Tiki meets mod meets glam in Palm Springs
A creative director’s historic mid-century Wexler-Harrison designed Palm Springs getaway pad melds tiki heritage and modern glam.
When Creative Director Q Caylor and his husband started looking for a place in Palm Springs where they could escape the fog and compression of San Francisco apartment life, their want list was generic and they quickly found a few places that hit all their requirements. However, their realtor, Alex Dethier of Paul Kaplan Group asked them an important question they hadn’t considered. “If you’re coming to Palm Springs, don’t you want a place that feels like Palm Springs?” Once that seed was planted, their search became a quest for something a little more iconic and lot more personal.
More than a year later, they walked into The Royal Hawaiian Estates and fell in love with the iconic architecture, perfect location and an ideal renovation opportunity.
The previous owners had unfortunately obliterated the original architect-designed kitchen and bathrooms as well as the patio spaces. But the bones were still there and the opportunity to infuse a fresh, yet reverent aesthetic was irresistible. Having left their adoringly renovated 1965 ranch home in Minnesota to relocate to San Francisco four years previous, Q was aching to put his design chops to work on a new project.
Partnering with David Marks to help temper his Regency tendencies and infuse the right amount of tiki charm, the project became a labor of love.
The first, and most transformative project was to remove the wall-to-wall carpeting from the bedrooms and living spaces and tired tile from the bathrooms and kitchen. They were pleasantly surprised to find the original terazzo floors of the entry and kitchen still intact. Once the original floors were all cleared and polished, a clean slate was left to work with from the ground up.
A full restoration of the kitchen was outside their budget. But they’d learned from their previous home renovation that new countertops and a bright coat of paint can completely transform a dull kitchen.
Bold mixes of color and pattern defined the aesthetic of the entire project. Nowhere did this ethos come together more than in the living room where the peacock blue Phillip Jeffries wall covering brought together vibrant tropical color and strong modern lines, but also textural cues that referenced the tiki theme of the property.
In 1961, developer Philip Short commissioned Wexler and Harrison to design The Royal Hawaiian Estates. It was the first condominium complex available for Jewish residents to purchase in Palm Springs. The tiki theme played into America’s fascination with exotic Polynesian culture in the 50’s and 60’s. After falling into disrepair by the 1990s, the complex’s exterior was fully restored and is now designated as a Historic Residential District in the City of Palm Springs.
A tropical and slightly trippy Wayne White wallpaper mural adorns the original shoji screens separating the den and the living room.
Malachite wall covering in the primary suite draws color from the potted palms on the private lanai through to the en-suite bath.
Contrasting graphic shapes and textural vintage pieces balance each other in a way that stays true to the mid-century style you expect to find in Palm Springs while infusing California cool eclecticism.
Photography by R. Brad Knipstein
“When the swim suits are hanging to dry after a sunny day by the pool everyone lounges in vintage caftans while sipping cocktails and spilling tea before getting dressed for a fun night out. It’s a perfect and uniquely CalIfornian way to host our friends and family that love to visit from all over. ”
Interiors by Q Caylor and David Marks Design
Photo Styling by David Marks Design
Q Caylor is a Creative Director who has spent his career shaping retail brand experiences for home and fashion brands such as Target, Pottery Barn, Gap, and Levi’s. He’s cutting his own hair and riding out the pandemic in Palm Springs with his husband, Tom and their two pugs, Doug and Bruce.
A version of this story appears in the November 2020 edition of Palm Springs Life magazine