A condo in the legendary Racquet Club Cottages West gets a renovation to feel more timeless.
Palm Springs, California, was once the watering hole of Hollywood’s A-list stars. But in 2012, when Brent Swift, a seasoned real estate professional and owner of design and build firm, Swift Co., was exploring the famed Racquet Club Cottages West—condos that had once been a hotel where celebs like Marilyn Monroe lounged by the pool or swatted at tennis balls—he never imagined that he would be helping restore that history.
Racquet Club Cottages West Condo: A Desert Escape
Brent had taken on a tour of the Racquet Club Cottages West grounds to learn more about madcap modern architect, William F. Cody, a.k.a “Wild Bill,” who had designed other noteworthy spots like the Del Marco Hotel, L’Horizon Resort and the Perlberg residence. “People used to call Cody ‘Wild Bill’ because he designed really cool stuff out in the desert. He worked hard and he played hard too,” Brent says. For his reputation and expertise, Cody had been selected to design the hotel for the famous Racquet Club.
In fact, the club had been so popular that the hotel was going to serve as a respite for weary Hollywood stars wanting to escape the paparazzi and busyness of Los Angeles. The property would have a water feature in the center and for every unit Cody would design delicate breeze block that resembled tennis nets since the stars came to the club to play tennis.
By the time Brent toured the property in 2012, however, the famed tennis courts that Marilyn Monroe and others used were gone and the hotel had long ago been converted into condos. But Brent was eager to see all that remained of the property. Luck would have it that one of the Racquet Club Cottages West condos was for sale, and Brent darted off tour to take a peek. “I had never seen anything like it before,” he says. Inside, he spotted the condo’s beautiful, exposed beams and floor-to-ceiling glass doors. Outside were the massive outdoor overhangs—all Cody trademarks. Brent knew he had to make an offer. Fast forward to November 2013, and he and his family were moving into their new home.
History Revealed
Sometimes renovations are an update to modernize the home’s appearance and function. But for Brent and his new home in his Racquet Club Cottages West condo, the renovations were all about restoring the home to its glory days and what it may have looked like in 1960, when the cottages were first built.
An avid house historian, Brent has been buying, restoring and selling homes since he was 22 years old, so he knew the condo could morph into a beautiful butterfly. “I have redone hundreds of houses and flipped them, but I try to restore them, peeling back layers of tile and wood, and getting the houses back to what they were originally,” he says.
His new condo was no different. One of the first things Brent did was pull out the aged tile and carpet in the main living spaces of the kitchen and dining areas. Bare concrete floors were revealed, so he repolished and ground them down. “We found the space is much cooler in summer and spring by having just the polished concrete,” Brent explains.
Next, he peeled off layers of drywall, revealing modern split-style brick. He allowed it to run uninterrupted from the outside of the house to the primary bedroom and then through to the primary bedroom’s bathroom. The effect gave a feeling of cohesion to the space, ushered the outdoors inside and promoted a sense of modern minimalism that MCM architects like Cody would have adored.
California Warmth
While sleek contemporary concrete floors cool down the living spaces, Brent wanted to warm up the spaces visually. He used black walnut kitchen cabinets. The slab millwork was custom built for the space and came in a dull-rub, no-shine finish to balance out the polished concrete floors. “We wanted to use natural woods in the mid-mod home designs,” Brent says. “There’s no way we’d use something like white laminate cabinets. We wanted to be able to warm up the space.”
To amplify the cozy warmth of the cabinet millwork, Brent emphasized the main living space’s interior design by mixing old and new. For example, he paired a new leather sofa with funky 1955 corduroy chairs. He also combined a Knoll Saarinen table in white with Eames molded plywood walnut chairs that warmed up the table.
This mix of old and new created a lived-in look, unlike the typical mid mod fashions many employ in Palm Springs. “The most popular thing to do is to bring in the brightest colors you can find, like yellow rugs and bright blue sofas. I don’t think you have to work that hard to create a warm space with MCM design,” Brent says.
His partner, Alisse Ellis, has an eye for finding the right pieces. Though wood floors usually warm up a space, they couldn’t do that with the concrete floors, so Alisse and Brent focused on blending contemporary pieces with some of her favorite vintage items, like a Knoll bedroom set they bought at an auction in Indiana. “This combo offers a timeless feel, whereas lime-green and neon-orange décor feels kitschy,” he says. “She and I wanted to feel like we’re home and not on vacation.”
Times at the cottages have indeed changed. The vacationing celebs are all gone; the buildings are now homes. But every Modernism Week, the houses moonlight as the new stars of the desert, as homeowners like Brent open their doors to curious fans.
To see a Racquet Club Cottages West condo decked out for the holidays, hop over to see Shiny & Bright MCM Tree Decor. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube for more Atomic Ranch articles, house tours, and ideas!
