Hotel Lautner, Desert Hot Springs

       We bid adieu to Modernism Week 2011 in Palm Springs:

 

Probably my favorite modernist SoCal architect is John Lautner. His designs in the greater Los Angeles area from the 1940s on represent some of the best in contemporary design - dramatic, visionary, far ahead of their time. His buildings have lent their inherent drama to feature films such as "Diamonds Are Forever", "Less Than Zero", "Body Double", and "The Big Lebowski", among others.

In the 1940s, a film producer commissioned Lautner to design a desert oasis near Palm Springs. Lautner produced an intimate escape of 4 interconnected rooms, each with an interior glass wall looking onto a private desert garden, sheltered by the connecting wall of the next guest room. Stepping up from the lowered main space is your own private patio, perfect for sunning and dining. Each unit is complete with its' own small kitchen and breakfast bar. The ingenious concept of a slanted roof gave each unit shelter from the harsh Desert Hot Springs winds and sun, while filtering in natural light through multiple glass panels and clerestory windows. Pools were originally planned to complete the retreat but were never built.

An interior designer and furniture designer recently purchased the Hotel Lautner and after much restoration this desert gem is now reopened, with future plans to complete Lautner's original concept of including pools,

plus an outdoor lounge and a clubhouse. But the project seems to be much about giving guests the opportunity to experience Lautner's work up close and personal. As the website notes, "Lautner’s residences have long been documented and photographed but seldom open to the public. This hotel will allow long time admirers and future admirers the opportunity to 'live' in a Lautner environment and to feel the unique experience of his design style."

http://www.hotellautner.com/