Charm Lives on in This Retro Kitchen, on View During Modernism Week

THE BACKSTORY

“As we are midcentury modern originalists, our priority was to find a home with as many original design details as possible,” says owner Craig Wroe, who had visited the desert while growing up in L.A. The couple formed a plan once they began attending Modernism Week. Finding a “midcentury-modern time capsule” remotely from Jersey City took four months. Realtor Will Paine of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices called as soon as the home hit the market — sold by the original owner’s family and untouched since 1971. They made an offer over the phone, and Dan flew to Palm Springs the next day to see it. “Out of a lifetime of good decisions, moving to Canyon Estates was our best and happiest.”

WHY THEY LOVE IT

“We love its 20th-century aesthetic and exuberance,” Wroe says. “Old-growth wood and the quality of U.S. steel for the appliances don’t exist anymore or are exorbitantly expensive. Our kitchen celebrates and honors those. The original appliances work perfectly. And love how our countertops slope up to create a seamless backsplash, a unique fabrication you don’t see anymore.”