Wednesday, February 20, 2013

#psmw palm springs modernism week and liberace!

Oh lucky us. Palm Springs Modernism Week 2013 running Feb. 14-24 out in the desert included one of Liberace's Palm Springs homes on the tour.


Liberace owned the property from 1968 to 1974. The current owners undertook an extensive remodel project but retained some Liberace-like touches. Shall we take a look?

Some of the signage was purchased from nearby Casa de Liberace, his second Palm Springs residence. Other touches of Liberace remain.




This was one of Liberace's many cars. He built the circular driveway to show off his vehicles.




Designer Christopher Kennedy created a striking main entry way. You really do know you are entering something special.



Elegant traditional pool.




Well appointed dressing area.




A very well-designed bathroom if I do say so.






Love this credenza of course.


Great brutalist dresser.



Can you see the weird green painted brick on the right corner of the bar? Apparently the current owners, when undertaking the renovation, found the original flooring of 7,000 lime-green painted bricks, which Liberace used in the living room. Yes, I said lime-green painted brick. And you complain about your remodeling problems.









These faucets were Liberace's.





You can see the swans in this video as well. This is an 80's Liberace. The 60's Liberace was a little more subtle. A little.




Bathroom is covered in Liberace photos. Nice touch.



Master bed. Masculine and appropriate for a Liberace themed home.




Classic modern furniture is sprinkled around the home.



Glass mosaic tile. I see so much of this lately I wonder if it is a trend or something we will love for years to come. I kind of love it.



I am enchanted with green white roses but have rarely been able to buy them.


Better view of the bedroom.



Couldn't resist a little green glass.



This is original! A piano shaped patio with black and white keys.


Touches of Liberace are everywhere.




Really lovely sitting area. Most homes we visited had big doors opened up wide. No screens, no bugs, no nothing. Ya gotta love the desert.





Functional kitchen. I really like the white cabinets on top and dark on the bottom. That is another trend I have been spotting lately.




Stove envy.



Great art collection! All obviously by the same artist. Wonder if it is the owner/designer?





It is only with strategic angles and cropping that every single picture does not have a tourist in it. I thought I would give you a taste of what I was really dealing with.






A final homage to Liberace with musical note wrought iron. I will imagine that they are original although one never knows.



The designer and owner were so careful to work Liberace in throughout the home, you know they both loved him. Elegant modern home and a very fun tour! The master would be pleased.


Related #PSMW Posts

8 comments:

  1. I love everything! Except for the putting green lol! They did a fabulous job of remodeling without losing the mcm feel. I've seen that chandelier in the kitchen somewhere and it was fabulously expensive. It sure is lovely, though.

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    1. Didn't they do a great job! I kind of dig that chandelier in the kitchen. It looked fabulously expensive for sure.

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  2. There are some amazing features in that home. I like the kitchen cabinets with the light on top and dark on the bottom too. I'm not sure I could live with the patio and fence...but I guess if I were a Liberace fan, I could. :)

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    1. I think these homeowners are fans for sure. They couldn't have just been putting on all that for the tour. Well maybe they could have, but it would have been a lot of work. Liberace was everywhere, and his presence was charming to boot! Plus all the mid-century beautiful furniture. Yum.

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  3. I didn't think I was going to like this one Rebecca, but I really do. Of course beautiful furniture (that Brutalist dresser!) and artwork helps.
    Have you tried buying white roses and sticking their stems in some green good colouring? I'm not sure of the result, but it might be worth trying...

    Words fail me on the Frey House. It is my absolute favourite of the homes you've shared so far. I would think I'd died and gone to heaven if that house was mine! I keep going back to look at your pics again and again. Thank you.

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    1. I was really apprehensive about the Liberace house but totally and pleasantly surprised. Really good taste. I am sure they had a lot of gold, gilt and mirror to remove before they got back to the wonderful bones of the house. Not to mention the 7,000 green bricks. haha. Yes, the FREY. What a gem. I felt lucky to even be able to walk around it. Who knew such places existed?

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  4. Liberace photos were a real plus--can imagine he would really enjoy having all the tourists oohing and aahing over them. And that car--it wouldn't even fit in current parking spaces. What were car designers thinking with those huge fender fins?

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    1. I liked all that Liberace everywhere. I think his car collection is actually why he converted the garage into a master bedroom and built the round driveway to display cars! The opposite of what you would think.

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