Midcentury for This Century: Buyer Snags $5.1M Desert Dwelling in Palm Springs

Is it a desert mirage? Err, homage?

You know a design style is truly a classic when it inspires incredible, new work for decades beyond its origin.

That’s exactly what Los Angeles restaurateur Beau Laughlin and his actress wife, Lindsey Gort, achieved in Palm Springs. The pair built a brand-new, midcentury modern-style masterpiece from the ground up, with the help of prominent Palm Springs architect Sean Lockyer, of Studio AR+D.

After entering the market in early June for $5.1 million, the five-bedroom, five-bath home caught a buyer’s eye and is in contingent sale status.

Desert modern design

The home features the traditional single-story, clean lines, and organic materials prescribed by the original masters of classic desert modernism. But this beauty also boasts the most current technology for a thoroughly modern dwelling.

Laughlin and Gort employed a timeless design technique before building began—they spent hours on the property, observing where the best light fell at different times of day and considering the views from each room.

They situated the structure on the nearly half-acre lot, so the sweeping mountain and desert vistas could be enjoyed at all times.

One example of the view-centric design includes Fleetwood glass, pocket sliders that face the iconic San Jacinto Mountains.

The guest suite, dubbed “The Mountain Room,” faces a small mountain where the famous Palm Springs bighorn sheep can occasionally be seen.

To maximize the landscape views, the building team constructed the home with two wings connected to the main living space by a double-sided, glass breezeway. This striking feature overlooks the pool, surrounding desert, and outdoor entertainment spaces.

The home is built primarily of durable and sustainable materials, including concrete, wood, stone, and steel. Natural stone is particularly prominent in the kitchen and bathrooms.

Built with ecology in mind, the home is kept cool in the summer and warm in the winter by high-density, eco-spray, foam insulation. In addition, solar panels offset approximately 80% of the home’s energy needs. Tankless water heaters also conserve one of the desert’s most precious elements.

Luxe outdoor amenities include a resort-sized pool and spa, a fully outfitted outdoor kitchen, a conversation area surrounding a fire pit, tasteful desert landscaping, wood decking, and a cantilevered pergola.

Ideal for the privacy-minded buyer, the 4,185-square-foot home is situated on a corner lot in the upscale Parc Andreas neighborhood and has just one adjacent neighbor. A six-foot privacy wall surrounds the property, and a double gate opens to the front motor court.

Laughlin designed and served as general contractor on a number of award-winning Los Angeles restaurants, including The Hudson, The Churchill, Clover, and Fifty Seven.