Palm Springs 艺术之家丨美国丨Studio BV

Minneapolis-based designer Betsy Vohs of Studio BV didn’t just go West to find her dream retreat in Palm Springs. She went back into the past—both her own, in a desert landscape like the one she spent her college days in; and the neighborhood’s, for a house tucked into the Movie Colony neighborhood where Donald Wexler and Frank Sinatra once called home.

It didn’t hurt that the house had a recent history as the lush residence of landscape architects. Vohs complimented their ample planting with new ones of her own. In the front, she says, the landscape “was curated to create more intentional spaces and experiences between the front garden and the lounge under the ancient olive tree.” In the back, a renovated pool joins outdoor kitchen and living areas. “My favorite details,” she says, “can be found within the visual connections between the interior and exterior.”

The lush entryway that greets guests as they enter this Palm Springs home.

That interior is a good 1,300-square-feet, divided between two bedrooms and a pair of bathrooms. “Its architecture is quiet,” she says. “The house itself melts away.” Instead, the eye travels to her vibrant contemporary art collection, including pieces both found back in Minneapolis and closer to home, around the Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley. And it travels through the windows to the work outside, too, including an eye-catching pool sculpture, a custom piece by her old Minnesota friend Merick Reed. 

Vohs has her eye on the future, as well. The house is off the grid, with new solar panels and full battery backup fueling up in the desert sunshine to run all night. That’s just another way the residence, in all its Mid-Century splendor melts into the surrounding landscape. “You almost don’t experience the facades and forms of the home as an object,” she says. “That is the magic of this home.”

Explore This Art-Filled Home In Palm Springs

A Maxalto armchair and Platner table by Knoll define a reading nook just off the living area.

The entrance immediately establishes the owner’s interest in contemporary art, mixed with a Hightower pouf and Room and Board bookcase.

A Todd Norsten painting hangs above the Richard Schultz bar cart, while a George Nelson pendant hangs above the Saarinen dining table and Tulip chairs, all by Knoll.

In the kitchen, a Mercury Mosaics backsplash adds color to the Blanco sink, Brizo faucet, and Hennepin Made pendants.

A custom textile piece by Meghan Shimek hangs over the Blu Dot bed, with a Room & Board side table and West Elm lamp, in the guest bedroom.

The outdoor kitchen beckons with a Coyote range, hood, sink, and faucet; the backsplash is by Cle Tile.

The garden is a living space all its own, thanks to a sofa, chairs, and side tables by Blu Dot, a CB2 cocktail table, and a Brown and Jordan firepit.

On the left, a Blu Dot table and chairs rest in the shade of the ancient olive tree; on the right, Hay lounges soak up the sun.