The modern steel-and-lumber home by Los Angeles-based Jeremy Levine Design is set on 120 acres of boulders, ancient junipers, desert oaks, and Joshua trees.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY HOMESTEAD MODERN
Rustic Trends
Rentals near Joshua Tree need to stand apart from those the next acreage over. Homestead Modern helps homeowners explore alternative ways to engage the most dynamic views on each property. As the novel becomes more mainstream — and the area sees more open-air yoga studios, patio pingpong tables, Airstream trailer suites as overflow bedrooms, and back lot cowboy tubs (a metal trough that livestock drinks from, turned into an outdoor soaking tub) — smart design and new amenities become vital. For those who like their fire on the edge, new build Hawk & Mesa has a long patio where you can pull a chair up to the lateral fire table. The modern steel-and-lumber home by Los Angeles-based Jeremy Levine Design is set on 120 acres of boulders, ancient junipers, desert oaks, and Joshua trees. Glass doors under the clerestory windows of the lofty living room slide open to the panoramic scenery.
Wide peek-a-boo views are seen through the “gun turret” enclosure of this protected outdoor lounge at Shelter:Two. The property rests easy on 2.5 acres a mile from West Gate of Joshua Tree National Park. Behind the chaises is an outdoor shower.
A fire feature you can really get into, this circular sunken conversation pit has a contained campfire at its center and a Coachella mood at its heart. The padded bench will seat about a dozen people, at least one of whom should be strumming a guitar. A 10-minute walk to Joshua Tree Village, the ModCom JT property also has an indoor pool.
Warming up to Modern
By Mark Fichandler, Studio-Fichandler;
Lance O’Donnell, o2 Architecture;
and D.W. Johnston, builder
Grill, chill, float in the pool while staring up at the mountains, and then pour a whiskey by the fire. When New Yorkers fly to Palm Springs for downtime, they craft every moment they can.
For Mark Fichandler and his partner, Paul Travis, their archaic and unremarkable Tennis Club ranch house was hampering the party. “It had a nice big lot where we could walk into town,” Fichandler says. “And we loved the sloping of the land tucked into this quiet cul-de-sac where the mountains wrap protectively around you.” So, they worked with the pros to design a new modern home while preserving much of the 1950s landscape. Minimal hardscaping left room for “greenery, gardens, lushness, and shade.” Thriving palms of all heights, twisted-trunk trees, a fruit grove, and cool swaths of lawn surround a modern steel pavilion at the top of the slope.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY TAYLOR SIMPSON
The landscape, much of it old growth, enfolds the property’s close-knit lounges. Under a steel pergola, the concrete block fireplace faces tables repurposed from an old tree on the property that couldn’t be saved.
The concrete block spa sits on an angle adjacent to the pool. Hidden at the far end is a charming vintage koi pond.
Its minimal lines give the suggestion of shelter without confinement. A base of gray stack-pattern concrete block lights up with fire. “This is the classic late afternoon/evening place to have friends for cocktails when it’s a little chilly,” Fichandler says. “We’re from the East, so being able to be outdoors whenever we’re here is such a thrill.”
Under the Tuscan
Arches By Thomas Jakway, architect;
and Gerry O. Langlois, G.O. Langlois Construction, Inc.
As an extension of the residence in the same aesthetic, this stone loggia for private owners is a welcome refuge from the sun while remaining open to a light breeze and pool views. Two types of stone form the structure and the arches. South Bay Quartzite Veneer has rich honey tones; the arches are trimmed in Texas limestone for an elegant finish. “The intent was to create the best of outside living and dining while bringing the feeling of Tuscany into Indian Wells,” says Gerry O. Langlois, president and founder of G.O. Langlois Construction, Inc. The Old World look is in the details, he says, from silver quartzite paving stone and a gradient of tile colors blended on the Spanish-style roof to the vaulted ceiling crafted from clear Kiln Dry Douglas Fir. Dining to the sound of the pool fountains and then moving to the seating area beside the fire makes full use of this outdoor lounge.
PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID BLANK
Beautifully transportive, this outdoor retreat evokes the tranquility of the Italian countryside. The fortitude of its architecture combined with Old World materials add comfort to a setting that incorporates stone, wood, water, and fire.