For any newcomer to the mid-century modern wishing to grasp quickly what the style is about, Palm Springs is probably the best the place to look.

Here we showcase three lovely examples of Palm Springs modernist architecture from some of the key proponents of the style: Wexler and Harrison’s 1954 house, full of clean white beams, white marble floors and a whole load of windows; one of the many mass-produced houses William Krisel’s practice built in the 1950s; and a house by the eccentric William F Cody with its sleek and almost impossibly thin structural elements opening the indoors to the outdoors like never before.

1. This Opulent Palm Springs Home Offers a True Sensory Overload

Vivid colours, curious patterns and a series of striking material elements combine to produce this rather dazzling mid-century home in Palm Springs.

The sensory overload is palpable throughout, and it starts from the entrance. Nestled amongst a cluster of large rocks, a set of stairs leads to a dark bronze door.

2. Seamless Modernism in Palm Springs: William F. Cody

The legendary mid-century architect William F. Cody was a difficult man to pigeonhole. There exist few buildings that could really explain his style and many of his larger scale projects were quite eccentric, curved in some instances, in others borderline Googie.

3. Mid-Century Desert House in Palm Springs

This Palm Springs mid-century desert house was built by architects Wexler & Harrison in 1954. Its main characteristic, aligned with the modernist Californian style, is the lack of boundaries between indoor and outdoor: only glass walls define the areas.