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Thursday, March 21, 2013

House Tour: Frank Sinatra Twin Palms Estate


Never before have I been to a house tour that is buzzing and full of people. Design enthusiasts, industry professionals, photographers, fellow bloggers and Sinatra fans - it was a great crowd with some people dressed in retro outfits to get into the spirit of the era. It was fun to see!

It was also a challenge to photograph the estate with so many people around and I'm pleased to be able to share these with you. You don't won't to know the lengths I went to so that I can take these photos sans people in them!

Click the link below to see the complete house tour...


A little history of the estate:

Located in the Movie Colony of Palm Springs, the estate was designed by architect E. Stewart Williams in 1947 and it was Sinatra's primary residence from 1948 and 1957. Legend has it that the two palm trees located at the front of the property were the tallest in the valley and Sinatra would erect a Jack Daniels flag between them to let his movie star neighbours know when it was cocktail hour at the estate.



When Sinatra approached Williams to design the estate he originally requested a Georgian design. Williams didn't feel the Georgian style would suit the area and he drew up two plans - a Georgian design and a Modern design. Thankfully Frank chose the second design and the estate is now listed as a historic site and is a great example of mid century modern architecture. I enjoyed seeing the detail of the property, the interesting door handles, the use of textiles, the lamp base in the bedroom above that mimics the frame of the dining room chairs. It has been fitted out well.


Sinatra and his second wife Ava Gardner lived in the estate and are said to have had many arguments including one that involved Sinatra apparently throwing a champagne bottle at Gardner's head, missing, and cracking the sink above. The crack still appears, although it is only faint.

See here for more on the history of the house.


What is your favourite room or feature of the estate? I'm personally in love with the green velvet bed and the fireplace. How about you? What do you like?


This post is dedicated to my friend Emily Sephton.



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