Tag Archives: Modernism

Architecture, Art, Interior Design

Lux Mid-Century Remodel at 930 S. Paseo Dorotea

January 29, 2015 romicortier@yahoo.com 1 Comment

Xeriscaping at 930 S. Paseo Dorotea, Palm Springs, Ca. Photo Romi Cortier

This lux mid century remodel at 930 S. Paseo Dorotea has been a labor of love for over a decade. And if you’re a friend or client, then you know that this is also my personal weekend retreat away from Los Angeles, and my artist studio.

After selling my condo in L A, I was looking for a new place to call home. Demuth Park in South Palm Springs became my new home away from home. I won’t lie to you, I’ve invested so much more money into this home than I ever imagined, but when you’re fresh out of design school at UCLA and obsessed with detail, you simply have no other choice.

I started by removing every piece of landscaping except for the palm tree in the front yard. The fruit trees in the back yard were replaced with drought resistant Palo Verde trees. The front lawn was replaced with Ocotillos and Barrel Cactus. And that traditional sidewalk up to the front door was replaced with 36 x 36 concrete pavers placed on the diagonal from the driveway… who needs pesky salesmen walking right up to your front door so easily, right? The dilapidated wooden gates and walls were replaced with corrugated metal, or cinderblock, to better withstand the summer heat. And when I replaced the rickety pergola on the north side of the home, I expanded it to wrap down onto the cinderblock wall, creating an additional private patio for outdoor dining or reading. I added a 12 x 12 concrete slab in the back yard for a gazebo, just steps away from the out door shower that I also added. Nothing better than jumping out of the pool from swimming laps, then rinsing off outdoors, clothing optional of course.

When it came to redoing the interior, my sledgehammer and I had so much fun. I opened up the wall leading into the kitchen, and while doing so, discovered that a dropped ceiling had been added in the 70’s to modernize the kitchen. In one afternoon I was able to completely pull it down, exposing the original ceiling, still intact. I removed the hallway closet behind the kitchen, and closed up the odd pass through to the bedroom. Voila, I doubled the size of the kitchen in one afternoon!

The guest bedroom had been equally chopped up, so I reconfigured it by removing a tiny closet and adding a new back door for patio access in it’s place. The old back door was walled off, and became the outdoor shower. The little tool room became the new walk-in closet complete with a washer and dryer.

The master suite bathroom had a very dated and non-functioning jacuzzi tub, remember those? I replaced it with a large walk-in shower made from tumbled travertine and chocolate frosted glass tiles... the contractor hated working with those materials, but it turned out stunningly well.

Some of the other boring, but expensive items I replace included: a new roof, new ac unit and duct work, energy efficient double-pane windows, and 18 x 18 tiles through out the home to unify the flow from room to room.

More recently I installed ceiling fans and low voltage halogen lighting. The later was a must since I opened my home to the public for Modernism Week 2014 , showcasing all of my original oil paintings that you see in the photos above. I even created that butterfly wall mural as part of a youtube video to promote the event at my home.

All good things must come to an end, so this home will be put on the market shortly. It’s time for me to move onto to another project… maybe an Art Deco inspired pied-a-terre in the city?

I’m including a few images below to show you some of the before and afters… after all, isn’t that always the best issue of Architectural Digest! Oh, and in case you’re wondering about the rock wall in front of the house painted high gloss white… I faux painted it to look like natural rock again.

Master Bathroom Remodel at 930 S. Paseo Dorotea, Palm Springs, Photo Romi Cortier

NOW ON THE MARKET, VIEW THE LISTING HERE….

Art, Interior Design

GEN LUX Magazine

August 25, 2014 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Spider mum painting installation for Palm Springs home. Decor and Paintings by Romi Cortier — Spider Mum painting installation for Palm Springs home. Decor and Paintings by Romi Cortier

'Blue Spider Mum', Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier — ‘Blue Spider Mum’, Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier

'Pink Spider Mum', Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier — ‘Pink Spider Mum’, Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier

'Chartreuse Spider Mum', Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier — ‘Chartreuse Spider Mum’, Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier

'Orange Spider Mum', Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier — ‘Orange Spider Mum’, Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier

Photo shoot for GEN LUX Magazine in front of my Spider Mum Painting Installation, Palm Springs. (Romi Cortier)

I was photographed by GEN LUX Magazine during their early years, for an editorial piece that sadly never got published. The photo shoot happened in 2005 at my Palm Springs residence, in front of a series of paintings called ‘Spider Mum Installation’. The photographer/writer for the piece was the friend of a client, and was fascinated by the idea that I’d designed both the interiors of this home, as well as an art installation specific to the residence. The pitch idea also included the fact that I was a successful salon owner and hairdresser. Apparently this was a ‘triple threat’ and a conflict of interest to the other salon owners who’d purchased ad space in the new magazine. The pitch got shot down, but the photographer very graciously gave me these photos. Nearly a decade later, and I can’t tell you how much I enjoy having these images. (I look better than I remember)

The lone interior photo at the top shows the Spider Mum Installation in the context of the home. It was taken by a photographer I’d hired for the purpose of archiving my interior design work. You’ll also notice there’s an additional Spider Mum painting over the bed, seen just beyond the frosted glass door. The home has continued to evolve over the years, and was recently the location for my POP UP GALLERY during Modernism Week 2014. The DIY Video shot at this home in 2013 (Butterfly Mural – How To) is embedded below.

