Elite Traveler January-February 2015

DISCOVER

elite traveler JAN/FEB 2015 ISSUE 1 62

Design

Aperitif time Sinatra serves up a drink at Twin Palms

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER

In 1947, when Frank Sinatra commissioned Twin Palms, his Palm Springs getaway, he requested a Georgian-style mansion. Luckily for the future of modernist design, his architect E Stewart Williams was able to steer him towards something more “desert appropriate”, creating a low-lying, horizontal lined, pool villa that set the standard for mid-century design and architecture. Williams subsequently had a huge impact on the aesthetic of the city, designing key spots such as the 1961 Santa Fe Federal Savings and Loan building, which has just reopened as the Architecture and Design Center of the Palm Springs Art Museum. Many of his works are at the heart of the city’s annual ModernismWeek (12-22 February, 2015), a celebration of mid-century architecture through seminars, events and exploration of the area’s historic neighborhoods. Sinatra’s four-bedroom, seven-bathroom house is available to rent. From $2,600 per night modernismweek.com; psmuseum.org

Words: Emily Mathieson, Photo: Getty