Photography: Michael Clifford
Porta Via Palm Desert embraces the design heritage of the nearby Palm Springs area, offering a plant-filled space with more than a little vintage flavour.
Sophie Goineau designed the restaurant – the third Porta Via collaboration she’s completed – and says she ‘tamed the vibrant colours and impressions of quintessential desert structures in the area’. Iconic pieces of Palm Springs architecture, such as John Lautner’s Elrod House, were key sources of inspiration.
The space clearly draws on midcentury design cues, introducing recessed, indoor planting areas, decorative breezeblocks and rattan furniture – Herman Miller lighting and terrazzo flooring complete the vintage feel.
Porta Via embraces the indoor-outdoor aesthetic as well. There are sprays of plants throughout the restaurant, as well as a trio of patios shielded by the building’s steel cantilevers. Even the colour scheme seems to bring in the natural world, with a palette of greens ranging from pistachio and emerald to forest and sage.
Its menu is as fresh as the colour scheme, offering a long list of seafood alongside salads, pasta and steaks.
73100 El Paseo, Palm Desert, CA 92260, United State
