Explore an architecturally significant home in Palm Springs, California, transformed into a one-off art exhibition space by Peter Blake Gallery. The post Home Tour | William Cody’s Palm Springs House Curated by Gallerist Peter Blake appeared first on est...
An architecturally significant home in Palm Springs, California, was transformed into a one-off art exhibition space in honour of the original designer and the city’s iconic desert modernist movement.
The modernist design movement, which peaked during the 50s and 60s, had many revisions as it spread across continents, landscapes and cultures. Palm Springs Desert Modernism was born from attempts to translate the movement into the arid landscape of Palm Springs in Southern California and a pioneer of the movement was architect William Cody, who helped transform the desert city into the modernist marvel that it is today.
Overlooking a cacti-filled garden bed, this living space features a painting by Lita Albuquerque (above sofa) and a sculpture by Stephanie Bachiero (bottom left corner), along with a Vladimir Kagan Serpentine sofa, Girolle chair designed by Jean-Pierre Laporte for Thonet, Jorge Zalszupin Petalas coffee table and Pierre Guariche magazine stand.
Cody’s former home in Palm Springs, which he designed and built in the early 50s, was recently purchased by Spanish architects Paula Bueso-Inchausti and Guille Castaneda. With a vision to temporarily transform the interiors into an art exhibit, the couple, with the encouragement of their realtor Keith Markovitz, engaged Laguna-Beach-based gallerist Peter Blake to curate a selection of pieces that spoke to the original design. “We all met at the house one afternoon and became fast friends, bonding over art, design and architecture. It led to a discussion regarding the possibility of an art exhibit and cocktail party at the house, which subsequently turned into a two-month-long residency,” Peter recounts.
The house is a refined version of Palm Springs Desert Modernism, assuming a simple, steel-framed structure with large glass rooms that open onto cacti-filled garden beds and sunny patios. “What immediately struck me about the house was the amazing light that streamed through the windows. It felt incredibly spacious despite its low ceilings and intimately scaled rooms,” Peter says. Its relationship with the outdoors was another defining feature, he says, with every room in the house connecting to the landscaped areas.
Another painting by Lita Albuquerque (left) is paired with an LED lighting piece by Phillip K. Smith III (right). The colours of Smith’s pieces shift according to computer-based algorithms.
Peter wanted to represent iconic furniture designers as well as iconic artists in the exhibit. Pictured are four leather Soriana armchairs designed by Tobias Scarpa for Cassina around a Pierre Chapo coffee table, and on the wall, another remarkable LED lighting piece by Phillip K. Smith III that resembles a human iris. A glass piece by Helen Pashgian rests atop the coffee table.
Peter primarily collects West Coast minimalism with an emphasis on Light and Space – the same aesthetic he imbued into the Cody house; “The art was chosen to take advantage of the natural light which enters the home. I chose works that could absorb, reflect and refract the beautiful, white Californian sunlight. The exhibit changed throughout the day as the light shifted. It was magical.” In addition to the colour-shifting pieces like those by Gisela Colon and Helen Pashgian, which react to natural light, Peter also chose brilliantly-hued lighting sculptures by Phillip K. Smith III, rendering the home a mesmerising light installation at night.
“We tried to channel Cody by imagining what he might have collected and displayed had he been around today. His daughter, who grew up in the house, toured the exhibit and loved it. That was enough to make us feel like we had reached our goal of respecting the home’s history while engaging a more contemporary art and design narrative,” Peter says. “The response from the thousands of visitors to the exhibit were very similar. They left in awe of the architecture, art and interior design. It was as immersive and experimental as an exhibit could be.”
This featured originally appeared in est magazine issue 50: Celebrating 50.
A two-metre-long Phillip K. Smith III hangs above a 1940s walnut desk.
The colours of this two-and-a-half-metre-tall cast-resin sculpture by Gisela Colon shift with the changing natural light.
The LED lighting pieces render the home a mesmerising light installation at night.
The post Home Tour | William Cody’s Palm Springs House Curated by Gallerist Peter Blake appeared first on est living | exceptional living.