Desert Magazine
You’ll never want to leave this Spanish-style home at 56145 Village Dr.
It’s easy to forget amidst the frenzy that seems to surround everything even vaguely mid-century modern – be it architecture, clothes, or cars – that there was a time in the early part of the 20th century when the prevailing local style was Spanish Revival. The white-plastered walls, terracotta roofs, courtyard fountains, and intricate tilework were the Valley’s visual and visceral connection to Southwestern culture.
La Quinta Resort & Club opened in 1926 and, though it has been updated with the finest amenities, still retains the quintessential charm of Spanish Revival architecture. It’s sophisticated, yet relaxed and peaceful – with the slower, civilized pace of a bygone era. You can only stay at the resort by the night, but just a short distance away at one of the finest Players golf clubs in the country is a gorgeous example of what might be called “New Spanish Revival.” You’ll never want to leave this Spanish-style home, even for a night. The three-bedroom, four-bath, 4,061-square-foot home is on the 17th fairway of The Palms Golf Club – the Fred Couples and Brian Curley-designed course that is the favorite of some of the top professional and amateur golfers in the world. (Reportedly, the average handicap of the club members was at one time the lowest of any golf club in the world.)
However, according to George Lopez of Berkshire Hathaway, the listing agent for the home, “You don’t have to be a golfer to enjoy the peace and serenity this home has to offer.”
The south-facing home at 56145 Village Dr. on a .30 acre lot is entered through an arched entryway, flanked to the right by a three-car garage. As you enter the lush courtyard, then go into the tiled front entry, you feel as if you’ve just stepped into a grand home in Valencia or Cordoba. A short passageway leads to a great room with 20-foot-high ceilings that feature exposed wood beams and tall, south-facing, stacking sliding doors that look out over the pool and spa, past a low hedge and onto The Palms course. The view is seemingly limitless, a huge expanse of green grass and blue sky. As Lopez explains, “This community is unique because no homes are built in the interior of the course. All the homes are built around the perimeter.”
It seems that almost everything about the home is interesting and unique. The pool spans nearly the entire width of the property and – unlike most pools in the Valley, where the “deep” end tops out around six feet – this pool drops to over 10 feet.
Inside the home, the chef’s kitchen features a top-end Viking range; a built-in, double-door refrigerator; and two refrigerator doors in the oversized center island. The raised-floor dining room boasts a kiva-style fireplace – one of four fireplaces in the house. The focal point of the great room is an enormous fireplace that puts out enough heat for the entire room. The spacious master bedroom (which also has high ceilings with exposed wood beams) also has a kiva-style fireplace, as does the separate casita. Separated by a private courtyard, the casita is currently configured as one-bedroom guest quarters with a sitting room, though it can easily be converted to a two-bedroom guest casita. There is also a large office with a built-in desk and cabinetry in the main house, as well as a laundry room, wine room, and second bedroom with its own bath.
For the avid golfer, paradise is just outside your door. With a no-reservation policy, members simply show up and give their name for the next available tee time. Play is limited to three hours and 40 minutes. And those hours will surely be ones to savor … if you can tear yourself away from this home.
