An Eye for Eichler
A California couple honors the Eichler aesthetic with spot- on décor and a dedication to preserving the design style.
Preservation meets personal style in this colorful home, where any needed updates were done with inspiration from the past.
FOR YEARS,
Jim Cross and Dave Pearson couldn’t get enough of their weekend getaways at California’s Parker Palm Springs Hotel.
They were drawn to the cheerful, kaleidoscopic interiors designed by Jonathan Adler, not to mention the many midcentury homes that the city is known for. In fact, they were so inspired by the surroundings that they held their wedding at their beloved midcentury- inspired hotel.
From the colorful design aspects of the hotel to the midcentury homes they viewed throughout Palm Springs, the couple came with these inspirations in tow when they purchased this Eichler home located in Orange, California.
WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD
The house was part of a whole neighborhood of Eichler tract homes built in the early 1960s. Joseph Eichler was a real estate dynamo during the midcentury era, taking a page from Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision of “Usonian” homes that could be owned by “everyman.” Thousands of middle- class homeowners gravitated to Eichler’s sleek yet affordable homes, with the highest concentration found in northern California.
When Jim and Dave first stepped into the 1,735- square- foot home, also known as Eichler’s LJ- 144 model, which was featured as LIFE magazine’s Home of the Month in a 1961 issue, they knew it was meant for them.
EVERYDAY WEEKEND GETAWAY
The couple says, “When we first saw our home, it checked all the boxes. We were drawn to the low- pitched roofline and the iconic midcentury carport. Then, when we walked through the front door into the atrium, we were drawn to the post- and- beam construction, the walls of glass and how bright the home was. From the atrium, we could look straight through the home to the backyard and pool. We had the feeling of being on a weekend getaway in Palm Springs. It was exactly what we were looking for in an Eichler home.”
The two purchased the 1960 home in May 2016 and moved in just a month later, knowing they would be making renovations along the way. Prior owners had remodeled many original Eichler features, including the kitchen and bathrooms. The stained redwood ceiling had also been painted, as were all the interior doors, woodwork and mahogany paneling. Jim and Dave made it a goal to preserve as many remaining original Eichler features as possible.
“Our goal was to create a home with a Palm Springs feel and bring back some Eichler interior features,” the two say. “We knew anything original we would keep if possible ( we stripped a lot of paint!). Anything that was already altered, we replaced— taking inspiration from the past.”
“We have lots of family get- togethers. We’ve only been in the home four years or so, and it’s already made lots of family memories.”