While New Yorkers have the Hamptons for weekend getaways, we Angelenos flock to Palm Springs for the warmth of desert sun during the (ever so slight) chill of winter months. This past holiday weekend, Emily and I took the two hour trek to the midcentury resort town to soak in some rays, relax, and bask in an oasis of color inspiration...
The Saguaro just opened up this month, so the hotel still smells of fresh paint and we're guessing a great deal of it was used considering the Skittles rainbow covers nearly every surface, inside and out. Ironically, all this wonderful vibrancy came way of a New York-based architecture firm, Stamberg Aferiat Architecture, the palette derived from the often otherworldly hues naturally produced by native Mojave flowers (aka blessing for the eyes, the bane of allergy sufferers' noses).
Each type of room offers a different color scheme, some working better than others. Our green and purple room was a bit Batman circa Nicholson/Keaton era and decorated a tad sparsely compared to poolside facing rooms. And we sadly didn't find those multi-striped blankets on our bed, which fondly reminds me of the traditional Korean dress, the hanbok). The trade-off is we had a majestic morning view of the grand snow-covered San Jacinto Mountains (which we later hiked the next day in 2' of pristine powder), as snapped below.
But where The Saguaro really impressed was in the poolside courtyard, where the play between the brightly painted exterior and brilliant desert sunlight produced instant picture perfect moments (especially with attractive swim suit donning guests soaking in the sun).
Obviously this sort of all-in commitment to color isn't for everyone, but our stay illustrates how effective and important it is to consider both natural light and even surrounding native natural elements when decorating and painting your own space. In other words: think place before decorating a space!
(Images: Gregory Han/The Saguaro)
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This is a refreshing break from beige and gray.
LOVE it. Totally staying there next!
the outside is great. i am not so keen on the inside. too garish.
Ah!!!! my eyes:(
Love it. I'm from Miami Beach, so I can enjoy a good neon/bright color overload once in a while. I could never live in it, but what a fun place to visit.
I am turning my house into something similar. it isn't everyone's cup of tea but it makes me so happy I could burst :) you can't be sad in my living room... I want to live in this hotel!
I love color so I'm digging this. My only thought was that if you were to ever get sick on vacation, coming back to your room with all those colors may make it worst. But still..loving it!
These photos look like a unicorn vomited a bag of Skittles.
The outside looks adorable and cheerful.
We stayed here while attending some of the Palm Springs Modernism Week events. it was quite lovely and we enjoyed the bright splashes of color.
I stayed there last weekend as well. At first I was turned off by the deep purple carpet (it's everywhere), but within a short time I found it an interesting contrast to the bright colors. My room had orange walls and doors with yellow furniture and bed. My friend's pink walls/doors with red furniture/bed looked much better by comparison. I didn't get to see any of the green, purple or blue rooms. The bathrooms didn't have updated tile (floors or tub surrounds) and looked aweful with the new, modern and bright updates.
At first I thought it was a typo as one just opened up here in Scottsdale too. Not my cup of tea.
We're locals.. and the place (a former Holiday Inn) was swathed in an awful desert olive green before this iteration. It's certainly bright and colorful.. and you can't miss it. Stopped in to check out Tinto - the tapas restaurant - nice LITTLE menu.. but rather pricey. Did not like the lobby at all - very cheap renovation, bad lighting and very disorienting, look at image 4 - all the partition walls are slanted. I'm sure it's fine for a few days stay..
Oh gosh I love this SO MUCH. I am such a sucker for bright colors. Maybe not to live in, but for a few nights at a time? YES PLEASE!
Not for everyone, but WOW! It sure makes a statement, and a fresh change from beige and grey...
I love the look of The Suguaro. We have one here in Scottsdale, Arizona, too. I recently stayed there to celebrate a friend's birthday, and the rooms inside are such a blast. It's a refreshing break from your standard hotel look.
I love the exterior to bits. The first photo made me happy just looking at it.
While I adore the outside, the inside might be a tiny bit much, though. Those bedrooms don't look terribly relaxing. I think it'd be nicer if they'd done crisp white rooms with splashes of really bright colour.
you guys need to exercise your eyes a little more ;)
PURPLE CARPET.
I love all that color! SO tired of the all-white rooms and the ghastly gray paint on everything.
Great now I want to spend the weekend in Palm Springs! If I didn't have to work this weekend I'd drive right out there for a weekend of awesome-ness
haha I guess some people just can't handle color!
See what a cubicle does to you?
I love this place.
The Saguaro in Scottsdale used to be a Mondrian Hotel (and was designed by Phillipe Stark if I remember correctly). I stayed there and at the time it was into it's decline. The rooms were tiny, the Holiday Inn vibe still remained, we actually were charged a delivery fee for water glasses... the room was dark, so this looks like an improvement. I love the rainbow brite color scheme actually.
always wanted to know what happened to it. Looks like a paint job spruced the vibe up. Might have to give it another try when we go back to Scottsdale.