PALM SPRINGS, CA— When Christy Eugenis and her husband and business partner, Stan Amy, saw the Orbit In, here, Eugenis felt it could be restored to its 1950s glamour. When Eugenis and Amy bought the 10-room property— which was originally built in the 1950s as “an apartment hotel”— in 1999, they were looking to “invest in something in a warm climate, kind of small, that’s somewhere we can drive or fly to [from Portland, OR], somewhere we can get to know the place and the people. We weren’t thinking hotel, just a little 1950s courtyard complex… But this just screamed hotel,” said Eugenis. Eugenis believed she could restore it to its former Palm Springs mid-20th-century glory, as she and her husband are involved in “neighborhood commercial development.” Besides, she said “none” of the properties of that type here “had been done in retro style,” thereby making it stand out. Helping Eugenis shape the furniture design was the fact that many original 50s features were still intact, such as the kitchenettes and pink tile baths done by the original designer, Herb W. Burns, she said. Eugenis started combing Palm Springs for estate sales and local stores such as John’s Resale Mid-Century Modern and Modern Way, looking for original mid-century pieces of furniture from the 40s, 50s and 60s. She said finding “authentic pieces of Palm Springs” was a long process that required many trips back and forth from Portland. When she couldn’t find original pieces, she had them reproduced by Urban Ease in Seattle. For instance, the sofas in each room are new, while the Harry Bertoia bird chair and ottoman in the room called Bertoia’s Den are original. “I would take Polaroids of original pieces I found and site plans of each room, and see what new items I could pair with them,” said Eugenis. Eugenis explained that each room has a slightly different theme, or “persona, with its own history,” like the aforementioned Bertoia’s Den, with original pieces that inspired the design. For example, the Martini Room has toothpick tables with legs mimicking the look of toothpicks protruding in all directions designed by Lasky, said Eugenis. It also features black, wire-frame chairs with green pads, fabrics from Maharam inspired by the designs of Ray Eams and an aluminum clock also mimicking the look of toothpicks and olives. And in the Rat Pack Suite, mid-century touches include “the infamous womb chair by Eero Saarinen,” as well as original “Charles Eames bikini pad chairs,” said Eugenis. All except for the Martini Room— which offers a freestanding Martini Bar with new Pepe Cortez boomerang stools— have a private patio, furnished with mid-century-inspired items. Eugenis said her clientele— which consists of interested architects and interior designers and film industry types— have embraced the retro look, and appreciate the high-tech amenities, like dataports in the rooms and at poolside.
