We bought our new home, our #foreverhomefixer, in the summer of 2020 -- during the most uncertain times of the pandemic.
The home itself is 3160 square feet and built in 1978. It had 3 bedrooms and 3 baths when we purchased it. It is on the golf course in the historic Indian Canyons neighborhood of Palm Springs, which was first developed in the 1960s and boasts the first 18-hole golf course in Palm Springs.
The house was For Sale by Owner, with a faded hand-written sign and a phone with a San Diego area code. To say that it was a "fixer upper" would be a vast understatement! The owner, who was based in San Diego, had practically abandoned the property. I could tell, from photos he showed me, that he enjoyed good times in the house several years before, but he had not used the property in quite some time -- obviously!
Above: the entry colonnade as I saw it, when I first saw the property.
I walked in and said, "I'll take it!"
Before & After: The Side Yard
Above: This is a photo from the first time that I showed David the house. It was the summer of 2020, in the depths of the COVID pandemic. Maybe it is a good thing that David is wearing that mask and I can't see his expression!
When we first bought our Forever Home Fixer, the side yard near the pool, and directly off the primary bedroom, was a mess of three overgrown citrus trees that were unhealthy and well past their prime.
As much as I hate killing trees, and I do, they had to go. This allowed much more light into our bedroom and left us with a great opportunity to create a new amenity area.
As real estate prices continue to escalate, I believe in maximizing as much of your property as possible. Near the spa, which we added to the pool, we carved out an area for a fire feature. It is now one of my favorite areas of our property!
The umbrella is through Christopher Kennedy Showroom and available here.
We used terrazzo pavers from Moda Concrete for our pool coping and to form the patio that features our fire area.
We added the breeze block at the last minute, to give definition to the space, as well as privacy to the area beyond -- which opens directly onto our bedroom. As for that area off our bedroom, I like to think that I might go out there one day and do stretching or yoga, but actually it features portable outdoor bars, which we use for larger parties and fundraisers. That's just how we live, and I am embracing it.
We removed all the pool decking and opted to surround the pool with artificial turf. The pool itself needed to be completely redone and did not have a hot tub when we purchased the property.
Above: The pool area when I first took David to the house! Wow, what was I thinking? Better question: what is David thinking looking at this mess? I don't think he is smiling underneath that mask...
All About the Details
One day during our renovation, David sent me a text with a pic of these chairs, for sale for $40 for the set of four, literally on the side of the road. I responded that he needed to buy them immediately. We painted them with yellow outdoor paint, recovered the cushions in a palm leaf pattern fabric from my friends at Elitis. They live around our fire feature and are now one of my favorite things in our house. Good job, babe. For me, it’s all about a mix of styles and price points.
Thrifted finds can pair beautifully with more rare of bespoke items. The yellow chairs now feature new seat cushions in one of my favorite fabrics from French fabric house, Elitis.
The fire feature area in our yard includes an assortment of thrifted items. The large sectional sofa, which is likely 1980s rattan and gives full on Golden Girls vibes, was found at Misty's Consignment in Rancho Mirage.
I hope you enjoyed this tour!
xo
CK
Sources:
Photography: Public 311 Design
Styling: Keith Fortner
Pool and Hardscape Construction: Desert Edge Construction