Revitalizing A California Architectural Gem With Punchy Hues

Among the influential architectural luminaries of Greater Palm Springs, William F. Cody is one of the most prolific, with hundreds of public and private projects that explored and defined Desert Modernism in the midcentury. Hospitality design was his forte, but when a Cody residence hits the market, heads turn, says Emily Summers. And her clients happened to snap up one of his 1963-built dwellings tucked within an exclusive Indian Wells golf community as their second home.

The designer, who’s been spending a portion of each year in the Coachella Valley for three decades and owns a home in Indian Wells herself—her family’s winter escape—was well aware of the legendary figure behind her clients’ purchase. What’s more, she knew the previous owners, had visited the home many times and had long admired it. “My own desert house is a similar style and time period, and the renovation of this residence was done by the same architect I worked with: Lance O’Donnell of o2 Architecture, a student of Cody’s who kept his style in everything he touched,” Summers explains, noting how rarely updated Cody-designed residences ever come to market. “This is a really well put-together house with a terrific layout and limited intrusions into the architecture,” she goes on to say. “My clients were thrilled to find it.” And Summers, the designer of their primary residence as well, was equally excited to put her own spin on it while honoring its history.

Revamped by O’Donnell in 2003, who was also tasked with adding a guest casita to it in 2011, the post-and-beam residence needed no structural interventions, freeing the interior designer to focus on colors, furnishings and artwork. Laid out like a series of pavilions wrapped around an inviting pool, the residence bears the hallmarks of Cody’s desert portfolio: thin rooflines, walls of glass and clerestory windows (“which make it feel as if the ceilings are floating,” Summers observes). Natural light pours in throughout the day, she reflects. “Cody sited his homes beautifully, always with the sun in mind.” The main rooms flow into one another—kitchen to dining room to living area, with a casual breakfast banquette tucked in at one end—and allow for effortless movement outdoors. Alongside all the floor-to-ceiling glass, white walls and pale terrazzo-tile floors serve as a clean canvas that neatly ties all the spaces together.

Summers selected vibrant hues to help drive her design (“The desert loves color, that’s for sure,” she says). In the living room, a space defined yet visually open to the dining room and kitchen, a tufted orange-and-white rug strikes a cheerful note. “I can’t resist a touch of orange; it’s a great accent color,” the designer comments. “It works especially well in this area, as its surrounded by orange and tangerine trees.” She peppered the hue into various textiles throughout the house, even selecting a midcentury starburst clock in the peppy shade for the open kitchen, where it winks from white walls. “Keeping the kitchen so neutral made it very easy to assimilate into the flow of the whole house,” Summers says. “This is such a casual living style.”

Artwork helps create some of the home’s standout moments, such as the saturated floral quartet hung behind the striped banquette or the Matisse lithographs that overlook a guest bedroom. Summers combed local galleries, showrooms, antique markets and more for one-of-a-kind pieces. “The whole function of my work is the find; I’m an avid searcher,” she says with a smile. “And Palm Springs is a vintage haven.” Her hunt drew together Mexican and Indian textiles, a vintage coffee table from Paris and iconic pieces by midcentury giants like Finn Juhl and Edward Wormley. “Furnishings from the same period really resonate with the architecture,” the designer muses.

Befitting a vacation retreat, Summers designed the guest bedrooms as in-house departures. The guest casita, for instance, exudes a Bahamian flair, with a rattan canopy bed and green-and-white fabrics. Another features an embroidered Indian fabric and textiles from Mexico. In contrast, the homeowners’ bedroom is awash in cream and pale blues. “I see primary bedrooms as restful and calm, but the other bedrooms are just fun,” Summers says. “I want guests to have a memorable experience.” The designer can personally attest that the owners, and anyone they invite over, actually do. After all, she’s practically a neighbor. “It’s so nice to create environments that suggest a good time,” she concludes. “And it makes me so happy to see them enjoying the house.”

Editors’ Note: This story highlights a space in the Los Angeles region impacted by the January 2025 wildfires. Please consider donating to LA CAN DO and other relief efforts to help the community rebuild.