Editor's Update:
Lynda Keller will debut her latest paintings, Invisible Maps, Feb. 21, 2019 with a reception from 4-7 p,m. at Galleria, 457 N. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. The exhibition runs through March 10.For more information, call 760-323-4576.
On a mild winter afternoon, Lynda Keeler, a mixed media artist, hits I-10 for the drive from Los Angeles to Palm Springs. By the time Keeler reaches the desert, the thermometer has risen to 90 degrees. But the temperature is not the only thing that changes when she arrives in Palm Springs. “Once you hit the windmills, you relax,” she sighs.
Keeler, whose artworks of abstract maps of Southern California can be seen in gallery shows and on her website, and her partner, Bob Merlis, a former Warner Bros. Records publicist who works with ZZ Top and the estates of Jimi Hendrix, Roy Orbison, and Keely Smith, split their time between L.A. and Palm Springs. They enjoy the social side of the desert lifestyle and find it an easy place to focus on positive activities such as charitable events.
When Keeler and Merlis, along with a small group of friends, took their annual New Year’s Day walk in 2015, they never imagined they’d soon be moving to their third desert home. That year, the group explored the enclave of Little Tuscany Estates. As they walked the hilly neighborhood, Keeler spotted a for-sale sign. At the time, the couple had no thoughts of moving; they were enjoying their Alexander Company home in Vista Las Palmas, which they had remodeled in vibrant colors and glossy finishes. It met their affinity for indoor-outdoor living; further, says Keeler, “midcentury modern design, architecture, and art are strong influences in my work.”
Lynda Keeler in her home studio with her abstract map paintings.
Across the polished concrete floors of the kitchen, walnut cabinets hide Thermador appliances from Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery in Rancho Mirage. Floor-to-ceiling cabinetry warmly complements the couple’s vintage ceramic collection, displayed on two floating shelves.
Yet their attraction to that Little Tuscany home built in 1957 was undeniable. Not so much for how it looked at the time — it was a definite fixer-upper — but for its character as a “one-off” instead of being part of a subdivision of similar houses. But what led them to pull the trigger was its hilltop setting. The home, with stone set wide around the front door below a gabled roof, is nestled near the rocky mountainside. With a 360-degree panorama spanning from the Salton Sea to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, its location “gave a sense of being away,” Keeler says — the very point of having a second home.
The metamorphosis of this three- bedroom, three-bath property began soon after they purchased it. The renovation took eight months with a team of professionals who would bring the property into the 21st century while maintaining its integrity and ambiance from the era in which it was built. The couple enlisted the help of Christopher Neil, president of PSI General Contractors, and architect Dan Spencer of Dan Spencer Residential Design. Having turned to Neil for one of their previous Palm Springs homes, the couple considers him, along with Spencer, to be problem solvers who employ midcentury-style construction methods to revive dormant dwellings. Both longtime residents of Palm Springs, they have given life back to properties across the valley.
The home needed a great deal of work in order to fulfill the couple’s wish list: an organic relationship with Little Tuscany’s desert landscape, an effortless open floor plan, and simple materials. The palette would be a light, neutral canvas to showcase bright art and richly hued furnishings. Bill Stewart, a personal friend and interior designer, was one of Keeler’s “sounding boards” on vintage furniture and accessory selections as she shopped local stores, including Hedge, The Galleria, Trina Turk, Modernway, Flow Modern, the Palm Springs Vintage Market, and BKB Handcrafted Art and Design.
Renovation began at the front door. In an ingenious move, they pushed a wall back 3 feet into the oversized master bedroom, tacking this borrowed space onto what was once a miniscule entry. Now the first impression of the home’s interior is an inviting area large enough for a piece of furniture and art.
Removing a load-bearing wall in the living room opened the area to the kitchen and dining rooms, creating a more spacious feel without increasing the footprint. Tired flooring came up to reveal original concrete throughout, which was polished and retained. A soaring, three-sided rock fireplace — the centerpiece around which the new open living space revolves — was left intact. Its organic feel sets the tone for the home.
Vintage finds from local thrift shops surround a vintage Steve Chase–designed bedside table in the master bedroom.
The kitchen was gutted to the studs and a dropped ceiling removed to gain height by opening the space to the rafters. The couple opted to forgo upper cabinets or an island cooktop and hood in favor of an unobstructed view. White quartz countertops — with a waterfall-edge on an island that seats five — work beautifully with the contemporary cabinets and lighting. Integrated and under-counter appliances achieve the goal of an uncluttered, streamlined look.
A spacious master bedroom includes a bathroom that is now equally as light and airy. The luxurious retreat features an integrated terrazzo soaking tub in front of a wall of glass that faces a private, tranquil garden space.
The dining area features Keeler’s artwork along with vintage fiber art on the rock fireplace. The dining table was a Craigslist score.
An artist’s home wouldn’t be complete without a studio. The continuous polished concrete floor leads into a spare room updated with new windows that, to Keeler’s delight, allow “great light” to wash across the space. As a bonus, the studio doubles as guest quarters. For Merlis’ part, the vintage car enthusiast and collector has a large garage as his playground. (If you see a gleaming Studebaker Avanti cruising down Palm Canyon, it’s likely Merlis behind the wheel.)
The front of the property called for a major renovation. “Exterior goals were to limit water use, emphasize the views, simplify the landscape, add boulders, bring in more desert native plants, and build a new pool,” explains Spencer, who designed a new patio to flow seamlessly off the kitchen.
The palette would be a light, neutral canvas to showcase bright art and richly hued furnishings.
A guest room wall pays homage to Raymond Loewy and the cars he designed through framed art, photos, and advertisements.
This couple is as eclectic as their home. A sleek, cool ambiance greets all who visit.
A poured terrazzo bathtub in the master bath looks into an enclosed space where the couple’s pets can safely roam.
To increase the size of the patio and provide a more spacious area to entertain and barbecue, the original pool gave way to a smaller one that is easier to maintain. The new spa sits 5 feet farther back, built with a low-profile design that gives the effect of an infinity edge overlooking the valley views. In negotiating the tricky space to produce the couple’s desired results, Neil collaborated with Ortega, landscape designer and co-founder of the Desert Horticultural Society of the Coachella Valley, along with Bubble Springs Pool Construction and Spencer.
The landscape dictated a complete do-over. Ortega kept the existing Mexican blue palms, saguaros, and Mexican fans but repositioned many other palms and cactuses to enhance new plantings he brought in. The result makes for fine xeriscaping. Thanks to Ortega’s vision, one can unwind around a large, carved rock fire pit under a canopy of stars that headline a nightly show unseen in Los Angeles.
This couple is as eclectic as their home. There’s a sophisticated vibe — a sleek, cool ambiance that greets all who visit. Smartly designed, the property has played venue to numerous events, including the 2016 Modernism Week garden tour, Palm Springs Animal Shelter fundraisers, and intimate concerts. Keeler says the layout works just as well for the two of them as it does for gatherings of up to 250 guests.
They lovingly call their new home a “sleeping beauty,” in that it was owned by the same family for 40-plus years and had not been significantly updated in that time. Their renovation broke the spell and reawakened its potential. When asked how it feels when she walks into her transformed living spaces, Keeler lights up. “You feel like you’ve lost 10 pounds or 10 years!” she says of the gem they discovered on their walk. “There’s such a sense of peace and wonder. We keep pinching ourselves.”
Vintage and contemporary ceramics, along with collage paintings by Jane Gekler, find their place in the updated midcentury kitchen of Lynda Keeler and Bob Merlis.