Southridge Uno

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The 2016 “Southridge Uno” house is located above Palm Springs in the community of Southridge—an exclusive 1960’s hilltop neighborhood developed during the heyday of Palm Springs’ Midcentury Modern experimentation; home to celebrities, like Bob Hope, William Holden and Steve McQueen and residences envisioned by architects Lautner, Cody, Kaptur and designers Arthur Elrod and Steve Chase. This modest two-bedroom, two bath 2,700 SF home is perched securely on what, 50-years ago, was a small triangular sales office site for the adjacent larger lots.

The design utilizes local and enduring materials to secure the home to the limited building pad. Aesthetic compatibility with existing hillside context lending consistency and timelessness to Southridge’s 50-year experimental history was important. Additionally, exploiting the demanding site conditions with clean modern forms, the home utilizes steel, concrete block, plaster, and abundant strategically placed glazing.

The design of this home is a contemporary take on desert modernism, inspired by Pierre Koening’ s Case Study #22 “Stahl house”, built in Los Angeles in 1959. Gallery-style interiors provide abundant room to display large art.  The result of this owner collaboration is a home suspended over the city, where one is perpetually stunned by the setting and the ever-changing light and shade of the natural landscape.