Palm Springs

: Axiom - Structural Engineers / Fitted Interior & Joinery Design - Will Gamble Architects

The client approached Will Gamble Architects to extend this unique detached grade 2 listed villa in a conservation area.

The brief was to sensitively restore the upper parts whilst extending and creating a contemporary multifunctional living space along the lower ground floor to accommodate a number of different uses – working, entertaining, and relaxing. The client’s strong affiliation to Palm Springs was also a unique consideration during the design process. The scheme therefore draws inspiration from Modernism, and more specifically Desert Modernism that helps define the unique architectural landscape of Palm Springs, California. The glazed addition sits on a monolithic plinth of terrazzo, anchoring the intervention into the surrounding garden. Like ‘fingers,’ the terrazzo plinth extends from inside to out, establishing a unique connection with the landscape and reinforcing the relationship between indoor and outdoor space. The honest use of terrazzo and Douglas fir externally is continued through into the interiors. Suspended amongst the floor to ceiling glass is a lattice roof of Douglas fir which floats over the informal living space below.