Palm Springs has always understood the appeal of a little seclusion. Behind manicured hedges and garden walls, Hollywood stars could loosen their ties, invite friends over for cocktails and enjoy a version of domestic life that happened to involve extraordinary architecture. Decades later, these houses and haunts still invite curiosity. What did Sinatra’s desert retreat look like? Who lived behind that discreet entrance? And how does a home built in the 1950s still look so thoroughly modern?
Held twice a year, Modernism Week offers an enticing opportunity to find out, opening doors across the city through architectural tours, neighborhood walks and cultural events. The experience feels like stepping back in time, until a glass-walled living room or beautifully proportioned courtyard makes you reconsider which era had the more forward-thinking ideas.
For a weekend immersed in that world, Parker Palm Springs is an inspired place to unpack.
The arrival alone has a cinematic quality. A white breeze-block wall screens the estate from view, its geometric façade interrupted by brilliant orange doors. Beyond them, Jonathan Adler’s interiors suggest the home of a wonderfully eccentric collector with impeccable taste and very entertaining friends. Suits of armor stand guard. Jessica Rowe’s watercolor lips climb a staircase above carpeting inspired by The Shining. Shag rugs, macramé and gleaming decorative objects share the room with the easy confidence of guests at a very good party.
There is Hollywood history beneath the fantasy here, too. Gene Autry purchased the property in 1961, and the estate’s associations with Sinatra and the Rat Pack lend its glamour a sense of place. Adler gives that legacy a playful contemporary expression. The rooms have personality, and discovering their unexpected details is part of the pleasure.
In the Living Room, a circular fireplace anchors a Moroccan-influenced gathering space; nearby, the jewel-box Mini Bar invites an unhurried drink. Outside, landscape designer Judy Kameon’s gardens unfold through winding paths, citrus trees and palm groves. Conceived as outdoor rooms, they offer places to gather and corners where disappearing for an afternoon seems entirely reasonable.
The 144 rooms, suites and villas sit within this 13-acre setting, about 10 minutes from downtown. Pools, croquet and pétanque compete gently with whatever is on the itinerary. During Modernism Week, the challenge is leaving enough time for both.
Across Palm Springs, Modernism Week’s fall program offered glimpses into the city’s private world. Offered seasonally, “Frank Sinatra’s Neighborhood: The Hollywood Elite” tour explores an enclave where Spanish Colonial Revival homes coexist with midcentury architecture, including the singer’s Twin Palms, designed by E. Stewart Williams. The famous name supplies the initial fascination; the house reveals the architectural ambition behind Hollywood’s desert idyll.
In the Old Las Palmas neighborhood, “Golden Era of Hollywood Homes” pairs distinctive residences with stories of the stars who lived and entertained there. Walking these streets, the appeal of Palm Springs as an escape becomes easy to understand. Mountain views, sheltered gardens and discreet entrances offered the rare luxury of being somewhere fabulous without always being on display.
The city’s smaller inns tell a related story. “Celebrity Haven: Unique Boutique Resorts” examines retreats that welcomed famous guests, many built after World War II as enthusiasm for modern design flourished. Their intimate scale helped establish a style of desert hospitality that still feels relevant and personal.
Elsewhere, residents at CoCo Cabana, a preserved 1955 garden apartment retreat, open up their homes to reveal different interpretations of gracious desert living. The 1968 Earl and Marie Liever Residence, a significant Canyon Country Club commission by Stan Sackley, added another perspective. These spaces remain compelling because their best ideas endure: generous light, thoughtful proportions and an effortless connection to the outdoors.
Between excursions, the Parker makes returning for break to refuel especially appealing. At Norma’s, all-day dining leaves room for an early tour or a leisurely detour, with peach-topped pancakes and vegan “crabcakes” served in bright surroundings that carry onto a sunny terrace. It is an easy place to regroup before the next house tour, or let lunch stretch into an afternoon at the hotel.
As the day’s programming winds down, Counter Reformation offers wine and inventive small plates in a compact, Parisian-tabac-inspired setting. Confessional booths sourced from decommissioned European churches give the décor an irreverent twist, while globally collected vintage plates bring character to the counter. Order something unfamiliar from the adventurous wine list and compare notes on the day’s discoveries.
For a proper evening out without leaving the estate, settle into mister parker’s. Dark wood, velvet, leather booths and a white grand piano evoke a private Hollywood supper club, with more than 120 original artworks adding to the intrigue. Jackets are required for gentlemen; anyone caught unprepared can borrow one from the restaurant’s collection. It is a charming bit of ceremony before a dinner worth lingering over.
The hotel’s latest cultural addition supplies another reason to stay close. Parker Sessions launched October 16 with artist Nicholas Galanin and his musical project, Ya Tseen, in collaboration with Desert X. Set in Kameon’s stone amphitheater among palms and sculptural planting, the series brings contemporary creative voices into the estate’s ongoing story.
From Phoenix, Palm Springs is approximately four hours by car, with American Airlines also offering nonstop flights from Sky Harbor. Modernism Week returns February 11-21, 2027, and a Parker Sessions conversation and garden tour with Kameon is scheduled for February 18. Reserve the architectural encounters, book dinner and allow time to linger behind those orange doors. Palm Springs has had decades to perfect the art of a good escape.
Learn more at parkerpalmsprings.com and modernismweek.com.
Photos courtesy Parker Palm Springs and Modernism Week.
