Tour 6 Gorgeous Gardens Showcased at Palm Springs Modernism Week
Designers celebrate desert plants, sculptural stone and indoor-outdoor living at the recent midcentury design festival
Every year, thousands of midcentury design fans flock to Palm Springs, California, for Modernism Week, the city’s celebration of modern design, architecture, art, fashion and culture. Over the course of 11 days, attendees are treated to hundreds of special events, including iconic home and neighborhood tours, lectures, films, parties and more. After a hybrid virtual and in-person event in 2021, this year’s celebration, now in its 17th year, returned to the desert in full force Feb. 17-27.
As part of the festival, six private residential landscapes opened their doors to visitors for the 12th annual Modern Garden Tour. The area’s extreme and often harsh desert climate, stunning mountain views and standout architecture provide the perfect palette for designers to create inspiring and resilient landscapes, as were showcased on the tour. Let’s take a look at the six yards featured this year.
As part of the festival, six private residential landscapes opened their doors to visitors for the 12th annual Modern Garden Tour. The area’s extreme and often harsh desert climate, stunning mountain views and standout architecture provide the perfect palette for designers to create inspiring and resilient landscapes, as were showcased on the tour. Let’s take a look at the six yards featured this year.
Destination areas, including a conversational fire pit and a Cor-Ten sculpture by Joey Vaiasuso (seen in the previous photo) draw visitors into the yard. A more substantial lounge and fire pit shown here make it easy for indoor living to flow outside. (The casita in the distance was existing.)
For the planting design, Peterson preserved all of the property’s existing mature palm trees. She enhanced the yard with new plants to “create an eye-level and lush terrace effect,” she says. Mediterranean fan palms (Chamaerops humilis), pindo palms (Butia capitata) and agaves (Agave angustifolia and Agave parryi var. truncata) add visual interest and bring the garden down to human scale. Natal plum (Carissa macrocarpa ‘Green Carpet’), golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) and other desert plants dot the ground plane, with the natal plum spreading to form soft islands of green in a field of stone.
Peterson used two granite gravel colors for the hardscape, filling in around the concrete pads and plantings. Meandering edging separates the two gravels, adding playful curves to the otherwise straight, orderly hardscape. “It protects from erosion and wind,” Peterson says of the gravel ground cover, “and it gives a finished, clean look.”
Patio furniture: Cane-line
For the planting design, Peterson preserved all of the property’s existing mature palm trees. She enhanced the yard with new plants to “create an eye-level and lush terrace effect,” she says. Mediterranean fan palms (Chamaerops humilis), pindo palms (Butia capitata) and agaves (Agave angustifolia and Agave parryi var. truncata) add visual interest and bring the garden down to human scale. Natal plum (Carissa macrocarpa ‘Green Carpet’), golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) and other desert plants dot the ground plane, with the natal plum spreading to form soft islands of green in a field of stone.
Peterson used two granite gravel colors for the hardscape, filling in around the concrete pads and plantings. Meandering edging separates the two gravels, adding playful curves to the otherwise straight, orderly hardscape. “It protects from erosion and wind,” Peterson says of the gravel ground cover, “and it gives a finished, clean look.”
Patio furniture: Cane-line
The landscape design continues into the front yard. This home’s street-facing side is more exposed than many others in the neighborhood, and the team wanted to create an attractive entry garden that neighbors and passersby could enjoy.
A cluster of existing mature palms anchors one corner. Low-water desert natives, including a multitrunk palo verde tree (Parkinsonia aculeata), sparsely fill the space, so as not to visually clutter the yard and to allow the gravel mix and decorative metal edging to show through.
For Luxford, the space is a calming refuge. “It is not too filled nor too colorful,” she says. “The mix of greens and blues within the plantings create color without noise. It is as we set out to do — both wow and zen.”
A cluster of existing mature palms anchors one corner. Low-water desert natives, including a multitrunk palo verde tree (Parkinsonia aculeata), sparsely fill the space, so as not to visually clutter the yard and to allow the gravel mix and decorative metal edging to show through.
For Luxford, the space is a calming refuge. “It is not too filled nor too colorful,” she says. “The mix of greens and blues within the plantings create color without noise. It is as we set out to do — both wow and zen.”
