Program: Private Residence
Location: Palm Springs, California
Size: 4,490 sf
Status: Completed 2025
The Funkwards residence is a 4,490-square-foot residence in Palm Springs, California, completed in 2025 by Studio AR&D Architects. Situated within the dramatic desert terrain of the Desert Palisades community, the project explores how a contemporary residence can establish a strong sense of shelter and permanence while remaining deeply connected to the expansive landscape that surrounds it.
The central architectural idea is one of grounding and release. The residence is conceived as a composition of solid, tactile volumes that anchor the house to the desert, counterbalanced by moments of openness that extend the experience of the home into the landscape. Rather than treating the desert landscape as a distant view, the design makes it an active component of the architecture.
The massing establishes a series of carefully calibrated relationships between solid and void. Stone-clad volumes provide enclosure, privacy, and a sense of permanence, while large glazed openings, recessed terraces, and exterior rooms create opportunities for the architecture to open outward. This contrast gives the residence its character: substantial enough to feel rooted in the desert, yet sufficiently open to capture the extraordinary scale of the surrounding landscape.
