Heat of the moment: a striking midcentury home in Palm Springs

Photographs by John Ellis

It was a William Cody home that interior designer Bill Stewart, co-founder of Atlanta-based interior design company Stewart Mohr Designs, bought with his husband, Joe Gyori, just as the pandemic hit. Their desert house is a prime example of a modernist ranch home, with big rooms, lots of glass, sliding doors and tall ceilings. “I looked at it like a blank canvas, ready to have my spin on what I think a midcentury house should be,” Stewart says.

First up was making it stand out. “If you want to give a property a strong personality, paint it a colour.” There you go. He painted the original white exterior in pink, “a soft tone well suited to tropical climates and inspired by the resort vibe of the Beverly Hills Hotel.” The couple decided to keep the off-white terrazzo flooring in the interior and exterior of the home, including the decking around a larger than average swimming pool. Outdoor beams and columns were painted in a dark charcoal to complete a bold colour palette that blends gracefully with the surrounding nature.

The condition of the house when they bought it was far from ideal. Several major interventions were required, starting with the old roof that was replaced with beautiful cedar shingles.

The garden, at just under an acre, also needed proper landscaping, which Stewart did himself. “The idea was to increase the lushness and create some shade,” he says. About 30 fan and date palm trees were craned in.

“There’s a Joshua Tree National Park atmosphere because, while being located very much in town, the home backs up to wilderness with big rocks and mountains with pine trees. It’s pretty unusual to have palms and pines staring at each other.”

For the interior decoration, Stewart took a different direction. Apart from some accents in citrus green, most walls remained white. The main colour scheme draws on a palette of watered-down lemon yellows and leafy greens with orange splashes, mixed with a variety of natural tones, such as walnut wood from the original panelling. “It almost feels as fresh as a citrus garden inside,” Stewart says.

The furnishing is modern but comfy and curated artworks intermix with midcentury pieces, including a classic Knoll marble dining table and chairs, and a Clairtone stereo system that plays both records and Spotify.

In the living room, various design pieces by pioneering woodworker Nakashima combine a Scandinavian and Japanese aesthetic. The floor is softened with solid-coloured and shaggy Moroccan rugs. “Back in the day a room wouldn’t look like this,” Stewart says. “I basically buy what I love and put it all together. As a designer it’s my job to create style and atmosphere.”

In the bedrooms the mood changes again. A mixture of vintage and contemporary furniture gives the primary bedroom an earthy feel, to reflect the mountain panorama seen from the windows. Above the bed, Joe Peregine’s painting of a wapiti elk adds an element of the Wild West, as does the vintage fur-covered California redwood chair.

The second bedroom, which also has a spacious ensuite, has a groovy, furry bed that evokes a 70s Austin Powers ambience. It is paired with Eric Nash’s artwork of an orb from a desert hotel, setting a tone that mirrors the vista of the pool and the Yucca Valley.

Most homes in Palm Springs face the street, but this modernist gem is located on a dead-end road and instead faces the sweeping landscape. As a result, it enjoys immense privacy and spectacular views.

Stewart also enhanced the parking area, erecting textured walls made with industrial cement bricks that mimic the technique William Cody used for the entrance to the property. Stewart and Gyori are also lovers of classic cars and have more than a dozen vintage automobiles parked, here in a specially designed climate-controlled garage.

Temperatures can be scorching on the warmest days, with Mount San Jacinto blocking any storms coming in from the Pacific ocean. The couple’s home is also equipped with two fireplaces, because winter nights get rather cool. “That’s the beauty of the desert,” Stewart says. “Swimming suits by day and fur coats at night!”