Design in the desert – Jennifer Schoenberger Design

Howdy loves!

I’m off to be inspired. A long-awaited trip to Palm Springs, a mid-century marvel, with 8 of my favorite people. Nothing like travel to new places to recharge your creative soul and introduce new inspiration into your daily life and designs.

We’re celebrate the passing of time…

(cheese ball)

OK we’re all turning FORTY (!!!) and I have to say I am grateful! I made it! (close enough, my birthday is next month).

I wasn’t really sure how I’d feel when 40 showed up. I’d heard all kinds of stories, listened to friends, some actually quite bummed, but according to my fierce angel Mother, “your forties are the best years of your life!” (thank you Natalie for sharing that story with me xo)

Bring it on. I couldn’t be more excited about this next chapter and this trip. Growing old is a privilege and I’m happy to be a lucky participant. Add in that all nine of us Spartan college roomies are happy, healthy and able to take such a luxurious trip, well I’ll be. What we have is very special: twenty plus years together making memories and taking time for each other. At the very least, a Christmas and Summer get-together takes place annually. I think we started planning for this “40 and fierce” trip at 37? 😉

So let’s get on with it and check out some of the killer design sights we’ll be kicking it in…

Starting here, pool side, at the hip ACE hotel, listening to live music, sipping cocktails and being cheesy.

Photo via Rue Magazine

The Parker Palm Springs. How cute are you!? Check out the rest of their gorgeous grounds HERE including the glammed out “MINI BAR” complete with lucite (bananas!) bar stools HERE.

The Saguaro Hotel is a perfect example of what color can do to an old Holiday Inn. Vision: pass is on! A drink at the hotel bar El Jefe may be in order or dinner at Iron Chef Jose Garces’s restaurant, Tinto.

Ohhhh the Viceroy Palm Springs. Love you madly. Beautifully curated by design maven Kelly Wearstler.

Speaking of KWID design, Trina Turk’s boutique is on my hit list, also designed by Miss Kelly. Love Trina Turk. That girls GOT STYLE! Like mad crazy gonzo style.

And now for the accommodations…a sweet pad we landed via VRBO. Holy rockstars.

I cannot wait to touch those bannisters…is that metal? Loving the mix of those lights with the baroque style console table in high gloss white. Remember this table the next time you come across an ornate mahogany colored console from the 90s in a tag sale. Zero to hip with one can of high gloss paint.

Mmmm the kitchen. Ding ding.

Crazy for the now-made-famous by KWID chairs and the marble fireplace surround. Think I can get that floor lamp passed security?

“Saaa-curity! I got a complicated order!”

(BTW bon qui qui, aka, the adorable Anjelah Johnson, is currently on tour!)

Here they are in powder blue in the gorgeous restaurant Miss Kelly designed for Bergdorf Goodman in NYC. Ate lunch here on a quick Christmas get-a-way with the hubs and thought I’d died and gone to heaven (the energy and magic of that city in December is amazing. Was totally having a moment, sipping champagne, conversing with Mom in heaven. I think of her whenever I’m doing something new and exciting, like “look at me Mom!” She instilled that sense of adventure in us).

Sadly lunch came to an end and I reluctantly left all this beauty and walked downstairs where I ran smack dab into LL Cool J. Holy sht! Now I’ve really died and gone to heaven!!

Back to the desert (and reality), the view from the kitchen. I’d like to point out what a huge fan I am of this layout. Open kitchen, dining in the center, anchored by the living room, it clearly states family, togetherness, entertain me. I can envision Daddy on the couch (with remote in hand), Soph at one end of the table with a puzzle, Jack on the other with homework and me whipping up some grub in the kitchen (exciting lives we lead). So looking forward to hanging out here, poppin some corks, making some apps for the crew. Speaking of apps, the kind for your phone, did you know there is a Mid-Century Architecture Tour app for Palm Springs? palmspringslife.com (Romi girl is so jealous right now).

The lower level game room and bar, conveniently located next to the POOL! Gaga. If I had to guess, that round table, at one time, was a very traditional wood finish made fresh with white paint. I will take a closer look at all the design details in this room and report back with my findings.

Now I rest my weary head here…

here… (love me some flokati pillows currently available at West Elm. Find those same martini tables at Z Gallerie).

or here. The Francophile room. Loving the scale of that headboard.

And the grande finale, the. pool. This is my absolute first choice in pool design. Grass all the way around with just a simple tile border. There’s something about the softness of the grass instead of a bunch of concrete that brings elegance to the space.

And lastly, the perfect amount of seating for our group. Love this combination of the white chairs with the wood table and trio of pots. A lot of late night euchre may transpire. Anyone out there know what euchre is? Has it finally made its way out of Michigan and the Midwest? It seemed in college, no one from out of state had a clue how to play. Growing up in the mitten, every party, picnic you went to, euchre was ON.

Its a card game by the way. Find out all you ever wanted to know about it here.

Highly addicting…”turn down a bower, lose for an hour”

We’ll round out the trip with an afternoon at the spa, some yoga and a visit to the Joshua Tree. Good times! Also wouldn’t mind dipping into the Coachella Music Festival to see what that’s all about.

And that’s a wrap lovers. I will happily report back soon with lots of photographs from my trip and capture anything and everything I think you may find interesting, inspiring, new and/or different with my new camera in its sassy new bag…

So far turning 40 looks alright to me. 😉

While I’m away, you can catch some daily desert design pretties on instagram HERE.

Big love and big thanks for stopping by,

Spartan Jenny (from the rock)

p.s. Please do not forget about my charity project for foster children with Room Service Atlanta (previous post). I greatly appreciate any support you can provide! xoxo

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