Dragonette Ltd. offers an impressive showroom on El Paseo in Palm Desert.
PHOTOGRAPH BY NATE ABBOTT
Tastemaker Patrick Dragonette gives the most discerning design connoisseurs plenty of satisfying eye candy in his impressive showroom on El Paseo in Palm Desert. At Dragonette Ltd., brilliantly styled vignettes feature 20th century art, décor, lighting, and furnishings from designers including William Haines, Dorothy Thorpe, Paul McCobb, and the Haas Brothers.
Dragonette Ltd. has an eye for the rare, historic, and special. Visitors find objects ranging from a 1900 blue-and-green floral-painted urn with gilt-gold accents by Krauthein China to a modern Copper Clad Cedar biomorphic sculpture by Bill Anson, lighting such as the five brass “bullet” floor lamps by Karl Springer and candlestick floor lamp by Tommi Parzinger, classic elements like the cast plaster console and mirror by Francis Elkins, and new designs, including the lineage chairs by Kelly Wearstler.
Best Museum Gift Shop
For a curated selection of art-forward and architecturally inspired products, one of the best spots to turn to is the Architecture and Design Center. Operated by Palm Springs Art Museum, this sister venue in downtown Palm Springs presents design-focused exhibitions in a classic midcentury building (a former bank) designed in 1961 by E. Stewart Williams. Located off the entrance, the modest gift shop occupies the original bank vault. An array of modern jewelry and decorative objects by local and international makers sits beside artwork, stationary, and coffee table books covering the likes of Julius Shulman, Charles and Ray Eames, Lina Bo Bardi, and Pierre Paulin. You’ll have to pass through the thick vault door to browse the bookshelves; once inside, take a look at the old-school emergency vault ventilator, complete with call button, that still adorns the wall. — Emily Chavous Foster
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