When I created this painting series, I actually painted 2 variations of each color palette. Two Orange mums, two blue mums etc. The pigments from each tube of paint had different densities, therefore, some paintings were more successful then others. The Chartreuse Mum was always one of my favorites, primarily because the thicker paint allowed more of the brush work to show. While some of the mums ended up looking more like sea anemones, it still worked in the larger scheme of things. This series can also be hung with three vertical or horizontal paintings or two rows of two, creating a large square. Personally, I like the impact of all nine works hanging side by side.

Over the years, I’ve sold off several of the pieces at my salon, usually as individual works. I still have a handful of them left, and would be more than happy to arrange a private showing of them to any collector who might be interested.

Art

Palm Springs Pool Series Paintings

August 13, 2014 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

'Bigger Towel', Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier — ‘Bigger Towel’, Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier

'Towel' Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier — ‘Towel’, Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier

'Curved Towel' Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier — ‘Curved Towel’, Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier

'Pink Striped Towel', Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier — ‘Pink Striped Towel’, Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier

This is my Palm Springs Pool Series of Paintings, inspired by photos that I took around the pool of my mid-century home in Palm Springs. It’s amazing how something as simple as a Barbie Towel from Target can take on a whole new life when draped over the edge of the pool. Faded after years of use, the old towel’s tones became richer and more saturated in the water, which made for great photos and even greater paintings.

I painted this sequential series of paintings (the top three) all at the same time. This was a new approach for my work, as I’d never had the required studio space to work on so many paintings at one time.

These paintings are larger in size than their actual environment, and they’re also very tight compositions of moments that most people don’t notice. Therefore, when they’re viewed in person, people have a difficult time understanding what they are. They often see the geometry in the images, but not ‘what they are’. Once they finally see it, there’s a big ‘ah hah’ moment.

I’m a big fan of the artist Francoise Gilot. I had the pleasure of meeting her about 8 years ago at a spectacular gallery opening of her works on the upper east side in Manhattan. I was so captivated by the large scale geometry of her work, that it challenged me to see images in a different way. At the time of the show, she was about 85, and I found the boldness and modernness of her work remarkable for someone of her age. But why should age have anything to do with the quality or tone of your work? It was my perception of how I thought an older woman should paint. But this is a woman who has been painting for over 70 years, and who spent a decade with Pablo Picasso. In her book, Life with Picasso, she talked about how Pablo challenged her to distill her work, and say more with fewer strokes of the brush. Reduce. Reduce. Reduce. Paint the image, then take some of it away.

Over the years, I’ve continued to let this concept resonate with me. In the above paintings, I also focused on texture. Francoise will often use her fingers to create surface texture in her paintings, so I gave that a try with the different colors of the towels. I used a stippling brush technique with the concrete pool coping, and chose an uber smooth finish for the pool tile. The water brushstrokes are very horizontal and blended, creating a mirroring effect of the surrounding tones. These elements combined together, create a true richness to the overall finished product. Interestingly enough, I haven’t sold a single one of these paintings. So lets hope the test of time works in my favor and some savvy and sophisticated collector falls in love with these works and simply has to have them. If not.. I’m happy to enjoy them myself.

Architecture

John Lautner’s Silvertop Residence

August 11, 2014 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

John Lautner's Silvertop Residence, Bedroom Firelplace, Photo Romi Cortier — John Lautner’s Silvertop Residence, Bedroom Firelplace, Photo Romi Cortier

John Lautner's Silvertop Residence, Bedroom Window Detail, Photo Romi Cortier — John Lautner’s Silvertop Residence, Bedroom Window Detail, Photo Romi Cortier

John Lautner's Silvertop, Interior Atrium, Photo Romi Cortier — John Lautner’s Silvertop, Interior Atrium, Photo Romi Cortier

John Lautner's Silvertop Residence, Entrance, Photo Romi Cortier — John Lautner’s Silvertop Residence, Entrance, Photo Romi Cortier

John Lautner's Silvertop Residence, Lower Level Studio, Photo Romi Cortier — John Lautner’s Silvertop Residence, Lower Level Studio/Guest House, Photo Romi Cortier

John Lautner's Silvertop Residence, Carport, Photo Romi Cortier — John Lautner’s Silvertop Residence, Carport, Photo Romi Cortier

John Lautner's Silvertop Residence, Infinity Pool, Photo Romi Cortier — John Lautner’s Silvertop Residence, Infinity Pool, Photo Romi Cortier

John Lautner’s Silvertop Residence, also known at the Reiner-Burchill Residence, has just been listed for sale. Asking price: 7.5 Million.

