Careers >> Browse Articles >> Architecture
Postcards from Palm Springs: Modern Gems in the Desert
Featured Author:
Michael DiTullo
Michael DiTullo is currently a design director at Converse. His team is responsible for a wide range of products, from on-court performance footwear for athletes like Dwyane Wade to lifestyle and retro products. Previously DiTullo has been a footwear designer in the Brand Jordan and Sport Culture divisions of Nike, where he designed industry leading footwear and bags. Prior to joining Nike, Michael was a designer at Evo Design, where clients included Burton, Bose, VTech, Samsonite, Kodak, and Chantal among others.
Michael graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, attended the Cleveland Institute of Art on exchange and studied design in Milan. Michael has won numerous design awards, freelances actively, teaches from time to time, can sketch an ’82 Fire Bird from memory, owns enough shoes and watches to match them with T-Shirts, and geeks out on design way more than anyone should. In his free time, he is a contributor for core77. He has also lectured on design process at at universities, art schools, and corporations such as The Columbus College of Art and Design, The Rhode Island School of Design, and Adobe. His work will be featured in several upcoming books. DiTullo lives on the outskirts of Portland with his wife Kristina, who is a painter, and their dog, Louie, who is spoiled. http://michaelditullo.com/
More articles from this author:
Michael DiTullo & Kristina DiTullo
Right after Thanksgiving, we took advantage of a slow work week and flew to Palm Springs on a total whim. We were tired of the Portland rain, and we thought a trip to the California sun—for two mid-century architecture nerds—would be the perfect mid-holiday getaway. And it was.
We were expecting Aspen-in-the-desert, but (thankfully) what we found was decidedly un-Aspen. Palm Springs started as a Hollywood hideaway, and they weren’t kidding: you’ll find that it is an extremely low-key, down-to-earth place. And in early December, it’s like visiting a tourist spot in the off-season. Except that the McMansion summer homes are replaced by Wexler’s and Neutra’s. Designer nirvana? Not quite, but close.
Palm Springs is full of great places to stay, each claiming rooms that Marilyn, Elvis, and James Dean have stayed in, so you can’t miss there. We chose the Viceroy—originally comprised of 2 small motels and a collection of bungalows—the properties now owned by the Klimpton Group and redecorated by designer Kelly Wearstler. Completely by chance, a Dwell Magazine conference happened to be in town, booking up all the cheap rooms. But Don—ever full of smiles—informed us that we would be bumped up to a villa at no extra charge. Nice. The décor is classic Wearstler: early 60’s mod/glam. The Citron restaurant and lounge serve great food and strong drinks. (The Estrella Spa is great and strong too!) But possibly the best feature of the hotel is George, a retired architect who works at the front desk and can arm you with all the history and directions you’ll need. So equipped with a serious briefing, we set out on our driving tour of Palm Springs’ finest modern architecture.
Continue reading on next page.
