California dreaming

4 min read

Houses

Capturing both the laid-black and glam vibes of Palm Springs, this Lucas Interior-designed home is absolutely fabulous – inside and out

WORDS Karine Monié

TERRACE

The sleek lines of the new verandah punctuate the landscape in the most striking way.

Mistral **chaise** **lounges,** Roda via Niche Beverly (fabric from Perennials Fabrics). Lumbar **pillows** in Holland & Sherry fabric by Satellite Sewing. The Others **lanterns,** Stephen Burks. Vintage Moroccan **rug,** Kat + Maouche

ENTRANCE

The house represents classic elegance in the Old Las Palmas neighbourhood in Palm Springs.

The objective was to stay true to the charm of the 1930s Spanish mission-style aesthetic but with unexpected pattern and colour

TERRACE

A firepit keeps things hot on cold desert nights.

**Sofa,** Holly Hunt (fabric by Perennials Fabrics). **Table,** Dos Gallos. Dot **side** **tables,** Christophe Delcourt. Kay **chair,** Gloster. **Fire** **table,** Stoneland USA. Floor **tiles,** Mosaicos Oaxaca

MEDIA ROOM

Echoing the outside, the wallpaper also brings a moody luxury to this lounging space.

Wallpaper, Flie Paper.

Photograph, Curtis Speer

home profile

Craig Hartzman and James John and their dog Winnie Bear. Together for 35 years, the couple has two grown-up children who live elsewhere. Craig and John run a family business in the northwest specialising in construction and development.

A Spanish mission-style home located in the Old Las Palmas neighbourhood of Palm Springs, California. The single-story house is approximately 400sq m and has four bedrooms and six bathrooms.

l ocated in what was a Hollywood stars’ playground in the 1920s and is still en vogue today for celebrities and discerning travellers alike, this Southern California property has quite a pedigree. Set against the backdrop of the San Jacinto Mountains and surrounded by the desert, the area is lined with grand Spanish and modernist homes once enjoyed by Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland and Cary Grant, among others. But that’s not all. This particular house also has its own story: ‘Originally owned by Abe Bernstein – leader of the infamous prohibition-era Purple Gang – it was a place to entertain and embrace the spirit and lifestyle of Palm Springs,’ says David Lucas, creative director at Lucas Interior.

Couple Craig Hartzman and James John first fell in love with the neighbourhood before finding their dream winter escape from the rain and cold of the Pacific Northwest, where they live several months of the year. ‘We kept walking the streets looking for the perfect house or at least project,’ says Craig. ‘It was really about location.’

Built in 1928, the house had very good bones, but other than that everything else had to be transformed to fit the owners’ needs and bring the property back to its former glo