Palm Springs, Mid-Century Dreams, and the Week the Cabin Finally Felt Like Home
A birthday escape filled with desert architecture, vintage finds, unforgettable meals, and a cabin milestone that made everything feel real.
After months of working on the cabin, something subtle shifted this week.
We finally moved from sleeping on an air mattress to a real platform bed in the loft, which may sound small, but it honestly felt monumental.
For months (but really years), the cabin has felt like a complete construction site. Tools everywhere. Materials stacked in corners. Half-finished rooms waiting for their turn to shine.
But the moment the rug was rolled out, and the bed frame went in, the loft suddenly felt like a real room, even a place to exhale and enjoy it, even for just a moment. I can’t wait to style it and have our first sleep here. Bye, air mattress! Like forever…
Like an almost finished bedroom. Or having good kitchen inspiration, as seen above, it’s funny how just a few statement pieces of furniture (and a strong north door) can keep a design on track and shift the emotional tone of the entire space. Speaking of statement pieces…
We also started restoring a vintage black sofa on Etsy that will soon anchor the living room, another step toward making the cabin feel less like a renovation and more like a home. I loved the slim profile. I just can’t wait to sit on something soft and comforting while the fire roars. Check out the living room mood board below:
And, of course, the cabin bathroom remains one of my favorite transformations so far.
Looking back, there were five decisions that completely changed that room:
Restoring versus renovating - the original windows, and redwood paneling are everything
Choosing an era-specific tile pattern and palette instead of playing it safe
Prioritizing flow and layout over squeezing in more fixtures
Spending money where it mattered (tile, heated floors, and lighting)
Simplifying the vanity instead of over-designing it
Adding charming touches like the small floating shelf for flowers and decor.
Resisting the urge to “modernize” everything
Sometimes the best design decision is knowing when to let the original character of a place speak.
A Birthday Weekend in Palm Springs
In the middle of all the renovation chaos, we slipped away to Palm Springs for a birthday weekend and stayed at the Ace Hotel, which always feels like stepping into a perfectly curated desert daydream. I love the rooms; they are super dog-friendly, and the pool is a good time.
Palm Springs has this way of making you slow down. Like way slower…
Sunlight through palms. Vintage architecture everywhere. Design details around every corner.
And of course… incredible food.
Dinner at Mr. Lyons
Our first night, we went to Mr. Lyons, a classic Palm Springs steakhouse that feels like stepping into a glamorous desert time capsule. You have to do an old school steak in Palm Springs - let’s be honest.
Dim lighting. Leather banquettes. Perfect martinis.
But the real surprise was dessert.
Their cheesecake arrived with a texture and flavor that reminded me of sticky toffee pudding, rich, caramelized, and deeply comforting. One of those desserts that makes everyone at the table go quiet for a minute.
A Palm Springs Breakfast (Lunch) Ritual
Before heading out for a day of exploring, we started with an early tradition. A bagel from Townie Bagels, which absolutely lives up to the hype.
Perfectly chewy bagels (New York style) with that ideal crisp exterior the kind of breakfast that immediately tells you the day is going to be a good one. My bagel of choice is the asiago jalapeño with tomato and cucumber. We then headed on a long walk to look at all the amazing homes behind 18 @ Twin Palms that was only paused for lunch at Lost Property for lunch - an “adult happy meal” that I look forward to every single time I’m in the warm sun with time to burn.
My order never changes.
An Arnold Palmer first - bright and icy under the desert sun.
Then the miso Caesar salad, which is somehow lighter than a traditional Caesar but packed with salty, umami flavor. The pecorino was freshly shaved and dusted the plate like a delicate cloud.
And of course pommes frites. Perfectly crisp and impossible not to finish.
Some meals just become travel rituals.
This is one of mine.
The Secret to Getting Into Bar Cecil
One of the hottest reservations in Palm Springs right now is Bar Cecil, and getting in can be tricky, but it’s oh so worth it. By far the best meal of the trip.
Here’s the trick:
Show up at 4 pm and put your name on the waitlist.
Then walk around the corner to a small vintage market filled with local artists, vintage clothing, and handmade goods. We spent an hour wandering through booths and sipping a cocktail while waiting for our table. I even got a cheap Supreme tee.
And it ended up being the best meal of the trip.
We started with their “Giverny Garden,” a cocktail, a playful nod to Monet’s gardens at Giverny - bright, fresh, and beautifully poured.
But the real star was the Cacio e Pepe.