2. Serene Desert Meadow
Designer: o2 Architecture
This landscape may not feature the playful poolside furnishings, sculptural succulents or colorful decor we often associate with Palm Springs design, but that doesn’t mean the homeowners weren’t just as inspired by the location for their yard’s quiet, intimate layout.
Homeowner Susan Missner, who collaborated closely with o2 Architecture on the landscape design (and had a full home remodel by the same firm), looked to the natural surroundings for inspiration and their “perspective of the mountain — its clarity, definition and ruggedness,” she says. At every opportunity, she pulled desert-inspired details into the yard, whether it was the river rock ground cover or the masses of native brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), a yellow-flowering shrub that naturally grows in the surrounding San Jacinto Mountains.
The homeowners, who hail from the Midwest, also wanted to create the feeling of a prairie garden while still celebrating the desert landscape. To do that, the team planted a row of Autumn Glow muhly grass (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri ‘Leni’) along the front of the yard, which will grow tall to screen the house from the street and create a soft, billowy barrier. The masses of native brittlebush (seen here in the foreground) bloom in spring, and the garden comes to life with bees, birds and other local wildlife.
A new pool is nestled into the landscape, surrounded on two sides by brittlebush. Missner requested that the pool sit farther away from the house so it wouldn’t dominate the view from the yard or inside. “I didn’t want it to be the focus,” she says. Instead, people can discover the pool as they move outside to the yard.
Designer: o2 Architecture
This landscape may not feature the playful poolside furnishings, sculptural succulents or colorful decor we often associate with Palm Springs design, but that doesn’t mean the homeowners weren’t just as inspired by the location for their yard’s quiet, intimate layout.
Homeowner Susan Missner, who collaborated closely with o2 Architecture on the landscape design (and had a full home remodel by the same firm), looked to the natural surroundings for inspiration and their “perspective of the mountain — its clarity, definition and ruggedness,” she says. At every opportunity, she pulled desert-inspired details into the yard, whether it was the river rock ground cover or the masses of native brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), a yellow-flowering shrub that naturally grows in the surrounding San Jacinto Mountains.
The homeowners, who hail from the Midwest, also wanted to create the feeling of a prairie garden while still celebrating the desert landscape. To do that, the team planted a row of Autumn Glow muhly grass (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri ‘Leni’) along the front of the yard, which will grow tall to screen the house from the street and create a soft, billowy barrier. The masses of native brittlebush (seen here in the foreground) bloom in spring, and the garden comes to life with bees, birds and other local wildlife.
A new pool is nestled into the landscape, surrounded on two sides by brittlebush. Missner requested that the pool sit farther away from the house so it wouldn’t dominate the view from the yard or inside. “I didn’t want it to be the focus,” she says. Instead, people can discover the pool as they move outside to the yard.
As with many of the yards in the Palm Springs area, permeable, waterwise and low-maintenance rock covers the ground in this one. But you’ll notice here that instead of loose decomposed granite (DG) or slightly larger crushed rock, the team used 2-to-4-inch madera river rock. Given the expanse of rock in the yard, the larger size adds texture and creates a stronger connection with the mountain views beyond the property line.
Other plants featured include morning glory (Convolvulus sp.), yellow bells (Tecoma stans) and Hawaiian blue eyes (Evolvulus glomeratus), which form masses of yellow and blue throughout the year and are visible from inside the house.
“We live, work and play in our yard,” Missner says. “The styling, comfort and location of our outdoor table and chairs accommodate the perfect outdoor office from where I work every day. When the evening weather is just right, I sleep in the garden under the desert night sky. We relax and nearly always choose to entertain guests in our yard. In short, we think of it not as an extension of our home but rather as part of the home, a wing of the home, so to speak — a wing that happens to be outdoors.”
Other plants featured include morning glory (Convolvulus sp.), yellow bells (Tecoma stans) and Hawaiian blue eyes (Evolvulus glomeratus), which form masses of yellow and blue throughout the year and are visible from inside the house.
“We live, work and play in our yard,” Missner says. “The styling, comfort and location of our outdoor table and chairs accommodate the perfect outdoor office from where I work every day. When the evening weather is just right, I sleep in the garden under the desert night sky. We relax and nearly always choose to entertain guests in our yard. In short, we think of it not as an extension of our home but rather as part of the home, a wing of the home, so to speak — a wing that happens to be outdoors.”
