Desert Bloom

Michelle Boudreau takes cues from seminal modernist Albert Frey when reimagining a mid-century
Palm Springs home he expanded decades later

In a legend-filled town such as Palm Springs, the boundary between myth and fact can become blurred—especially when it comes to celebrity provenance. Any local understands how rumors tend to snowball. When clients approached designer Michelle Boudreau about transforming a home originally built in 1954 in the storied Old Las Palmas neighborhood, the property came with dual boldfaced name distinctions. Adam West of Batman fame called it home at some point, and modernist pioneer Albert Frey designed an addition near the end of his career in the 1980s—yet whether or not these two periods overlapped remains unclear. Any historical doubt, however, was irrelevant as Boudreau developed a sharp vision for reimagining the three-bedroom, five-bath, classic mid-century dwelling.

“The home is architecturally pretty simple, but Albert Frey’s remodel gave it character,” explains the interior designer, who is known for a richly layered style that is inextricably tied to the desert city while remaining decidedly free of Atomic Age and Palm Springs clichés. “That’s what connected me to the design and what was going to be the thematic approach,” Boudreau notes. Establishing functionally and aesthetically pleasing indoor/outdoor flow is a familiar brief to most desert-based designers. Because “Frey really opened up the house and made it special,” Boudreau and team’s task was to enhance the link between the residence, whose original architect is unknown, and the site, as well as to better take into account the poetically looming presence of the San Jacinto Mountains. The clients initially “fell in love with the view when they walked in, and that’s what the home is really about,” she adds.

Both the front and rear elevations required particular attention in this regard. At the main entrance, which is accessed via a set of double doors from the street, “you have this amazing courtyard,” which begged for a fresh take. Boudreau introduced a cluster of perforated atmosphere-creating lanterns that hang over a newly installed water feature surrounded by lush landscaping. The enchanting exterior vignette continues to engage with the living room and kitchen thanks to a glass front door and floor-to-ceiling windows. “It organically feels like you’re outside and is much more spacious, because you’ve got this open atrium and then this big view out,” Boudreau states about the ample fenestration on both sides of the house.

Frey’s most notable contribution stands at the rear, where a party-ready step-down bar transitions to the backyard and pool deck. This corner provided an opportunity “to make it feel like a natural transition from the indoor to the outdoor,” Boudreau says. Here and in the primary bedroom addition, also designed by the émigré, who was a protégé of Le Corbusier back in his native Switzerland, Boudreau incorporated “elements that were very much Frey,” specifically the cylindrical shapes he favored, which she offers a nod to in details such as the reeded bar front.

Boudreau’s edited color and material palette emphasizes natural and organic elements, along with joy and a little edge. “They wanted a place to relax,” Boudreau says about her clients, a retired couple who purchased the getaway with multigenerational gatherings in mind. Boudreau’s scheme integrates various references, from Jean Prouvé’s round perforations to fluted surfaces that evoke Hollywood Regency glam, within a cohesive result. Boldly patterned Schumacher fabrics throughout and textured surfaces are casual yet sophisticated, making for rooms that are conducive to both convivial social nights and quiet downtime. A subtle undercurrent of tropical modernism shines through too. The state-of-the-art music listening room equipped with a bespoke turntable and vinyl display and storage sets a breezy vibe and reflects the designer’s exacting attention to detail. “We did a lot of woodwork to warm up the home because it was a pretty cold, blank space,” Boudreau comments.

In the kitchen, a reeded motif on the end of the island articulated in light white oak repeats on the stone vent hood enclosure and extends the dialogue of shape and form. The primary bathroom expands the exploration of sage green—and Boudreau’s sense of playfulness. “Tile for me is like a canvas, mixing patterns and dimensions,” Boudreau says. This space also frames a view of a custom outdoor installation composed of multi-shade green rope work by Tidelli, adding more earthy flair.

Calming sea foam greens are the pre-dominant tone in the luxurious primary bedroom, while in the guest areas Boudreau could get more experimental and embrace the Frey-oriented narrative. One guest suite is “an homage to his color palette,” with blues and yellows loosely pulled from sites like the Frey II and Cree houses as seen in dynamic Schumacher fabrics and Blueprint Lighting fixtures. “It’s nice to have rooms [with] something interesting that can be different,” she shares. “That’s really fun, and still speaks to the thematic approach.”

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