WINTER IN PALM SPRINGS!!!
Just a couple of hours east of LA, and we are in Coachella Valley for a little weekend escape. Home of the desert resort town famous for hosting vacationing celebrities and movie stars in the glorious 50's and 60's, Palm Springs is also a prime holiday destination for any modern day collector of anything mid-century Modern. I only got to pop my head into a couple of the many retro and antique stores in this town - believe me, I'm coming back with a car and a trailer next time! Soooo many bits of furniture I could have gladly owned, let alone all the ceramics and glass. There's a good range here, from the totally kitch to the high-end Danish inspired wares, plus a gallery full of Shag! Delightful!
Palm Springs also has a healthy contemporary arts community. There was a cute shop on the main strip that featured modern homewares and small furniture pieces constructed from laser-cut coloured acrylic - A.S.I. ("Art. Style. Innovation"). Here I bought a little somethin' somethin' - a ceramic plate from artist Jeffrey Harris, featuring a humorous silhouette design, old Agatha perving on a male life drawing model. She now takes pride of place on my 1920's mantlepiece alongside the Jonathan Adler candle holders.
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| "Agatha never missed an art class"...and neither should I. |
But the environment of Palms Springs and this desert is pretty spectacular too, even without the great design. Surrounded by mountains, sprinkled with a little snow, it really is a "postcard view" wherever you look. And yes, there are palms everywhere.
Check out the Palm Springs Modernism Week, held every year in February - architectural tours, design shows and lectures, plus films on all things Modernist.
And finally, special mention to Oliver, sweetest chocolate lab and MVP of the weekend - when he wasn't being a water hound in the pool or obsessing over his tennis ball, he was patiently waiting for snacks.
