Modernism Week has held a special place in the heart of interior designer and television personality Bobby Berk for several years. In fact, while working on the fifth Desert Eichler House for the annual Architectural Showcase in 2017, he received a call to audition for the Netflix series “Queer Eye.”
The annual event seems to be Berk’s lucky charm – he’s landed the role of the show’s design guru – and he’s about to enjoy a homecoming as he invites audiences to Casa Tierrahis showcase house for Modernism Week – May.
Modernism Week – May will highlight Mid-Century Modern architecture throughout the Palm Springs area Thursday through Sunday. Casa Tierra tours are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during these days and cost $55.
To see all the events and buy tickets, visit https://modernismweek.com/.
Cocktails and house hunting
Last summer, Berk was having a drink by the pool at an Airbnb — The Summit in Palm Desert — when he realized he had to own a piece of the desert himself.
He went online to see what listings were available and found Casa Tierra, which was located just down the hill. Berk said he could even see the property from Airbnb’s pool.
Casa Tierra, which translates to “earth house” or “earth house”, is a hacienda-style home originally built in 1950 and offers stunning panoramic views from its two-acre hillside setting and half. The property consists of a main house with five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms, as well as two casitas which include their own kitchens and bathrooms.
The interior designer was serious about the property, so he made an offer on the house and went into receivership without really seeing what it looked like on the inside. When he finally saw the inside of the house, the only way Berk could describe it was an “s—show”.
“It was disgusting and there were so many safety hazards everywhere,” Berk said. “Apart from making it beautiful, we had to walk around and be like, ‘It’s not safe, it’s not safe, how did this place not burn down, and oh, my God , the guest house is filled with black mold.'”
But he does not regret the purchase. Even with its issues, the hillside home was “such a cool property” that was so unique, he said. The only other house that looked like it in the valley was the former multi-building property of Suzanne Somers.
However, it would end up being one of his toughest projects to date.
Berk fell into interior design after working in restaurants and retail furniture stores. After bankruptcy and a store closing, Berk decided to start his own online business, Bobby Berk Home, in 2006, which ended up being one of the first online furniture stores available, he said. he declares. Later, he also opened brick and mortar stores.
In 2015, his profile began to attract attention in the world of interior design and he had the opportunity to design show homes for the National Association of Home Builders. Annual International Builders Show. Although he had no experience drawing floor plans or electrical plans, the houses turned out to be a “huge success,” Berk said.
That same year, Berk collaborated with Christopher Kennedy on his showcase house for Modernism Week. As he worked on more Mod Week projects over the years, he expressed interest in doing his own showcase house for a year, but only if he owned a property. This finally became a reality when he purchased Casa Tierra in August.
“I’ve always wanted (a house) in the Coachella Valley,” he said. “I think before I even closed (on Casa Tierra), I messaged them, ‘Hey, I think I’m finally going to do this.'”
Upper fixator
Work began on Casa Tierra in mid-November, and what should have been a multi-year build ended up being renovated in six months, but it didn’t come without difficulties.
The house was originally scheduled to be showcased during the 11-day Modernism Week festival in February, but the COVID-19 pandemic posed several problems.
“Omicron hit, half of our team was knocked out, half of every vendor’s team was knocked out, so all of our appliances, our counters, our cabinets, none of that would happen (in time)” , Berk said.
In addition to the timing, there were several issues that needed to be resolved at home. Berk said two bathrooms had no hot water, the plumbing and electrical needed updating, and there was not enough electricity in the guesthouse for the air conditioner.
“We mainly specialize in new construction. We don’t do a lot of renovations, especially 50s houses, and especially 50s houses which I think were built by those who lived there in the time,” Berk said of the challenges that arose. with the project. “Every wall you open, you are like holy (expletive).”
Knowing that a monster project awaited him, Berk asked the Southern California interior designer Paula Oblen to join him in the adventure. Oblen designed The Summit, the Airbnb Berk stayed in when Casa Tierra first caught his eye.
Oblen collaborated on the designs, but was also responsible for “making the tough decisions every day,” Berk said. Without her, the house “wouldn’t be finished for years.”
Although Casa Tierra has had a facelift, Berk said he tried to keep as many of the original materials in place, including terracotta tiles throughout the house. The flooring made a huge statement in the house, and Berk said if it had been changed it would have had an impact on the ambiance of the hacienda. He also kept the textures on the walls, although he’s normally not a fan as it gets dusty and hard to hang the decoration on.
Berk also found ways to incorporate his signature style, mostly using lots of black. He decided to abandon the natural wood color of the ceiling and give it a spectacular finish.
“I like dark, rich colors, but you have to balance that with the white, so because we did dark ceilings, we left all the walls white, and most of the upholstery throughout the house is white. light color,” Berk said.
The outdoor area also needed new features and security upgrades. A large terrace was added, where previously Berk had said there was a “small terrace 4 feet deep on which was a sign saying ‘No more than 10 people'”.
There are two outdoor bars on the property, one on the upper courtyard and another by the pool. A powder room was also added since there was no bathroom near the pool without having to go through the main house or one of the casitas.
Berk also changed the irrigation system from a spray, which was a “huge waste of water,” he said, to a drip irrigation system. The change is more environmentally friendly, he said, and it uses an eighth of the water used before.
Now that all the work has been done and Casa Tierra is about to be presented to the public for the first time, the moment still hasn’t flowed for Berk.
“It doesn’t even seem real. We were able to stay there for the very first time (recently) and it doesn’t feel like my home. I always feel like I’m just in an Airbnb,” Berk said. “I used to live in my car, so moments like this are always surreal.”
With a desert project completed, Berk is already thinking about his next design. He bought the property next to Casa Tierra and he plans to create a “super modern” net-zero house.
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
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