The Rowan — Palm Springs, USA

With 11 new or upcoming properties in the works, The Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group continues to expand at an astonishing rate. It’s newest opening is just one more example of its talent for sniffing out prime locations in happening neighbourhoods. Against a muscular backdrop of the San Jacinto mountains and just steps from the Palm Springs Art Museum, the 153-room Rowan is contained within a modern seven-storey new build, by West Coast firms ACRM Architects + Interiors and DesignARC, that is the crowning glory of Downtown Palm Springs’ decade-long regeneration project.
The building itself, is a contemporary reference to the area’s modernism roots, with angular lines, expansive glass windows, wide overhangs, three dimensional lemon-yellow pop-out boxes, and a sleek roofline that cuts across the rugged desert landscape. This leads to soaring, light-filled interiors, which the Kimpton Design Team, together with Powerstrip Studio, have dressed with low-slung furnishings and custom art installations, such as the 16-foot macramé owl behind the front desk, in a creamy neutral and timber palette punctuated by cool whites, blues, greens and geometric patterns.
With two pools, two bars, and complimentary bicycles at hand, diversions are aplenty, but it’s the rooftop destination that is drawing all the attention. At 4 Saints restaurant, the hotel’s executive chef Stephen Wambach serves up modern bites such as foie gras bread & butter or lobster tortellini, but we suggest heading to High Bar – the city’s only rooftop pool bar – where you can sip on a cachaça cocktail with avocado oil while indulging in painted sunset hues over the Coachella Valley.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
100 W. Tahquitz Canyon Way
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Carole Dixon is a prolific lifestyle writer-editor currently based in Los Angeles. As a Wallpaper* contributor since 2004, she covers travel, architecture, art, fashion, food, design, beauty, and culture for the magazine and online, and was formerly the LA City editor for the Wallpaper* City Guides to Los Angeles.
-
How architects are redefining disaster relief through design
Disaster relief architecture is a critical component of humanitarian aid across the globe; read our ultimate guide on how architects can make a difference through design
-
Paul Gulati on storytelling, multi-sensory design and the evolution of Universal Design Studio
'f a space works – not just as a beautiful image, but for the people using it – then we’ve done our job,' he tells us
-
Seiko and Datsun mark a shared heritage and history with three new limited-edition watches
The Japanese brands pay tribute to the Datsun 240Z and Prospex Speedtimer in a new collaboration
-
Why everyone in LA is talking about Café Tondo
Helmed by chef Valeria Velásquez and designed by Aunt Studio, this new spot delivers Latin American buzz all day long
-
Size doesn’t matter at Now Now, a micro-hotel for solo travellers in New York
Can you pack style into 32 square feet? We find out
-
At this LA dining hotspot, go Spanish or Japanese as you please
A dual-concept dining destination designed by the Rockwell Group brings Mediterranean warmth and Japanese precision to Century City
-
The Benjamin’s chic new upstairs bar is Hollywood’s hottest hideaway
At Bar Benjamin, speakeasy mystique meets elevated snacks, cocktails and views
-
More is more at Bar Issi, a maximalist new dining destination in Palm Springs
Fettle studio fuses eco-conscious materials with bold design gestures in this playful space inside the new Thompson Hotel
-
Do luxury hotels need a farmer-in-residence?
From Ibiza to Indonesia, hospitality brands are cultivating a new travel experience, where wellness begins in the soil and ends at the table
-
A local’s guide to Atlanta
Drawn by the city’s diversity and queer community, life coach and writer Cator Sparks returned to Atlanta after 25 years away. He shares his favourite haunts
-
Philadelphia’s ‘Grande Dame’ reopens with a dazzling French twist
The Bellevue Hotel has been restored to its former glory through a stylish renovation by design studio Ward + Gray