Guests often mistake Heather and Brad Fox’s new Palm Springs vacation home and Airbnb/Vrbo rental for a renovation. “Most people can’t believe it’s new construction and not from the ’50s,” says Heather, who, with husband Brad, heads up Edina design firm Foxwell Studio, along with Foxwell Shop, Fox Homes, and Fox Realty.
But the guess isn’t all that far from the truth, say the stars of the 2019–20 HGTV show Should I Stay or Go? “We started looking for houses that needed a bit of remodeling, but we really, really, really wanted to find something that was architecturally significant and midcentury modern,” Heather says. Although the couple never found exactly that, they happened upon the next best thing: an undeveloped lot, originally part of a larger property, in Palm Springs’ prime Tahquitz River Estates neighborhood, amid dozens of midcentury homes and within easy walking distance of downtown.
“We’ve always been attracted to midcentury modern—a one-level rambler, as we call them in Minnesota, or a ranch, as they say in California.”
–Heather Fox, homeowner and designer
The rare opportunity to build on an established block required a special plan, which Heather and Brad found by way of iconic midcentury modern California developer Joseph Eichler. Eichler made architect-designed homes accessible to everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion—a principle that made him a pioneer in his day.
As part of that plan package, the couple partnered with a Palm Desert developer, Kud Properties, which had worked to license the home plans from the Eichler family. “The great thing was that we were able to work directly with the family about making small adjustments,” Heather says, among which were a more open primary suite and converting a den to a fifth bedroom. “We wanted to make sure the house felt very much like an Eichler, but we were also taking a plan originally designed in the 1950s and making it work 70-some years later.”
“With this approach, we knew the way the house was built and knew everything that was in it. It mitigated the risk of owning a house that was 1,500 miles away from us.”
–Heather Fox, homeowner and designer
That plan, with most rooms opening to patios or an atrium, already made the most of indoor-outdoor connections. So did its post-and-beam design. “Because the design places weight-bearing points on the home’s posts and beams, there’s no need for window headers, which allows full walls of glass,” Brad says.
Even with its embrace of all things Palm Springs, the home naturally lent itself to favorite finds from Minnesota, including Mercury Mosaics tile, Dutton Brown lighting, and Room and Board and Loll furnishings. Even the Hygge and West wallpaper in the bedrooms boasts a Minnesota tie (co-founder Aimee Lagos calls Minneapolis home).
“We loved the idea of building our retirement home in our 30s and using it as a vacation rental. The rental income will help us have it paid off by the time we retire, so we can come here as often as we’d like.”
–Brad Fox, homeowner
But perhaps the most telling connection was to the couple’s 2020 purchase and subsequent renovation of their home in Edina, which was originally built in the 1950s. “Funny enough, [the two houses] are reminiscent of each other in a lot of ways, with lots of good common spaces and just the right bedroom space for our kids and us,” Heather says. “Even some of the colors, wallpapers, and fun designs remind us of Palm Springs.” Their choices make total sense, she says. “Palm Springs is our happy place.”
Interior design: Heather Fox, Foxwell Studio, 4400 France Ave., Edina, 612-999-8443, thefoxwell.com
Builder: Kud Properties, 74124 Hwy. 111, Palm Desert, CA, 760-273-5150, kudproperties.com