In January 2018, my life took an unexpected turn when my dad passed away in Palm Springs."

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My mom decided she no longer wished to live in Chicago without my dad, and as a new empty nester, I instinctively desired to be close to my mom after our loss. I got lucky when I found my condo in the historically significant William Cody Tennis Club Homes. I had hoped that if I ever bought in Palm Springs, I would be able to walk to town, join the PS Tennis Club, and live in a mid-century modern home. My diamond in the rough bungalow checked all the boxes, and I dove into a complete renovation, and embarked on reimagining the 1966 floor plan, while honoring the existing design and architecture.
 
It was essential for me to absolutely feel enveloped in warmth, beauty, art, and nature.   Creating an elegant, but not too precious, home where my two young adult children felt comfortable visiting, along with a robust group of friends and family for whom I entertain regularly, was my North Star.   
 
Cody’s intention  was to have the exterior and interior of the home flow seamlessly.  We achieved this by:
 - running the same terrazzo inspired porcelain floor throughout
 - replacing the glass block windows with transparent glass
 - removing the iron gate around the back covered patio 
 - adding a tongue and groove wood ceiling overhang detail to the front entry bringing the outside in
 
With my roots in the hospitality industry, cooking and entertaining is a thread in my fabric,  we enlarged the galley kitchen by two feet and opened the kitchen to the living space.  To achieve this, we:
 - borrowed space from the guest closet and bathroom
 - raised the ceiling height
 - re-engineered the support with an exposed black painted  steel I-Beam
 - inserted a generous skylight
 - the 48” wide kitchen peninsula double duties:  in the kitchen, the sink, dishwasher, and custom cabinetry reside while in the living room, it is the home to a bar, counter seating, and discreet storage.  
 
We now had a perfect design for entertaining as well as for solo living.

Removing the skylight from the living room and the mauve fireplace marble was a constant healthy design debate between myself, my architect, and my builder. Ultimately, we decided both of those elements were limiting, and 86’d them. We replaced them with a textured white ledger stone and walnut ceiling fan. 
 
We had a field day designing the main bedroom suite by enlarging the actual bathroom without changing the footprint by removing walls and reconfiguring the closets.  We designed a sliding glass exposed door that provided lightness and architectural interest while also affording privacy when needed. Light oak inspired laminate millwork, soapstone inspired quartz, luxe gold plumbing fixtures and cabinet hardware, Kelly Wearstler and Aerin lighting, and a stunning mosaic tile accent wall behind the bathtub add elegance and style.  One can steam, soak, dress, and relax in this retreat with a mountain view and nestle into the cozy bedroom for a restful night’s sleep. 
 
We masterfully carved out highly functional space in a small footprint in the guest suite.  We crafted a dramatic glass 8’ wide door that pockets into the closet for privacy and a dressing/staging area just outside the bathroom so more than one person can get ready at a time. We went old-school with twin beds for flexible sleep accommodations. 
 
We had selected  decorative lighting fixtures and were originally going to replace the existing 6” recessed lights with LED retrofits, but felt that wouldn’t do the home justice.  We collaborated with a brilliant lighting designer, creating a detailed, intricate, architectural lighting design to get it just right….and that we did!

WILLIAM CODY BUNGALOW

In January 2018, my life took an unexpected turn when my dad passed away in Palm Springs."