The Lautner Compound
One of the things I love most about LA is it’s abundance of significant architecture. It’s common to live down the street from a Frank Lloyd Wright, walk by a Neutra on your weekend stroll or attend an event at a Schindler residence. One of the most prolific designers of the 1920’s in LA was John Lautner. He was famous for projects including the Sheats Goldstein Residence - an angular concrete icon that many movie scenes have been filmed in, and Silvertop - a series of dramatic curves that come together to create the most epic space overlooking all of Silverlake. While these amazing homes are everywhere, it’s rare to get to experience their interiors since most of them are private residences. That’s what makes the Lautner Compound in Desert Hot Springs so special. You can actually spend a weekend living in and experiencing the space first hand.
The compound is made up of four units surrounded by a wall to keep it private. It was originally built in 1947 for a Hollywood producer and his friends to escape the city during the weekends. In recent years it was restored by the current owners and turned it into a luxury vacation rental. We rented “The Bachelor Pad” room.
As you walk in you get the feeling of being inside a sunken living room, although you are actually at ground level and the outside area is built up to appear elevated. Each unit has a private patio and floor to ceiling windows that look out onto a cactus garden. It does get pretty bright in the morning so I highly recommend a good sleeping mask.
Jumpsuit (Shades of Grey by Micah Cohen)
One of the things Lautner did so well was create a moody, sexy vibe which is why his designs always feel like a spy lair. At night the lighting was especially cool and we felt like we went back in time.
Food Highlights
Admittedly there are not many places to eat in Desert Hot Springs besides the ones below. I would recommend bringing your own food to make, driving to Palm Springs for brunch, or if you’re going out to Joshua Tree there’s some great options on the way that I mention in this post.
Casablanca Mexican - This was actually pretty good. We ordered it for dinner and I got the chicken soup because I needed something warming. It was delicious.
Two Bunch Palms Restaurant - A bit overpriced but the food is great and it’s definitely a luxury option for the area.
Twine (also at Two Bunch Palms) - A cozy and beautifully designed tea and wine bar
Dress (Zara)
Overall we had a great stay and would probably go back, maybe with friends and rent out the entire compound in the late spring/early summer when it’s warmer!
