Architecture In The Desert By Nomos RED, $3.85M
Author:Philip Ferrato
Nomos RED is a small design/build firm with an outsize footprint, where the founders and principal designers Paula Bueso-Inchausti and Guille Castaneda are deeply involved in every design and construction detail, citing influences across Modernism– from the exquisite planes of glass and masonry of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Paul Rudolph to Brutalism’s raw, board formed concrete– in this newly-finished Palm Desert project. The firm has a global outlook, stretching from Madrid and London to Silicon Valley; they’re currently based in Palm Desert. Castaneda had previously worked for Foster+Partners in London and came to Silicon Valley to work directly on the firm’s new Apple HQ in Cupertino.
Originally the site of an undistinguished ‘70s era home, it’s on a large, deep lot with well-tended mature landscaping, permitting a layered outlook and spaces to explore. Sliding walls of glass eliminate the barrier between inside and out, outlooks are defined by the walls of board-formed concrete, deep overhangs and polished concrete floors, and inside, sleek partitions of wood and acid-etched glass orchestrate an unforgettable experience.
About the garage doors– another example of the firm’s out-of-the-box (literally) design esthetic– Nomos RED told us “Even though garage doors typically represent 30-50% of the home’s main facade, most designers end up using off-the-shelf sectional doors… Since we started our practice, we have always strived to design unique garage doors, aiming to make them invisible as part of the facade and incorporating creative mechanical solutions to enhance their wow-factor while being operated. In this case, both doors have an in-ground pivot mechanism that create a horizontal bifold operation, resulting in silent and extremely precise opening and closing cycles.” And with the parking area shielded from the street, these doors are not even visible from the front. It’s an outlook that permeates every detail of the house. Even though it occupies the heart of the house, the “invisible” kitchen by Bulthaup and Boffi melts away visually with the closing of a few panels (on the left side of the image below.)
The Team: Architecture and landscape design by Nomos RED; General Contractor DW Construction with Nomos RED; staging by Nomos Ivory.
More: Go to the listing for additional images and details, plus a video. An extraordinary opportunity to own a sublime work of architecture in Palm Desert, represented by Keith Markovitz of the TTK Represents team at Compass.