I visited this legendary residence during the 2008 Mak Center Tour organized in conjunction with The Hammer Museum‘s exhibit Between Earth and Heaven: The Architecture of John Lautner. This home was next on my list for the blog, so I was thrilled when I discovered via Curbed LA that the home was now up for sale. I wondered how much had changed since I’d toured the home. Namely, were those cork ceilings still there? Interestingly enough, the images on their web site, aren’t much different than the ones I took 6 years earlier. Obviously they’re better quality images than mine, with proper lighting etc. (I’m sure the hired photographer wasn’t madly jumping off a tour bus first, and climbing back on last, frantically snapping away while moving through the space ahead of the others). However, judging from what I see on their website, not much has changed, in fact, even the chairs and sofa in front of the fireplace are the same. The cactus framing the window appears to have been replaced with a smaller one, so as to not obstruct the magnificent view, and the gardens have been cleaned up, but for all practical purposes the home looks pretty much spot on as it did during the home tour.

Silvertop took seven years to construct, and was completed in 1963 for Kenneth Reiner (ladies hair clip baron) at a cost of nearly $1 million, a tad over the $75,000 estimated cost. Sadly, Reiner ran into financials problems and was forced to sell the home. In 1974 the current owners bought the home and hired Lautner to finish the job. I’m not clear by the timeline I’ve found online if there was another owner from ’63 – ’74, or if the home sat vacant for those years.

The home’s construction was groundbreaking for many reasons: It’s concrete dome, which was a first for Lautner, the cantilevered driveway that has no support columns, faucet-less sinks that automatically fill with water, controls for lights and appliances that were set into walls and door jambs, and lights that pivot into the ceiling.

One observation that I’ll point out, is the cylindrical use of beams in the guest house. It reminds me of Lautner’s 1950 Harvey Residence , which I’ve written about in a previous post. I’m guessing he found this system successful, which is why he used it again in this residence. Additionally, the guest home is surrounded by that circular cantilevered driveway, thus the circular room construction makes perfect sense. So. Those cork ceilings… they’re still there. If Lautner were alive today, I have to wonder if he’d opt to have them removed. They do look cleaner than when I toured the home… maybe they’ve been carefully replaced. I know, I know, it’s best not to mess with such an iconic Los Angeles Jewel such as Silvertop.

Architecture

Palm Springs Mid-Century Modern Texture

July 18, 2014 romicortier@yahoo.com 1 Comment

City Hall, Palm Springs, Photo Romi Cortier

Residence, Sunrise Park, Palm Springs, Photo Romi Cortier

Carport, Sunrise Park, Palm Springs, Photo Romi Cortier

Palm Springs mid-century modern texture is one of the design hallmarks that makes this region so recognizable. As a Palm Springs homeowner for over a decade, I’ve watched several neighborhoods re-emerge and blossom into beacons of desert modernism. While the simplicity of the images above may seem like ‘no brainers’, it couldn’t be further from the truth. In a minimalist environment, every detail counts. Think Chinese Brush Painting, the simplest strokes can have the most impact, therefore, every detail must be deliberate. When competing with the low slung or butterfly rooflines of Wexler, Alexander and Meiselman homes, less is more. To much going on around the home, can detract from those amazing design lines.

Drought resistant landscaping, known as Xeriscaping, is a perfect companion to the elegant mid century modern textures. Corrugated metal fences, like the one shown above, withstand the summer heat remarkably well. Inspired by Albert Frey’s use of corrugated metal at city hall, many homeowners have begun adopting this material over the last decade. I’ve seen dilapidated wooden fences all around the city being replaced by this material… mine included. And the way corrugated metal reflects the sunlight on the colored dirt, plants and rocks can be beyond amazing. It’s like mood lighting that changes throughout the day.

Open carports with slatted wood, like the one shown above, are another great use of texture in the desert environment. The slats provide both privacy and shade, while also allowing breezes to pass through. Every little bit helps with the temperatures hit 110 and above (I know… it’s a dry heat).

And lastly, lets talk about those great circular metal partitions at Palm Springs City Hall. Was Albert Frey reusing the design element from the circular cutout for that iconic entry that allowed the palm trees to pass through the roof? Or was Mr. Frey inspired by the exhaust vents of a jet engine from the nearby airport? The partitions aren’t flat circles, they’re about 8-10 inches deep. They certainly have an ‘Atomic’ quality to them which would be in keeping with that period.

Across the street from City Hall is the Palm Springs International Airport, which was built by the United States Army Corps in 1939, and then declared surplus after the war in 1945. In 1946 it was sold to private buyers, which was then sold to the City of Palm Springs in 1961 and converted to the Palm Springs Municipal Airport. I can’t find any details to support my theory on the web, but maybe I didn’t dig deep enough. Albert Frey was a ground breaking architect who took inspiration from his environment, and is considered the founder of Desert Modernism. Maybe those circular partitions were a nod to the airport to the east, because in 1952, most mid-century homes hadn’t been built yet.

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