Desert Oasis

Brief:

This estate sale apartment hadn’t been renovated in over 40 years and it showed! In addition to updating all of the finishes and fixtures, our client wanted to create a separate entry foyer for a bright and graceful entrance to the home, a sophisticated and flexible dining area that worked equally well for an intimate dinner or larger party, all complemented by an elegant and comfortable lounge area.

She also wanted the ultimate organized yet invisible work space, a bright spa-like bathroom, and a rich and restful retreat of a bedroom while incorporating lots of storage in a warm and earthly palette inspired by sunset in the California desert.

Principles:

We begin every project with a set of principles that come from our client’s own words:

• Mid-century modern California desert
• Meets NYC art deco glamour
• Great grilles, grates, and grids
• Micro caverns, not caves
• Effortlessly efficient and elegant

Strategy:

The key moves here are: adding a screen partition at the entry that creates separation without blocking views, layering consoles, storage, and seating for flexibility, updating the kitchen with smaller appliances that allow for more functional cabinets, maintaining visual continuity through the use of grid motifs in different sizes and scales in each room, installing sliding door radiator/air conditioner covers that provide an extra long window seat in the living room and hamper storage in the bedroom, tucking an adjustable height murphy desk into a hidden corner of the dining room, and layering the bedroom in sumptuous textiles and patterns without compromising storage or functionality.