Modernist design is the catalyst of the tourist and real estate explosion in Palm Springs, “one of the most concentrated preserves of Atomic Age architecture in California,” according to Alan Hess, author of “Palm Springs Weekend.” Tract homes that measure less than 2,000 square feet and cost less than $25,000 in the late ‘50s now list for $500,000. Davis’ year-old store, Modern Homes, has hardware and furnishings for every inch of the house: poolside furniture, ‘50s-style upholstery fabrics, Mod wall coverings and address numbers designed by Richard Neutra. The rest of the year, dozens of furniture galleries, consignment stores and thrift shops line Palm Canyon Drive with Modernist classics, Hollywood Regency designs and custom furniture by local decorators. Next weekend, the Palm Springs Modernism show will include high-end midcentury dealers from across the country, displaying sought-after furniture and promoting previously underappreciated designers. With cheap and cheerful contemporary products on the shelves at Target and Ikea, and a host of auction and vintage furnishings sites on the Web, the signature pieces for a Modernist makeover are just one mall trip or a few mouse clicks away. What they no longer have to picture is hours of traipsing through flea markets and thrift shops to pull the Palm Springs Modern look together. When people think of Palm Springs, says Mark Davis, owner of the city’s first store devoted to midcentury Modernism, they picture a butterfly roof house, a rock fireplace, the classic 1956 Eames lounge chair, the Nelson bubble lamps.
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