Clean, White and Modern in Escena

Sure, the site’s to die for.

It’s Palm Springs, after all. There’s the lush backdrop of the Escena Golf Course just outside the pool in the back yard. And rising beyond that are the rugged, purple peaks of the San Jacinto Mountains.

But it’s the interior of this model home, known as B3, that takes the breath away.

“There are so many massive and open windows that we wanted it to feel like a bright white gallery – so bright that you’d almost have to wear sunglasses,” says Scott Allen, senior designer with Interior Illusions.

He partnered with Andrew Adler of the Alta Verde Group and Anthony Poon of Poon Design Inc. for the interiors of three model homes at Escena, a gated community with a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course.

B3 is the brightest light in the bunch.

“The one next to it is Hollywood Regency, with more splash, and the third was more tone on tone, with subtle grays and taupes, and a calm soothing feel to it,” he says. “This was the entertaining house where you’d come to Palm Springs with other couples and lay out by the pool – it’s a statement piece.”

Its walls are drenched in Sherwin Williams “Whisper White,” and its floors are laid in faux Carrara marble – actually white ceramic tile – in baths and common areas. Flashes of color pop here and there, but never dominate.

“With these models, we didn’t want to make it to decorate-y,” he says. “These are about the architecture, so we focused on the clean lines so as not to muddle it up or distract the eye.”

Clearly, Allen’s tastes gravitate toward minimalism, but the firm’s known for a range of styles. “We push the envelope with the ‘Wow!’ factor,” he says. “Some are Hollywood glam and some are Regency, with glitz and glamour from old Hollywood.”

But the B3 is cool, clean and calm – and very appealing.

“It sold right away,” he says “We tried not to sell the models, but people bought them anyway.”

And surely, it wasn’t just for the site.

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