Fashion designer-turned-builder Trina Turk added her own flare to a 1963 home renovation in Palm Springs, Calif. High in the Cahuilla Hills sat a home with peeling wallpaper in dull metallics, chipped tiles and flaking flocked patterns. The Soleil House was Turk’s first solo renovation project. The glass walls, asymmetrical pool and the home’s indoor-outdoor relationship felt classically midcentury; all aspects Turk wanted to preserve in the renovation.
“I could tell what this house could look like, and what it could be, as soon as I walked in,” said Turk.
For this project’s countless moving parts, Turk turned to Steven Shields of Shields Residential, a full-scale construction services firm known for navigating the complexities of midcentury renovations with technical finesse and respect for the architecture. She worked directly with their design-build team and served as her own designer, turning her eye for fashion towards interior design.
Shields rebuilt the front deck in steel and pulled back the heavy roofline, replacing part of it with slatted wood to lighten the look and let the mountains ease into the house. The kitchen expanded by removing a bathroom, becoming a bright, functional hub with views of the sheer rock behind the house.
