Just Desert

For a hyperminimalist home in the arid Coachella Valley, Nicole Hollis made sure the landscape took center stage

- Janelle Zara

Two hours east of Los Angeles, the city of Indian Wells sits in the arid Coachella Valley, where the crystal blue of an often unbearably bright sky touches down on the terra-cotta terrain. The dramatic contrast of the skyline sent architects on the trajectory of desert modernism, a midcentury-style defined by its minimalist contours and glass walls of sliding doors. Their mission was a lofty one: to dematerialize any barriers between themselves and the beauty of the landscape.