Tessa Carla Blog's: Is This Desert Delight the Most ’80s Mansion You’ve Ever Seen?

Friday 17 April 2020

Is This Desert Delight the Most ’80s Mansion You’ve Ever Seen?

The 1980s are alive and well at this sprawling Indian Wells, CA, mansion, an unabashed riot of hot pink, marble, and neon. Think “Miami Vice” meets “Less Than Zero,” with just a dash of the indulgence of “Scarface.”

Built in 1989, the country club compound is a veritable time capsule of pastels and pinkish marble. The ’80s love of excess is on full display in the bold colors of the walls, fireplace, floor, and fixtures.

“It is a really wild house, a custom home with original owners,” says the listing agent, Ed Borquez with Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty. “The owners of the home were casino owners in Vegas, so that’s why all the neon. It’s a masterpiece frozen in time.”

On three lots covering 1.53 acres and listed for $5,999,000 million, the compound on Palo Verde Drive is a party paradise. Of course, people can live there as well.

The entrance into the main residence is covered by a giant pink canopy, with rock walls and sculptures lining the way. It has a huge master suite and two guest room suites.

“The pictures don’t do it justice. You have to see it in person to really appreciate it,” Borquez explains. “The things that were done were really ahead of [their] time.”

However, it’s the 6,200-square-foot entertainment pavilion that steals the neon-lit show. It’s equipped with an indoor hot tub, dry sauna, beauty parlor, massage room, bar, and separate casitas.

“It’s such a big house, and the vast majority of it is really to entertain,” Borquez says. “The [owners] loved entertaining, and that was their biggest draw.”

No doubt many tales could be told of all the characters and celebrities who flocked here. Borquez says the owners didn’t hold back in their vision for the home.

“They built it to have that ‘Rat Pack’ type of Palm Springs lifestyle,” he says.

The game room is anchored by a one-of-a-kind pink pool table and lit by pastel shades of neon. There are mirrors on the walls and ceiling, as well as pink carpet.

For anyone who loves the ’80s, we have great news. What you see is what you get. All of the art and accessories come with the house.

The pool looks as if it belongs in a resort, with waterfalls, swim-up bars, outdoor kitchens, and pink sunshades with neon lighting underneath.

The cabinetry is also pink, and the compound is dotted with colorful sculptures and geometric art. The metal that was used on the home’s exterior was painted with aviation paint to resist fading, just one of the high-end touches the builders used, Borquez says.

An older listing notes that Disney designed the waterfalls for this desert delight. A bar and ice cream parlor area is hidden under one of the water features, offering a refreshing view of the pool and lagoon, as well as the nearby mountains.

The home is in the desert homes section of the Vintage Club, which bills itself as “one of the United States’ most prestigious and ultra-exclusive private country club communities.”

Members have access to dining and entertaining options, as well as a spa and wellness center. The club doesn’t publish its membership list or fee structure. If you buy a home in the community, you must join the club.

“The process is that you make an offer [on a home], and as soon as you make the offer, you apply for the membership and then go through the vetting process of the club,” Borquez explains.

Golf is one of the club’s claims to fame, with two championship courses, one of which has been designated by Golf Digest as one of the top courses in the United States.

Tom Fazio and his uncle George Fazio first designed the mountain course in 1981, and Tom redesigned it in 2014. The following year, Golf Digest named it the “2015 Best New Re-Design.” There is also a desert course.

After hitting the links, you can drive your cart home and park it in one of the spaces for about 20 vehicles in a fully finished and climate-controlled underground garage.

Borquez acknowledges that just as the home is unique, the buyer probably will be also.

“It could be someone that just loves it the way that it is and is maybe going to update a little bit, but leaves the majority of it,” he says.

Alternatively, the new owner might choose to “leave 10% of it and pretty much demo the rest. You have one extreme to the other.”