Palm Springs has been mercifully spared from this year’s devastating wildfires. Even so, property is at a premium in the desert city. Houses with architectural merit are even more sought after. And when that house has been updated with an eye to its original charm, people notice.

So it is with this Indian Canyons house, designed by architect Ken Burgess in 1963 for California developer Boris Gertzen. The historic bungalow is currently on the market via Scott Ehrens at Compass for $4.8m.

In the 1960s, the house belonged to Gertzen’s own daughter, who enjoyed its superior elevation and desert mountain views. In 2024, the Los Angeles developer Holding 44 performed a stunning redesign of the entire structure, adding new stone to the facade and building retaining walls and gates at the street entrance. Within the desert property they created a five-bedroom, seven-bathroom estate with three-metre-high moveable glass walls, a wood-faced kitchen with high-end appliances and a matching wood-lined ceiling, a Lutron lighting system, new complementary guest house and a vast resort-style pool with tanning shelf and a spa with space for 10 people.

‘This property is special because of the original architecture and the incredibly thoughtful re-design, which builds upon the original spirit,’ says Ehrens. ‘The property has luxurious organic design materials like travertine, limestone and wood tongue-and-groove ceilings.’

The entire home benefits from south and west-facing views to palm-studded gardens and natural surrounds.

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