Palm Springs modernist restoration

Celebrated Palm Springs architect Frey completed Cree House modernist style house elevated above a rocky hillside in Palm Springs, California for a family in 1955. The owner, who purchased the house in the 1970s, spent the last two years working on the renovation to make the property as close to the original design as possible.
Overhanging roofs, slender pillars and natural materials pay homage to the original design and surrounding hillside and terrain.
Yellow corrugated fibreglass wraps around a balcony that juts out in front of the house. The balcony is elevated atop slender columns creating a carport in the space below. Pillars support the main, single-storey volume of the residence. A second terrace on this upper level, featuring walls and floors made of stone, offers views of the hilly surrounds.
Frey captured vistas through large windows, whist the interior comprises walls covered in timber paneling, pale carpeted floors and touches of stonework. Mid-century designs by Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson complement the aesthetic. Following the completion of the renovation project, the owner opened the property up for public tours during this year’s Palm Springs Modernism Week, which took place in February 2020.