Who:
Nikki Prendergast
What:
Fashion and lifestyle blogger
Where:
Huntington Beach and Palm Springs
When:
24/7 on mystylediaries.com;
@mystylediaries on Instagram
Why:
Former fashion publicist turned girl boss in 2011
Scrolling through Nikki Prendergast’s Instagram feed, one could easily mistake the snaps of her Palm Springs home (mixed in with shots from her travels and fashion exploits) for a resort. Flagstone flooring trails from the master bedroom and living room out to the deck and down the steps. Post-and-beam ceilings angle over the rooms, past glass walls, and across the deck, creating wide eaves for shade. In a home surrounded by a dense crop of desert plants that create hillside privacy, Prendergast’s style is free to grow wild. Her 100,000-plus followers have surely noticed: This edgy Southern belle and her desert abode have a thing for matching.
BLOGGING FOR DOLLARS
Prendergast launched My Style Diaries in 2011 as a business plan, not a hobby. Now ripe with age and experience, her personal style blog blends fashion, beauty, home, and travel through the eyes of “a Louisiana-born girl living in her California world.” Her vizsla pup, Louise (answers to “Weeze”), has her own IG account, too (@louisetheviz) but no blog — yet.
STYLE ICON WITH TWO SIDES
A style switch flips when Prendergast hits Interstate 10 to drive to Palm Springs. She trades fur-lined metallic leopard sneaks by Tretorn and black Madewell skinny jeans for a more vibrant aesthetic. “Day to day, in my ‘real life,’ I dress neutral,” she says. “I’m a big fan of black leather shorts, since we can’t start dressing for winter until December. But when I get to Palm Springs, it’s time to throw on a maxi dress, a colorful caftan, or something with pompoms that feels more vacation.” Her homes reflect that same dichotomy. “Our Huntington Beach house is all white. Out here we play with color, which just feels right for a midcentury home built in the 1960s.”
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NAVY & CREAM
Though far from deliberate, fashion and lifestyle blogger Nikki Prendergast and her Palm Springs vacation home pull off a similar style. Fun, casual, and sporadically colorful, the pair appreciate supreme comfort that never looks sloppy. In the master bedroom, Prendergast mixes creamy neutrals with classic navy while balancing design elements from the floor up and from the ceiling down. clockwise from top: English Factory banana-print sweater, Free People shorts, and Sam Edelman sneakers. Culla Spindle bed, walnut nightstands, dresser, and bench all from Article. Quilt and shams by West Elm. Reclaimed-wood wall art from Wayfair. Rug from HomeGoods.
PHOTOGRAPH BY KELLY PEAK
PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHELLE PREAU
PHOTOGRAPH BY NIKKI PRENDERGAST
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AQUA & SHERBET
Prendergast calls this pair of hammock swing chairs “the best seats in or out of the house” and regards them as one of the top purchases she made when they bought the home. “Even in 110-degree heat, they give us a reason to sit outside or a place to hang after getting out of the pool.” Swing chairs and printed outdoor pillows from Joss & Main. Lilly Pulitzer scarf. below: The same juicy color combo she chose for the chairs’ cushions and pillows is one she likes to wear, too, as seen in this Vici coverup.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIC PRENDERGAST
PHOTOGRAPH BY NIKKI PRENDERGAST
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JADE & BLACK
The Prendergasts went to Rancho Mirage and picked up this dining set with cushioned jungle-green chairs. Knoll chairs and Henredon table from Misty’s Consignments. An acrylic-and-ink canvas by Tracy Fetter from Saatchi Art. above: Miraclesuit swimsuit, Vici palm print coverup and sunglasses, Dolce Vita sandals, JADEtribe small fringe basket, and Joanna hat by Brixton.
PHOTOGRAPH BY KELLY PEAK
PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHELLE PREAU
SHOPPING SHORT LIST
Prendergast and her husband bought a couple of chairs from West Elm but got more than they bargained for. “Some of the guys there whispered to me about Misty’s Consignments,” she shares. “That’s where we found our Knoll chairs, Henredon table, and a table for the patio. The prices are petty good, and the place is huge. You could spend hours in there and find something for every style.” She also raves about the furniture selections from Article.
LIFE ON THE HILL
After closing the sale for their beach pad on their wedding day, the couple spent two years gutting and remodeling it before escaping to Smoketree Ranch to celebrate their anniversary. That’s when her husband came across the listing for the Palm Springs house. “I said, ‘Absolutely not, no way. We just finished construction! Can we just chill for a moment?’ He said, ‘Just give me 30 minutes, and we’ll be back to the pool.’ We took the tour and I was like, ‘Damn it; it’s really cool!’ ” Views from the well-preserved home, tucked into Cahuilla Hills up above The Mesa, rival those at the coveted event lawn of the O’Donnell House. And the fact that it needed little work aside from resurfacing the pool made the home an easy sell. From girls’ getaways and weekends with a big crew of friends to letting Prendergast’s parents use it for a month, the home and its self-contained casita fit the bill. “I love to walk up the road to the top of the hill with a glass of wine,” she says. “I force everyone to get out of the pool and go up the hill at sunset so we can see that view.”
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ORANGE & NAVY
As much as she loves her home and hanging out in utter privacy there, Prendergast says the architecture, restaurants, and attractions around Palm Springs prove a powerful motivator to get out and about. The tart orange hue of the entry doors at Parker Palm Springs found its way into a cozy corner of the master bedroom. Right: Wall art from Wayfair and thrifted chair. above: Free People shorts, Shein sweater, Sam Edelman sneakers, GiGi New York handbag, and Karen Walker sunglasses.
PHOTOGRAPH BY KATHLEEN BARNES
PHOTOGRAPH BY KELLY PEAK
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BLACK & TAN
Leather furnishings in the living room offer a glimpse into Prendergast’s love for city style, normally reserved for her property in Huntington Beach. Norde Charme black and walnut armchairs, Chester Charme black sofa, and Amoeba coffee table all from Article. Austin leather swivel armchairs and Watercolor Squares rug from West Elm. right: Splendid top, Madewell high-waist skinny jeans, Callie sneakers by Tretorn, and Zac Posen bag.
PHOTOGRAPH BY KELLY PEAK
PHOTOGRAPH BY KATIE STUART