History is all around us in Palm Springs and the home at 1210 Los Robles in the Vista Las Palmas neighborhood is part of that long legacy. As part of the Las Palmas Summit Estates community built by the Alexander Construction Company, architect Charles DuBois designed the house in 1962. Originally decorated by local designer Michael Buccino, it's said that the house was rented at one time by author John Steinbeck.
Today, Martin Lowery and Jade Nelson own the home. The couple remembers first seeing the house in 2004 soon after it had been purchased by well-known interior designer Bill Stewart who did a complete, period-sensitive restoration. (Both the interior and exterior have been published extensively over the last decade.) Stewart subsequently sold the property to Lowery and Nelson in 2016.
Currently on the market for $1,395,000, the two-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,950-square-foot home sits on a large, elevated corner lot with expansive mountain views. (The home's den could be converted back to a third bedroom.) Its front and side yards are dotted with mature yuccas, cacti, and palms that are surrounded by water-saving, synthetic grass.
In the living room, indoor/outdoor terrazzo tile flooring is complemented by vitreous mosaic tile in a period-appropriate aqua, yellow, and green color scheme
"For midcentury modern buffs, this is a rare piece of midcentury architectural history — one of the few DuBois Alexanders renovated but with a restoration to its original floor plan and design aesthetic," says Nelson, who is a board member of Palm Springs Modern Committee and operates his own walking tour business, P.S. Walk With Me.
Nelson also notes that, "The location is fabulous — on a quiet street that dead ends at the open desert and the base of the mountains, yet is still just minutes from Palm Canyon Drive."
Plum-colored double doors lead into the original breezeway and then an entry foyer that opens onto an eat-in kitchen outfitted with vintage pull knobs and classic field tile. The living room's original rock fireplace with a floating hearth is framed by views of the backyard and the living areas feature grasscloth wall coverings and custom-colored, wool shag rugs.
"I love the entryway with the brise soleil and how it's carried inside to the living room, and how well the space flows," says Leonardo Montenegro of Keller Williams Realty.
(A state-of-the-art Bang & Olufsen sound system that works throughout the entire house and a 54-inch Bang & Olufsen television are included in the purchase price.)
Plum-colored double doors lead into the original breezeway and then an entry foyer that opens onto an eat-in kitchen.
"I think the house overall is very sexy and has a unique charm," says the property's listing agent, Leonardo Montenegro of Keller Williams Realty. "I love the entryway with the brise soleil and how it's carried inside to the living room, and how well the space flows and the feeling of expansion due to the continuous terrazzo flooring and the amount of light coming into the house."
The low-maintenance backyard features a restored pool with long, Roman steps, an attached spa with unobstructed south and west-facing views, concrete decking, raised planters, and a drought-tolerant landscape with over 50 towering palm trees that encircle the property. The yard also has a built-in grill and a fire pit off the master suite.
Sensitively restored to its original Charles DuBois design in 2005, and lovingly maintained since, this home in Vista Las Palmas features walls of Empress breeze block inside and out. The house is currently on the market for $1,395,000.
"The buyer for the house will be someone who appreciates and is passionate about midcentury architecture and they'll understand how elegant, and yet how light and intelligent midcentury design plays with its surroundings," says Montenegro.
For more information, contact Leonardo Montenegro, The Leonardo Group, Keller Williams Realty, 70005 Mirage Cove, Rancho Mirage, 760-464-5600 (office), 760-880-8050 (mobile), [email protected]
Although the kitchen has been fully renovated, vintage pieces and finishes were used so the end result retains the look and feel of the 1960s.
The master bedroom is one of various spaces throughout the home that has grasscloth wall covering and custom-colored, wool shag rugs.
