{"id":688585,"date":"2026-06-06T20:47:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T20:47:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/688585\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T20:47:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T20:47:23","slug":"this-palm-springs-escape-mixes-60s-architecture-with-contemporary-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/688585\/","title":{"rendered":"This Palm Springs Escape Mixes \u201960s Architecture with Contemporary Art"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated3 min read<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t think they wanted typical mid-century American,\u201d designer Damon Liss says of his clients, a New York-based couple with a serious art collection. \u201cThey wanted something with a little more interest, a little more color, a little more playfulness.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Liss, whose New York-based firm Damon Liss Design is known for its expert international sourcing and masterful use of vintage, this was the ideal brief. Built in 1967, the 3,500-square-foot single-story home sits in the heart of Palm Springs with sweeping views of the desert. With repeat clients who had already trusted him with their Manhattan apartment, the comfort level was high from the start. \u201cWhen people are at ease, they take more risks,\u201d he says. \u201cThey let go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"palmJoshua McHugh<\/p>\n

Chakaia Booker sculpture on the wall. Pieces by Tony Feher line the ledge next to the fireplace. A side table by Anton Alvarez sits next to an accent chair. A piece by Wyatt Kahn hangs in the entry way.<\/p>\n

That ease translated. Firm design director Ligia Pinto led the architectural work alongside Liss. The house required more of what Liss calls a “re-skinning” than a gut renovation: They added new bathrooms, a modern kitchen, refreshed floors, and a fireplace. As for the palette, the pair drew directly from the desert outside. \u201cThe colors were just so special,\u201d Pinto says. \u201cWe wanted to bring that into the house.\u201d Custom terrazzo, poured on-site, picks up the warm browns, dusty greens, and ochres of the Coachella Valley. Against it, the team kept cabinetry clean and linear, a counterweight to the colorful, patterned tile throughout.<\/p>\n

\"palmJoshua McHugh<\/p>\n

The den centers around a custom stained glass window by Sarah Cain.<\/p>\n

The den developed naturally, built around a stained-glass window from artist Sarah Cain. The piece, called Desert Sky, is set into rich purple walls, casting light through the space as the sun moves across the valley. Cain is a longtime friend of the clients, and conceived the piece specifically for the room. \u201cWe didn\u2019t present it as, \u2018This is going to be the really dark purple moody room,\u2019\u201d Liss says. \u201cIt came together organically, less pre-programmed and contrived.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"palmJoshua McHugh<\/p>\n

A custom-made screen blocks off the entryway, while a sculpture made of computer keyboard keys and toothbrush heads hangs above a table.<\/p>\n

In the entryway, the clients commissioned friend and artist Mark Hagen to create a custom concrete wall cast from molds of cereal boxes and juice bottles, a twist on the quintessential Palm Springs breeze block screen. A nearby sculpture by Moffat Takadiwa, built from discarded computer keyboard keys and toothbrush heads, hangs above the dining table, surrounded by Joseph Andr\u00e9 Motte Tongue chairs. In the office, a ceramic light fixture portraying a set of nostrils by Bay Area ceramicist Woody de Othello hangs in clear sight of the desk. \u201cThere’s a little bit of almost making fun of ourselves in it, right?\u201d Liss laughs.<\/p>\n

\"palmJoshua McHugh<\/p>\n

A nose-shaped sculptural light fixture by Woody de Othello hangs above the couch in the office.<\/p>\n

The emphasis on art continued through install day. As Liss remembers, the clients arrived with a truckload of pieces: Works by Leilah Babirye, Salom\u00f3n Huerta, and Tony Feher filled the garage alongside pieces by California desert artists Edie Fake and Jonathan Cross. The whole team then worked with the clients to incorporate the pieces into the home\u2019s new design. \u201cIt was probably the most open overall design experience I’ve been part of,\u201d Liss says.<\/p>\n

The works now hang in rooms where Joseph Andr\u00e9 Motte dining chairs sit alongside an Edward Wormley Janus sofa and Milo Baughman swivel chairs. European and American vintage in easy conversation with core pieces from the couple\u2019s highly personal collection. \u201cThere isn’t a single star of the show,\u201d Liss says. \u201cIt’s all about composition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Step Inside This Palm Springs Desert Escape\"palmOpen Gallery\"\"\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Claire Brito is a writer and editor based in Austin, Texas, covering design, architecture, and culture. Previously, she held editorial positions at House Beautiful and Town & Country.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"3 min read \u201cI don’t think they wanted typical mid-century American,\u201d designer Damon Liss says of his clients,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":688586,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[228,226,227,1240,299039,229,874,88,265529,873,223877,299038,212754],"class_list":["post-688585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-content-type-feature","tag-contentid-5500ee5d-7ee4-42d1-a0af-1f7bfc888687","tag-design","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-entertainment","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-us","tag-read_time-4","tag-shorttitle-inside-a-mid-century-modern-palm-springs-escape","tag-subsection-house-tours"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=688585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688585\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/688586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=688585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=688585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=688585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}