Dwell x Turkel Design: Breaking Ground in Palm Springs
"How do we take great design and exert enough pressure to make it more accessible for people everywhere?" Such is the challenge, voiced here by Joel Turkel, that both Turkel Design and Dwell have set out to meet in our nearly 12 years of partnership. In the latest chapter of a collaboration that has delivered homes all over the United States and beyond, we’re announcing our new build—the Dwell Prefab Palm Springs by Turkel Design. A mecca for midcentury modernism, Palm Springs is an apt setting for the 2,000-square-foot courtyard home, which both encapsulates the tenets of superb design and responds to modern ways of living.
With post-and-beam construction, a thin roof profile, and an open floor plan that facilitates an interplay between the interior and exterior, the Dwell Prefab Palm Springs by Turkel Design bears all the signatures of the architecture firm. The show home is its first in California, which allowed Turkel and his team to put extra emphasis on indoor/outdoor living.
Taking advantage of the balmy climate, the home flows freely from interior to exterior space, enjoying sprawling views of the San Jacinto mountain range and its own private poolside oasis. "We’re trying to create a home that embodies all the attributes our homes are known for: exposed structure, honest design, truthful materials," says Turkel. "It has this wonderful interaction with the site. It’s very breezy and open." The L-shaped house has a yin-yang effect, oriented toward the outdoors while inviting it inside. Solutions from Marvin Windows and Doors allow a more intimate connection with the natural setting, and The Modern Fan Co. will outfit the residence with contemporary ceiling fans to combat the desert heat. The outdoor courtyard, which holds the pool, spa, and barbecue areas, will feature concrete pavers by Stepstone, Inc.
"I want the quality of life of the occupant to be improved every time they engage with any aspect of the home." —Joel Turkel
In recognition of the holiday attitude that pervades Palm Springs, the pool area will incorporate a screen wall that provides a surface for projection and reflects on the water for a festive vibe.
"It’s a living platform," says Turkel. "Because of its scale and position, it’s more intimate. It’s a place where, on a sunny day, you pick up a cushion and lay out snacks on it for the kids to eat when they come out of the pool." To help choreograph a rich life for the house and its inhabitants, Turkel Design is selecting pieces by Resource Furniture to maximize communal areas. In the limited square footage of the Dwell Prefab, beds can fold away to transform rooms. When complete, the residence will be an elegant expression of modern design principles, which is attuned to the workings of "space, air, light." Says Turkel, "I want the quality of life of the occupant to be improved every time they engage with any aspect of the home."
"I see a home like a person," says Turkel. "A person has to have an opinion. Homes have attitudes from the outside and attitudes toward light and space and movement, and that gives the home life. That life becomes the character of the home."
A homage to Palm Springs’ legacy of midcentury architecture, the home also showcases a contemporary attitude. "From the openness of the house to the private side, and the elegant proportions," explains Turkel, "we’re trying to take the elements of Palm Springs and apply those lessons with great materials, modern methods, and the precision of prefab."
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