Reggiano and pecorino melted into the silkiest sauce, layered with a house blend of black pepper, breadcrumbs, and capers that added the perfect salty crunch. I was moaning the whole time - seriously.
We then finished with a pavlova so light and airy it almost disappeared the moment it hit the table. I’m still dreaming about this dessert.
The kind of meal where you look up mid-bite and just say… wow.
A Mid-Century Design Pilgrimage
Palm Springs is also a dream for architecture lovers.
One afternoon, we visited both the Palm Springs Art Museum and the Architecture & Design Center, which felt like stepping right into the creative DNA of the city.
The highlight for me was a collection of Bob Mackie fashion illustrations glamorous, theatrical sketches bursting with color and personality. You could practically see the rhinestones and sequins jumping off the page.
Afterward, we did something I highly recommend:
A one-hour mid-century modern architecture tour around Palm Springs.
For about $80, it’s one of the best design crash courses you can take. The tour takes you past some of the most iconic homes in the city (Leonardo DiCaprio and Sinatra’s homes were both on the tour) while sharing the stories behind the architects and the people who lived there.
Seeing the homes from the street, the clean lines, the desert landscaping, and the way the houses open toward the mountains gives you a whole new appreciation for why Palm Springs remains such a pilgrimage site for design lovers.
Daydreaming at the Mesa Bungalows
One of the more unexpected stops of the weekend was visiting the Mesa Bungalows, a thoughtfully restored home tucked into the historic Mesa neighborhood. We stopped in on a whim, full from lunch and iced coffee in hand. The best memories always seem to the be the unplanned ones.
We toured a few open houses there and spent a good amount of time doing what design lovers inevitably do, quietly daydreaming about what it would be like to live (but really restore) a place like that.
Pool party ready, low rooflines, desert landscaping, simple materials, and that effortless indoor–outdoor feeling Palm Springs does so well.
What struck me most was this odd moment of realization:
for the first time in my life, buying a place like that didn’t feel like a fantasy.
It felt… possible.
Not that we’re moving to Palm Springs anytime soon, the cabin still has plenty of chapters left - but there was something inspiring about walking through this charmed home and imagining the life that could unfold there.
Sometimes a place doesn’t have to become yours to influence how you think about home.
Vintage Finds Coming Back to the Cabin
Of course no trip is complete without a little vintage treasure hunting.
Palm Springs is full of incredible small markets and shops, and I ended up bringing a few things home that will slowly find their way into the cabin. My favorite stops were the Antique Galleries of Palm Springs , Sunny Dunes Antique Mall, Iconic Atomic , Re[x], Modern Way. The first Galleries had great prices and a ton of stalls close to one another. Grab a Bagel at Townie and head over. You can walk they are so close.
A beautiful vintage design book that I couldn’t leave behind, the kind of book you keep out on a table and flip through on quiet mornings.
A piece of vintage U2 album artwork, which felt too good not to grab and will probably end up somewhere in the cabin gallery wall.
And my favorite find an ostrich simple yet elevated wooden rocking chair that immediately felt like it belonged in the cabin living room paired with our black leather sofa. I always mix materials for a lux look.
There’s something special about bringing home pieces that already have a story. They add that layer of character that new things rarely do — and the cabin, more than anywhere else, feels like the perfect place for them to live their next chapter.
Why Trips Like This Matter
Trips like this always remind me how much inspiration comes from simply seeing things in person. You have to get out there and see it all
A tile detail.
A garden path.
A perfectly placed piece of art.
The proportions of a mid-century roofline.
Even a perfectly plated pasta dish.
All of it eventually finds its way back into how I design and cook and create at home.
Which, of course, brings me right back to the cabin.
What’s Next? Glad You Asked
Next week I’m sharing a few of the details that are finally making the cabin feel like a real home.
First, styling the loft bed, layering bedding, texture, and lighting to turn that corner of the cabin into a cozy retreat instead of just a place to crash.
I’ll also talk about the best mattress we’ve ever owned, which conveniently ships straight to your door (no hauling a mattress up mountain roads required). Plus, the literal best chocolate chip cookie recipe for two.
And on the renovation front, I’ll share our kitchen plans, plus the final exterior paint decision for the cabin, which has been a surprisingly big design debate.
Little by little the pieces are starting to come together.
Homes aren’t built all at once. They happen slowly one decision, one DIY, and one good rocking chair at a time.
Until then,
Dream big and design bold. xoxo - ant
Ugggghhhh the pavlova at Bar Cecil is SO GOOD. I'm so happy you had a wonderful, relaxing and delicious birthday weekend!