Turkel Design Owners Open the Doors to Their Palm Springs Home

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY TURKEL DESIGN

The husband and wife team at Turkel Design has struck the perfect balance between a sustainable lifestyle and stylishly glamorous living. Their beautifully designed prefabricated Axiom Series panelized homes offer the best of both worlds.

You’ll have a chance to see this concept for yourself during Modernism Week Fall Preview tours of their personal Palm Springs residence.

“We’ve been working on prefab solutions for over a decade,” says Meelena Turkel. The Axiom Series offers 11 architectural designs that range in layout and size, in one-story and two-story designs, as well as other variables tailored to their clients’ individual wish list.

The beauty of prefab homes is that it gives home buyers the ability to choose a suitable build site anywhere, even remote areas. Turkel Design has built a net-zero energy home, without compromising on style. In each of the 11 design options, the Turkels have assured beauty and practicality.

Each home enjoys open flowing spaces, while keeping efficiency of space and the need for storage space in mind. Built-in cabinets throughout maintain the clean lines of the modern aesthetic while delivering a modern interpretation of form and function.

Built-in cabinets throughout maintain the clean lines of the modern aesthetic.

The Turkel's Axiom House open for tours during Modernism Week Fall Preview is 2,080 square feet with three bedrooms, three baths, and a home office.

“Our predesigned starting points range from 1,850 to 3,250 square feet; we customize the design for each client,” she says. They have modified these designs to make them both smaller and larger, depending on their clients’ needs. “We also design completely custom homes which have so far ranged from 550 sf to around 6,000 sf.,” Meelena adds.

The Axiom Series utilizes a “panelized” method of prefabrication versus a “modular” solution. With a modular system, the entire structure is assembled in a factory and is installed on the foundation site. This approach not only limits the sites that can accommodate it, but also what that structure can look like. In the panelized system, Turkel Design prefabricates the exterior and interior walls in a factory – they work with several factories in Canada and in the U.S.

When the walls are completed, they are delivered to the site with pre-cut, architectural-grade Douglas fir beams, aluminum-clad windows, floor and roof panels and cabinetry, then assembled at the site on the prepared foundation. “This system gives our clients a predictability of cost, timing and quality, without sacrificing design flexibility.”

They have built more than 100 homes in a variety of climates and environments throughout the U.S, Canada and even some in Europe. But for their own home, they chose Palm Springs.

“The weather-tight structure of our home was completed in 32 working days, once the foundation was completed. Complete construction of our homes typically ranges from 10 -14 months depending on the complexity of the site and design.”

Their Axiom House is 2,080 square feet with three bedrooms, three baths and a home office. “Building a net-zero energy home was very important to us.” With the main roof covered with solar panels, they create more energy than they use.

They moved into their Axiom home in Palm Springs in March of this year where they live with their two young children. “Palm Springs is a place we feel at home. In this community we are among friends who truly care about design and architecture.”

Meelena and her husband Joel will be there to conduct the tours and answer questions. For tickets visit: modernismweek.com.