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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The return of the bullhead: the watch design that refuses to conformLittle known outside of watch circles, but enthusiastically collected within them, bullhead watches have always been divisive. Identified by the crown at 12 o’clock, it made design sense – no digging into the wrist, allowing easier function as a stopwatch - but remains a speciality. But now, the bullhead is back
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Tour Peridot, Hong Kong’s hypnotic new barLocated on the 38th floor of The Henderson, Studio Paolo Ferrari’s latest project is a study in ‘light, refraction, and intimacy’
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Lighting designer Andi Watson on creating Mitski’s sculptural stage for 'The Land'In Mitski’s live show and new concert film, a single beam of light becomes her dance partner. Lighting designer Andi Watson discusses turning shadow, movement and restraint into the architecture of feeling
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Inside a Malibu beach house with true star qualityBond movies and Brazilian modernism are the spur behind this Malibu beach house, infused by Studio Shamshiri with a laid-back glamour
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An Arizona home allows multigenerational living with this unexpected materialIn a new Arizona home, architect Benjamin Hall exposes the inner beauty of the humble concrete block while taking advantage of changed zoning regulations to create a fit-for-purpose family dwelling
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Michael Graves’ house in Princeton is the postmodernist gem you didn’t know you could visitThe Michael Graves house – the American postmodernist architect’s own New Jersey home – is possible to visit, but little known; we take a tour and explore its legacy
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Explore Tom Kundig’s unusual houses, from studios on wheels to cabins slotted into bouldersThe American architect’s entire residential portfolio is the subject of a comprehensive new book, ‘Tom Kundig: Complete Houses’
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Ballman Khaplova creates a light-filled artist’s studio in upstate New YorkThis modest artist’s studio provides a creative with an atelier and office in the grounds of an old farmhouse, embedding her practice in the surrounding landscape
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The most important works of modernist landscape architecture in the USModernist landscapes quite literally grew alongside the modern architecture movement. Field specialist and advocate Charles A. Birnbaum takes us on a tour of some of the finest examples
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The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthThis September, Wallpaper highlighted a striking mix of architecture – from iconic modernist homes newly up for sale to the dramatic transformation of a crumbling Scottish cottage. These are the projects that caught our eye
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Jeanne Gang’s single malt whisky decanter offers a balance ‘between utility and beauty’The architect’s whisky decanter, 'Artistry in Oak', brings a sculptural dimension to Gordon & MacPhail's single malt
