Its clean lines, harmonious volumes and low slung horizontality pay homage but blends with elements and needs clearly born of the 21st century.
The house was designed as a series of pavilions, which breaks down its generous overall volume. Some of these structures feel more solid and opaque. They are located on the eastern side of the plot and contain bedrooms and bathrooms. Others, on the opposite side of the arrangement, are airy and open, housing living spaces and wrapped in swathes of glazing and spilling out to terraces and a swimming pool.
The landscaping and connections between these pavilions (created with the help of landscape experts at Bennett Puterbaugh) form a key part of the home's identity too. Bridges and arroyos link different volumes, allowing local vegetation and natural vistas to seep in. Meanwhile, an expressive floating roof with an inverted vaulted ceiling crafts a space primed for entertaining in the main living area, highlighting that this is a private, but still very open space with a strong social character.
-
Rio Kobayashi’s new furniture bridges eras, shown alongside Fritz Rauh’s midcentury paintings at Blunk SpaceFurniture designer Rio Kobayashi unveils a new series, informed by the paintings of midcentury artist Fritz Rauh, at California’s Blunk Space
-
New York restaurant Locanda Verde’s second outpost will transport you to a different time and placeLocanda Verde’s expansive new Hudson Yards osteria exudes a sophisticated yet intimate atmosphere overflowing with art treasures
-
LVMH watch week 2025: everything we know so farOur guide to LVMH Watch Week 2025, taking place in New York and Paris, starting 21 January; keep an eye out for our updates
-
LA Mayor Karen Bass outlines her plan for rebuilding the cityFollowing the devastating LA wildfires, which have destroyed more than 12,000 structures, the city’s mayor has outlined her plan for reconstruction
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House, a Usonian modernist Michigan gem, could be yoursFrank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House in Michigan is on the market – a chance to peek inside the heritage modernist home in the countryside
-
Cabin House is a simple modernist retreat in the woods of North CarolinaDesigned for downsizing clients, Cabin House is a modest two-bedroom home that makes the most of its sylvan surroundings
-
A Texas ranch house blends Californian charm and Asian minimalism in a 'balance in hybridity'Pontious, a Texas ranch house designed by OWIU, is a home grounded in its owner's cultural identity, uniting Californian, Chinese and Japanese roots
-
The three lives of the Edith Farnsworth House: now, a modernist architecture icon open to allThe modernist Edith Farnsworth House has had three lives since its conception in 1951 by Mies van der Rohe; the latest is a sensitive renovation, and it's open to the public
-
Year in review: the top 12 houses of 2024, picked by architecture director Ellie StathakiThe top 12 houses of 2024 comprise our finest and most read residential posts of the year, compiled by Wallpaper* architecture & environment director Ellie Stathaki
-
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
-
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
