The modernist design movement, which peaked during the 50s and 60s, had many revisions as it spread across continents, landscapes and cultures. Palm Springs Desert Modernism was born from attempts to translate the movement into the arid landscape of Palm Springs in Southern California and a pioneer of the movement was architect William Cody, who helped transform the desert city into the modernist marvel that it is today.

Cody’s former home in Palm Springs, which he designed and built in the early 50s, was recently purchased by Spanish architects Paula Bueso-Inchausti and Guille Castaneda. With a vision to temporarily transform the interiors into an art exhibit, the couple, with the encouragement of their realtor Keith Markovitz, engaged Laguna-Beach-based gallery Peter Blake Gallery to curate a selection of pieces that spoke to the original design. “We all met at the house one afternoon and became fast friends, bonding over art, design and architecture. It led to a discussion regarding the possibility of an art exhibit and cocktail party at the house, which subsequently turned into a two-month-long residency,” Peter recounts.

This article is a preview of ‘Desert Reawakening’ featured inside the latest issue of est magazine, Celebrating 50.