Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

A brand new architectural compound in Palm Desert boasts a sophisticated design

This project was built adjacent to the Mountain Course in the Bighorn Golf Club, Palm Desert, California, in the foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains. The design of the central living space has formed a theatrical proscenium, framing the desertscape scene of mountains, trees, and sky.
Our client visited the desert frequently growing up, and always wanted a house there. In addition to an indoor/outdoor open feeling, he wanted to see water from every vantage point in the house.

The street view emphasizes clean horizontals, repeated in the driveway paving and entry steps. Colors of desert sand and stone are seen in the brown porcelain exterior siding topped with pale stucco. The goal of the custom black entry gate was for it to appear to be a solid fence when closed. The vertical joints and horizontal offset fingers of wood match up perfectly, revealing the design when it is open.

The pond courtyard, with the sound of water from a trio of fountains, calmly transitions a visitor from the outside world into the interior space –with a view straight through to the mountains and sky.

This is the heart of a richly detailed, yet uncomplicated house. Interior and custom furniture are by Carla Kalwaitis Design.The all-white chef’s kitchen with Miele appliances, cabinets by Design Line, and built-in bar and dining table is fully open to the seating area and fireplace.

The great room also incorporates a temperature-controlled wine storage alcove. This is a custom designed marble backed display for 144 bottles, plus 12 magnums, with LED lighting.

The specific needs and lifestyle of the client are an ongoing part of the design discussion. “He wanted a smart use of space,” Yoav says of the client. “He didn’t feel the need for a large home theater, so this is more of a media room. It can be totally open for casual TV watching, so you can see the entry pond to your right, and people hanging out by the wine room, or you can close the doors, roll down the blackouts, and it's a mini theater.”

The outdoor living space provides all the elements; water, fire, and artful landscaping that brings nature up close while enhancing privacy. Cooking and entertaining can be done in the full outdoor kitchen and dining area, with fireplace seating around a distinctive fire feature underlit with LEDs. The pool has two fixed in-water lounge chairs with an umbrella, and an outdoor shower is around the corner next to the primary bath.

There is a sophisticated design and engineering element underlying the seamless extension from the indoors to the outdoors in terms of the flooring. Yoav points out that this is used in all of Whipple Russell Architects’ projects. “All of our main floor patios and balconies utilize what's called a pedestal decking system, this is so the patio is absolutely flat – your furniture does not wobble, a round object will not roll. The surface does not have to be sloped for drainage.”

This is because the top finishing tiles that we walk on are supported underneath by small adjustable pedestals. The whole concrete subfloor can be sloping and undulating in all sorts of different directions for the right drainage, but the tiles on top are adjusted to be perfectly level. Instead of the tiles being grouted as they are indoors, there is an open seam at the edges so rain can go down to the concrete subfloor and away. Also, if a piece of tile is damaged or cracked, it can be lifted out and replaced.

There are three guest suites, the larger one we call the casita. The guest wing can be accessed via a private entrance at the front gate and each has its own patio.

In the primary suite, floors, ceilings, and cabinetry of warm walnut set the tone, complimented by a chocolate-colored wall treatment.

Bath fixtures throughout are from Dornbracht; all the vanities in the baths were custom, and have a special niche for toilet paper. In guest bath #2 is an Eramosa marble slab shower and integrated sink and in #3 a Belvedere slab shower and integrated sink. In the casita is a black Calcutta slab steam shower with integrated sink and counter. All supplied by Formation stone.

In the primary bath a Calcutta slab steam shower is also used– a large rectangle of rain falls from the shower’s ceiling panel. Our owner loves to shower with a view, so the landscaping has been thoughtfully designed with privacy in mind.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
×