Tour of the Albert Frey House II
I just adore Palm Springs... the hubby and I go out as often as we can just for a little getaway. Between the architecture and the shopping and the desert atmosphere it's just a magical mid century modernists dream!
I booked us a tour of the Albert Frey House II. The Palm Springs Museum of Art gives tours only twice a year to a very limited group. He left the home to them to preserve and use as an example of minimalist architecture for students to study.
Albert Frey (/ˈfreɪ/ FRAY; October 18, 1903 – November 14, 1998) was a prolific American architect who established a style of modern architecture centered on Palm Springs, California, that came to be known as "desert modernism".
My dream was to wear my MCM House skirt and get some photos of me in front of the home but alas when we got up there not only was it difficult to photograph because of how it's situated on the hill but they are also doing construction to fix the pool which is right in front of the house. So my dream of a beautiful shot was dashed but I got what I could anyway...
The pool was built above the garage. He mixed powder in with the concrete for the blocks so that they would blend in with the surrounding landscape.
Albert lived here until he died in 1998 - he was into yoga and was a nudist so he installed this bell for visitors to ring when they were on their way up so they didn't catch him in his birthday suit!
When you first walk in you enter through the kitchen. I just adored the simplicity of it. It's all original. The cabinets were a light blue and white with sliding plastic doors. The stove was just your basic stovetop and the oven was also light blue!
The living room is all built-in. There was a double couch, cabinets and a desk behind the couch. That's where he would work on his plans for upcoming projects. The color scheme was very simple, light blue & yellow curtains to match the flowers that bloom outside and off white. The flooring was polished concrete. The entire home is basically siding doors and the roof was just metal.
His only form of entertainment was this built in radio and speaker.
This was a beautiful spot... he sculpted chairs out of the concrete to enjoy the view.
This was his bed which was on the other side of the couches. He built the home around this huge rock and embedded the glass right into it! It was truly amazing to see in person.
He was totally without modern luxuries... he put in this corner soaking tub and the entire bathroom was made using pink tiles... of course!
The view was just stunning. You could see all of Palm Springs from here. I can see why he didn't need a television.
I highly recommend taking this tour during Modernism Week in February or during Modernism weekend in October.
You won't be disappointed!
Visit Modernism Week website here for more info.
To learn more about Albert Frey visit this site here.
xo, DVF