LIVING
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Stylish stay: guests relax at the Kaufmann house in 1970
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HE ULTIMATE desert playground, Palm Springs hasalegacyofstar-chitecture – iconic, eye-popping houses commissioned by movie stars as discreethideaways.Farenoughfrom LA to avoid prying eyes but close enough in case film studios called, thesearingmountainoasisbeganto attract Hollywood’s elite in the 50s. It was popular with old-school starlets like Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia
TWIN PALMS ESTATE
Loren, Lauren Bacall and Marilyn Monroe(whofamouslyrendezvoused with John F. Kennedy in Palm Springs). If these walls could talk… Desert modernism plays it cool, with jaw-dropping features hiding behind unassuming facades. Think sleek minimalism, fire pits, dramatic cliff-side pools and sunken living rooms with sprawling views across the Coachella Valley. Pucci, porticos and shag pile – oh my!
oisted h y sl u o m fa A R T A IN S K N ‘FRA SIGNAL his a Jack Daniel’s flag to me’ ti il ta k c o c r fo s e d ra m o c K RAT PAC
Palm Springs’ hot, dry climate is perfect for the indoor/outdoor aesthetic
THE KAUFMANN HOUSE
ONE of the 20th century’s most iconic homes, this property was designed by architect Richard Neutra in 1946 for a department-store tycoon and later owned by singer Barry Manilow. It helped revive an interest in modernist design when it was painstakingly restored in the 90s by its cashed-up private owners, architecturaldevoteeswhoevenre-opened a closed section of quarry in Utah to mine replacement stone to match the original. The exquisite home was auctioned off by Christie’s in 2008 for $15 million as a work of art, thanks to its floating planes of low glass, steel and stone surrounded by cacti and the San Jacinto mountains...
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Sinatra used Twin Palms as his bolthole
WHEN Frank Sinatra arrived in Palm Springs, he put the discreet village on the map, bringing sex appeal and glamour, luring the brightest stars of the day to his legendary parties. Ol’ Blue Eyes famously hoisted a Jack Daniel’s flag to signal his Rat Pack comrades and neighbours (Cary Grant and Al Jolson) for cocktail time by his famous piano-shaped swimming pool. And now young Hollywood is continuing the legacy, with the likes of Lindsay Lohan seen partying here. Decked out in vintage designer furniture and the latest technology, the estate is available to rent for the cool-cat price of $2600 per night. Martini, anyone? X www.sinatrahouse.com
Lindsay Lohan’s partied in Twin Palms’ pianoshaped pool
is The estatewith packed from mementoes ner’s the croo day party hey www.grazia.com.au 81