David Dunn’s Palm Springs condo is filled with an eclectic mix of vintage items, including many pieces he grew up with. PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAN CHAVKIN
DAVID DUNN TRANSFORMS A DATED MIDCENTURY CONDO INTO A BOLD, MODERN ABODE FOR HIM AND HIS PARTNER.
Tucked away behind the Parker Palm Springs is the Seven Lakes Golf & Country Club, a private gated community of 341 mostly single-story homes spread out across 120 acres. Built between 1964 and 1972 by Richard Harrison and William Cody, the community’s design is decidedly midcentury modern—not surprising being that this is Palm Springs, after all.
When looking for a home in the area, East Coaster David Dunn was drawn to Seven Lakes for this very reason. “It’s really important to me to live in a place that has some good architecture,” says Dunn, who’s licensed to practice in New York. “It doesn’t have to be significant, but it has to feel good. And these places definitely do.”
A Burke tulip dining table base—topped with a custom resin oval top by Ulloo 42—is surrounded by vintage chairs. The pendant and Curtis Jeré wall sculptures are also vintage PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAN CHAVKIN
In the kitchen, a yellow range and hood by Smeg stand out against wooden backsplash tile by Mirth Studio. PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAN CHAVKIN
After purchasing a two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo, Dunn, who owns and runs PS212 Home, a kitchen and bathroom showroom in downtown Palm Springs, did a gut renovation of the place. “The idea was to make it a showroom for what we do in our business,” he explains. “I didn’t want it to be cliche midcentury, I just wanted it to be modern. I wanted it to be bold because we were using it to showcase what we can do. Anyone can do nice and tasteful, but I wanted to push myself to go beyond what I normally do, to be a little bolder and have some fun with it.”
The primary bathroom is bursting with colorful pieces, like the high-gloss navy vanity by Eclipse Cabinetry PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAN CHAVKIN
That’s exactly what Dunn did. After making architectural changes for better efficiency and flow throughout, he kicked things off with bold yellow Smeg appliances in the kitchen, balanced by warm gray cabinetry from BauTeam and wooden backsplash tiles by Mirth Studio. While small, the kitchen is very efficient, with thoughtful storage, a built-in coffee machine and a smaller-than- typical integrated 30-inch refrigerator. “There’s just two of us,” explains Dunn, who lives with his partner, Larry Kampf. “We didn’t need a big 36-inch refrigerator.”
In the primary bedroom, festive FliePaper wallpaper is balanced by a Croft House platform bed PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAN CHAVKIN
“I didn’t want it to be cliche midcentury. I wanted it to be modern and bold.” –David Dunn
This being an open-plan living space, one of the challenges was creating different areas, or zones. “I think sometimes it’s difficult with an open floor plan to have all of these different spaces and have them integrated, yet separate,” Dunn says. “That was sort of a challenge.” To tackle this, he used color, simple yet elegant vintage lighting, plus rug and furniture placement to create separation. Areas had to relate to each other, but also function independently.
Vondom furniture and a custom fireplace fill the patio space. PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAN CHAVKIN
The living area consists of mostly vintage pieces—some passed down to Dunn from his mother—along with bold wallpaper by Flavor Paper. A Kyudo floor lamp by Kundalini does double duty as a sculpture and a light source, plus it helps separate the living space from other areas. The dining room table (a vintage Burke tulip table base topped with a custom resin oval top by Ulloo 42) is surrounded by vintage Cherner and bucket dining chairs, while a Curtis Jeré wall sculpture and a vintage globe lamp from the 1960s draw the eye in.
Instead of hanging art above the bed in the primary bedroom, Dunn—who, being from the East Coast originally, was nervous about earthquakes—chose to focus on bold wallpaper. The stone-covered Vista pattern by FliePaper is a nod to the stone elements used around the complex’s pool areas, while the wooden platform bed by L.A.-based Croft House looks like timbers. “I wanted it to be textural and have some natural elements,” Dunn explains. The adjoining primary bathroom—done up with a glossy navy blue vanity from Eclipse, blue recycled brick tiles from Bay Areabased Fireclay Tile and bold magnolia-patterned wallpaper from FliePaper— was decorated in blue for Kampf. “His one request was that we incorporate his favorite color,” says Dunn.
Similarly bold is the yellow guest bathroom, which is also dressed up in Fireclay tiles and wallpaper by FliePaper—a succulent pattern this time. And outside, just off the den, is the patio, outfitted with a custom fire pit and sleek furniture from Vondom.
While there are still small projects to be done here and there—like refreshing some of his mom’s original Edward Wormley pieces from the 1950s—Dunn is happy to call his Palm Springs condo home. “It’s relaxed and such a pleasant place to be in,” he says. “I love it.”
DESIGN DETAILS
LOCATION
Palm Springs
TYPE
Condo
DESIGNER
David Dunn, PS212 Home
ps212home.com
VENDORS
BauTeam
Kitchen cabinetry
thebauteam.com
Bau-Tile
Floor tile throughout
bau-tile.com
Croft House
Primary bedroom bed
crofthouse.com
Eclipse Cabinetry
Primary bathroom vanity
eclipsecabinetry.com
FliePaper
Primary bedroom and primary and guest bathroom wallpaper
fliepaper.com
Fireclay Tile
Primary and guest bathroom tile
fireclaytile.com
Mirth Studio Kitchen tile mirthstudio.com
Smeg Kitchen range, hood, speed oven and coffee machine smeg.com
Vondom Outdoor furniture vondom.com
Photography by:
