Madison Desert Club / Kovac Design Studio

Architect: Kovac Design Studio

Place: La Quinta, USA

Year: 2022

Photographer: Roger Davies

Located in La Quinta’s fabled Madison Club, this vacation home was designed as an interpretation of a boutique hotel for a sophisticated client who loves to entertain family and friends when in town. He sought to take maximum advantage of the dramatic desert views and, through the home’s interior design, pay homage to the Golden Hollywood era of nearby Palm Springs. These factors along with his love for indoor/outdoor living served as driving forces behind the project’s design and articulation.

Upon arrival, one circles into the motor court and is greeted by a still dark water element that seems to rise from the ground, water shimmering down its sides. An oculus pierces through the home’s signature roof canopy floating above. The canopy, ideal for providing shade on hot desert days, connects the main living space to six surrounding casitas and casts an everchanging pattern of shadow. Walking across the steps that bisect the water element, one enters the main living space and is immediately welcomed by a dramatic view of the surrounding mountains. The back of the house is composed of nearly frameless motorized glass doors that perfectly frame the landscape and retract to make the most of indoor/outdoor living when the pool or views beckon.

Inside the home, the kitchen, great room, bar, and lounge are entirely open to one another, ideal for easy entertaining. Metal architectural drapery surrounds the lounge and bar, its rings catching grazes of light that mimic the shadows of the overhang outside. However, what truly makes this space outstanding is the suspended theater above the bar that boasts a motorized, movable wall that doubles as a movie screen. When closed, the theater is a perfectly enclosed screening room. When open, it becomes the perfect place for a live band to play during parties, the screen opens for the entire home to enjoy.

Downstairs, a wellness spa and gym open to a sun-filled private garden. Just down the hall, an entertainment room with six custom built-in bunk beds and a large sectional provide additional space where family and guests can relax and sleep, with a smaller garden terrace just outside.

To get to each of the six casitas surrounding the main home, one passes through outdoor open-air hallways, bathed in the soft light from the canopy above. Each casita boasts its own private patio and firepit enclosed by a wood-clad wall that can retract to connect to the neighboring casita for easy socializing. Each also includes its own bath with an indoor/outdoor shower and mini-fridge and bar so guests can enjoy a drink without going to the main house whenever a private escape is wanted. The home’s natural palette of plaster, wood, and stone underscores the surrounding landscape with which it intertwines. There is no better place for an escape from the stresses of daily life – it is a true oasis in the desert.