3. Playful Curves
Designer: William Kopelk
Few features define midcentury modern landscape design like the kidney-shaped swimming pool. And while some folks have opted to remove these postwar relics in recent years, the owners of this 1954 home in the Sunmor Estates neighborhood chose to make theirs a focal point of the landscape design.
As part of a complete landscape overhaul, designer William Kopelk created a new backyard patio for dining and lounging that connects the main house to the detached casita. Channels of small charcoal-colored rock break up the concrete expanse and even form a small gas fire feature in the middle of the patio.
New poured-in-place concrete rounds of varying sizes play off the pool’s organic shape, contrasting the clean-lined patio while also drawing visitors out into the yard.
Designer: William Kopelk
Few features define midcentury modern landscape design like the kidney-shaped swimming pool. And while some folks have opted to remove these postwar relics in recent years, the owners of this 1954 home in the Sunmor Estates neighborhood chose to make theirs a focal point of the landscape design.
As part of a complete landscape overhaul, designer William Kopelk created a new backyard patio for dining and lounging that connects the main house to the detached casita. Channels of small charcoal-colored rock break up the concrete expanse and even form a small gas fire feature in the middle of the patio.
New poured-in-place concrete rounds of varying sizes play off the pool’s organic shape, contrasting the clean-lined patio while also drawing visitors out into the yard.
The pavers lead guests to a new raised deck and spa area, which features a custom round concrete hot tub. The seating area is framed in feathery cassia (Senna artemisioides), a flowering shrub native to the arid regions of Australia that thrives in Palm Springs’ climate. In late winter and spring, small yellow flowers cloud the shrub in a golden haze — and surely complement the golden patio umbrella seen here.
Other desert native plants featured in the landscape include little-leaf cordia (Cordia parvifolia), aloe vera (Aloe vera), red yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora), golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) and beaked yucca (Yucca rostrata).
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Other desert native plants featured in the landscape include little-leaf cordia (Cordia parvifolia), aloe vera (Aloe vera), red yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora), golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) and beaked yucca (Yucca rostrata).
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4. Standout Stone
Designer: Paul Ortega and Spatial Design & Architecture
Midcentury modern design inspired this clean-lined, cool-toned contemporary house, a look the homeowners wanted to channel in their landscape design as well. For the entry garden, designer Paul Ortega and Spatial Design & Architecture brought together boulders, flagstone pavers, concrete steppers, crushed rock and decorative pebble to create a textural, monochromatic design.
Existing mature palm trees on the property grow toward the sky — and tie in with surrounding palm trees — while new palms and other desert succulents bring the landscape back down to eye level. The sparse planting puts the stone on full display, resulting in a sculptural, almost painterly feel.
Designer: Paul Ortega and Spatial Design & Architecture
Midcentury modern design inspired this clean-lined, cool-toned contemporary house, a look the homeowners wanted to channel in their landscape design as well. For the entry garden, designer Paul Ortega and Spatial Design & Architecture brought together boulders, flagstone pavers, concrete steppers, crushed rock and decorative pebble to create a textural, monochromatic design.
Existing mature palm trees on the property grow toward the sky — and tie in with surrounding palm trees — while new palms and other desert succulents bring the landscape back down to eye level. The sparse planting puts the stone on full display, resulting in a sculptural, almost painterly feel.
5. Sculptural Showcase
Designer: Architectural Blue
Statement desert plantings and one-of-a-kind sculpture come together in this landscape by Architectural Blue, designed to feel like a calming journey filled with surprises.
For homeowner Carol Davidson, who originally hails from the East Coast, the inspiration came from the mountains and palm trees surrounding her new home in the desert. “The color, texture, depth and strength all played a role in helping us decide what to actually bring onto the ground and onto the walls. We very much wanted to welcome the mountains into our yard while respecting their stature,” she says.
The side yard, where you enter the landscape, was designed as a meditative space. Standout architectural desert plants, including Queen Victoria agave (Agave victoria-reginae), artichoke agave (Agave parryi var. truncata) and the furry-looking cactus (Oreocereus celsianus), which the homeowners lovingly call “Grandpa,” grow as living sculptures. “The shape of the limbs is something unique to these plants and something completely different than what is found in the Northeast,” Davidson says. “And when flowers emerge out of the prickly thorns, it’s an amazing sight.”
A large rock sculpture anchors the yard, reinforcing the garden-mountain connection. “It spoke to us immediately, the two halves coming together as a whole in a kind of continuous embrace,” Davidson says.
