Inspiration

Why Midcentury Design Fans Should Head to Palm Springs Right Now

The desert destination's popular Modernism Week, usually held in February, is hosting a Fall Preview Week.
This image may contain Pool Water Housing Villa House Building Swimming Pool and Hotel
Courtesy Twin Palms

Modernism Week, Palm Springs’ annual celebration of midcentury design and architecture that’s held every February, is a design lover’s dream, but lasting 10 days and boasting more than 250 events, the festivities can be overwhelming, even for the hardest core design nerd.

But there’s a way to study the modernist gems in the greater Palm Springs area without the crowds thanks to Fall Preview Week, which kicks off on October 9. Billed as a smaller, more intimate version of Modernism Week, Fall Preview Week is hosting architectural tours—including a double-decker bus tour by retro pop culture expert Charles Phoenix—along with several social events and art shows and of course, the opportunity to purchase any midcentury pieces for your collection.

Here are a few highlights of Fall Preview Week:

Sunnylands

Walter and Lenore Annenberg’s estate in Rancho Mirage, designed in 1966 by A. Quincy Jones (not the music mogul), will be open for 90-minute house and garden tours on Friday. The 200-acre residence with its signature pink pyramid roof was a desert retreat for the Annenberg family until 2009 when they gifted the house to the Annenberg Foundation. Aside from hosting tours, Sunnylands continues to serve as a high-level retreat for political figures and policy-makers, much like it did when Walter Annenberg still lived there.

Twin Palms

Frank Sinatra's legendary home in the city's famed Movie Colony neighborhood, will be open for one day only (Sunday). during Fall Preview Week. Designed by modernist architect E. Stewart Williams for Sinatra in 1947, the home became party central for other movie stars in the neighborhood. It was also a battleground for Sinatra and his first wife, who divorced not long after they moved in. His subsequent relationship with Ava Gardner was similarly tumultuous, with one of the bathroom sinks in the house still sporting a crack from when Sinatra lobbed a champagne bottle at Gardner.

Frey House Tours

Palm Springs Art Museum's Architecture and Design Council offers tours daily throughout the preview week, giving visitors a chance to see the home of architect Albert Frey, who pioneered Palms Springs' Desert Modernism style in the 1930s and '40s. He also designed the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Station.

Modernism Show and Sale

This sale will be held daily in the Palm Springs Air Museum and will feature furniture, decorative items, and artwork from all design movements of the 20th century, as well as a small selection of 21st century pieces. Visitors can also stop by the Modernism Yard Sale on Sunday at the Lot58 Auction and Shop in Palm Springs proper. Vintage oddities ranging from doll houses, to clothing, dishware and home furnishings will be up for sale.

If four days of Fall Preview Week is not enough of a fix, tickets for the full Modernism Week, held on February 11-February 21, will go on sale on November 1.