Designer: Architectural Blue
Statement desert plantings and one-of-a-kind sculpture come together in this landscape by Architectural Blue, designed to feel like a calming journey filled with surprises.
For homeowner Carol Davidson, who originally hails from the East Coast, the inspiration came from the mountains and palm trees surrounding her new home in the desert. “The color, texture, depth and strength all played a role in helping us decide what to actually bring onto the ground and onto the walls. We very much wanted to welcome the mountains into our yard while respecting their stature,” she says.
The side yard, where you enter the landscape, was designed as a meditative space. Standout architectural desert plants, including Queen Victoria agave (Agave victoria-reginae), artichoke agave (Agave parryi var. truncata) and the furry-looking cactus (Oreocereus celsianus), which the homeowners lovingly call “Grandpa,” grow as living sculptures. “The shape of the limbs is something unique to these plants and something completely different than what is found in the Northeast,” Davidson says. “And when flowers emerge out of the prickly thorns, it’s an amazing sight.”
A large rock sculpture anchors the yard, reinforcing the garden-mountain connection. “It spoke to us immediately, the two halves coming together as a whole in a kind of continuous embrace,” Davidson says.
A stone paver path leads from the side yard into the backyard pool area past more desert plants, including this ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata), and garden sculpture. “Some people say they look like swimmers about to dive into the pool,” Davidson says of the metal piece in the foreground. “To us, they look more like sentinels, arms upstretched toward the sky — and they greet me every morning with a smile.”
At the end of the path, you can see a bighorn sheep sculpture, which the family had in its New York garden. “His name is Zanzibar, and we brought him here because he’s part of the family,” Davidson says.
At the end of the path, you can see a bighorn sheep sculpture, which the family had in its New York garden. “His name is Zanzibar, and we brought him here because he’s part of the family,” Davidson says.
6. Backyard Lounge
Designer: Tim Turner
The atmosphere warms up when the sun goes down at this reimagined backyard space. A freestanding fire feature from Lumacast (which runs on a gas line) invites the homeowners, seen here, out to the corner of the yard to enjoy the desert’s spectacular sunsets. Midcentury-inspired patio furniture in colorful hues and playful shapes reinforces the feeling of a modern desert retreat.
In another instance where the homeowners chose to preserve the home’s original 1950s pool, landscape designer Tim Turner extended the pool deck area all the way to the home to seamlessly merge the indoor and outdoor living spaces. Pebbles break up the concrete slabs, which perfectly echo the pool’s curvilinear shape.
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Designer: Tim Turner
The atmosphere warms up when the sun goes down at this reimagined backyard space. A freestanding fire feature from Lumacast (which runs on a gas line) invites the homeowners, seen here, out to the corner of the yard to enjoy the desert’s spectacular sunsets. Midcentury-inspired patio furniture in colorful hues and playful shapes reinforces the feeling of a modern desert retreat.
In another instance where the homeowners chose to preserve the home’s original 1950s pool, landscape designer Tim Turner extended the pool deck area all the way to the home to seamlessly merge the indoor and outdoor living spaces. Pebbles break up the concrete slabs, which perfectly echo the pool’s curvilinear shape.
More on Houzz
Tour a Celebrated Modernist Landscape Architect’s Final Project
Tour more landscapes
Browse landscape photos
Find a landscape designer
Shop for your outdoor spaces
1. Modern Zen Retreat
Designer: Elena Peterson of Desert Modern Landscape
In the Old Las Palmas neighborhood, landscape designer Elena Peterson collaborated with homeowner and architect Lee Luxford to create a peaceful outdoor retreat that would enhance the owners’ lifestyle and also celebrate their recently renovated midcentury home. “The main goal was that the new landscape theme would maintain and enhance the signature style of the midcentury architecture,” Peterson says.
Looking back toward the house in the backyard, we can see how the landscape and architecture harmonize — another of Peterson’s objectives. The home’s clean lines and angularity flow into the yard with poured-in-place concrete steps, paving pads and pool edging. The newly constructed lap pool, designed by Luxford, appears to almost shoot straight out from the house into the yard, through the wall of sliding glass doors that line the back of the house. (In fact, the pool’s angle matches the grout lines of tile flooring inside the house.)
Waterwise desert native plants, granite gravel and locally sourced boulders fill in between the paving, drawing the eye around the space and softening the landscape’s linear structure.
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