Palm Springs vacation rental design usually goes one of two directions: full mid-century modern revival, with the Eames chairs and the terrazzo and the aggressive attempt to look like a 1962 movie set. Or generic desert boho, with the macrame and the cactus prints and the "Live Laugh Love" vibes hidden behind a linen curtain.
The Sundune is neither. And getting to that took more work than I expected.
Why "The Sundune"
The name came from Dawn Asher at The Olive Jar, who has done the branding across all four of our properties. She described sand dunes this way: wind carries grains of sand into a sheltered place, soft, sculptural, protective. A gentle refuge within the energy of desert city life.
That image clicked immediately. The Sundune sits in Palm Springs, steps from downtown, with all the energy that comes with it. But the apartment itself is meant to feel like a place you come back to. Unhook. Breathe. The name holds both things at once: the sun-warmed terrain outside, the breeze coming off the coast in your imagination.
Dawn described it as blending two worlds: sun-warmed desert terrain and the breezy spirit of the California surf coast. That dual identity became the design brief.
The streets around The Sundune. Palm Springs architecture is its own category.
What We Were Deliberately Not Doing
Before I get into what the design is, let me be clear about what it isn't. No literal beach house. Not a stereotypical Southwest desert stay. No crisp stark white walls that photograph well but feel cold in person. No generic beach prints. No obvious cactus motifs.
Also: nothing primary, loud, or oversaturated. The Coachella Valley already has plenty of that. We wanted something that felt like it had been lived in slowly over time, sun-faded and collected, not purchased in a bundle from one online store.
That's a harder brief to execute than "pick some turquoise and call it mid-century." It requires restraint.
The Palette: Where Desert Meets Coast
The color story for The Sundune is the most distinctive thing about it. Dawn built a palette that sits at the intersection of two landscapes: the desert and the California coast.
On the desert side: terracotta, clay blush, sunset pink, warm sand, sage, muted olive. On the coastal side: dusty teal, deep ocean blue (their version of indigo), pale sky, seafoam. The whole thing feels sun-faded and lived-in, like colors that have been softened naturally over time. Not bleached out. Just settled.
The walls read as soft creamy plaster whites and sandy mushroom tones. Nothing sharp. The materials layer over that: warm woods, woven fiber, linen texture, ceramic finishes. The palette has named tones: Copper, Sunset Glow, Apricot, Coconut Milk, Cool Aloe, Faded Surf, Indigo Marine, Golden Hour. They sound like they belong on a paint swatch at a surf shop, in a good way.
The muted coastal tones that informed The Sundune palette are everywhere in Palm Springs, if you look for them.
The Rooms: What's Actually There
The Sundune is a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment with a balcony that has become central to how guests actually use the space. Two bedrooms. Three king beds total.
The primary bedroom is set up with a hotel room feel: two king beds, a designer surfboard mounted above them, an accent arm chair, and an adjustable standing desk with a pool view (palm trees, for remote workers who want a reason to open their laptop without suffering for it).
The second bedroom is the one that makes people stop scrolling. Sunset pink printed wallpaper. A birds-eye beach print. A swivel chair that Dawn specifically wanted to keep because it works as a fun pop of character. It's the most playful room in the apartment and it earns that.
The design filters behind The Sundune: coastal tones, warm materials, nothing loud.
The Balcony and Kitchen Flow
The kitchen, dining area, living room, and balcony are meant to read as one continuous gathering space. Slow breakfasts that drift outside. Casual balcony dinners at sunset. Natural light, warm woods, layered textures throughout.
We're currently rethinking the balcony layout. The plan is to remove the existing outdoor dining table and replace it with an L-shaped bar top: one run under the kitchen window, one run along the main balcony edge. The idea is that the balcony stops being a place you "go to" and becomes a natural extension of the kitchen and living room, the way a good outdoor space should feel.
The balcony wall has a watermark that we're repainting. The color options we're considering lean toward a light peachy-cream or very light terracotta. Something that reads warm without trying too hard.
The Art Direction
Dawn's guidance on art is specific: abstract desert landscapes, ocean horizon photography, graphic line art, architectural pieces in muted tones. Frames in light oak or maple, with some gold and colored frames for character. Gallery walls that are intentional but not busy, with negative space respected.
The goal is for it to feel thoughtfully collected over time, not overly styled. There's a difference between a space where every piece was chosen deliberately and a space where every piece was chosen to match. We want the former.
Palm Springs at its quietest. The Sundune is a few blocks from all of this.
The Basecamp Idea
One phrase from Dawn's brief has stuck with me: "basecamp." Hang up your surfboard, sleep in, head out inspired.
It's the right framing for The Sundune. This isn't a place where you stay in. Palm Springs is right outside: the coffee shops worth walking to, the architecture, the art galleries, the roadside taco stands alongside fancy cocktail bars. The property's job is to be the place you come back to at the end of all of it, not to compete with it.
The ideal Sundune guest is someone who gravitates toward Santa Cruz, Big Sur, Laguna Beach. Someone who can spend a morning at a tide pool and an evening at a design bar and feel equally at home in both. Active but cocktail chill. Not rigid with a schedule, happy to wander.
Remote workers are welcome too. The standing desk with the palm tree pool view is genuinely useful, not just a prop in a photo.
How This Compares to Terra Luz
People sometimes ask how The Sundune differs from Terra Luz, our Latin/Cuban-inspired property in Indio. The simplest answer: different city, different culture, completely different design language.
Terra Luz is cocooned and rejuvenating. Old Havana warmth, terracotta layered on terracotta, Kahlo Blue pool, the kind of place where you never want to leave the backyard. The Sundune is wanderlust and effortless, meant to send you out into the city and welcome you back without making a fuss about it.
Same commitment to quality and intention. Completely different personalities. That's by design.
The color and texture vocabulary that runs through all our Palm Springs thinking. Coffee shops like this are part of it.
What's Still Being Decided
Honest answer: the design is still evolving. The balcony layout isn't finalized. The kitchen table situation has three options in play. Gallery wall placement requires an on-site planning day before we commit. The lighting throughout the apartment is being warmed up: swapping cooler can lights for warmer bulbs, adding floor lamps with shades or frosted globes.
That's just how a real renovation goes. You make the decisions you can make from afar, then you show up and measure things and adjust.
What's not changing: the identity. Coastal-desert. Playful and nostalgic. A place that earns the word basecamp without it being a marketing term.
You can book The Sundune here, or read more about how to spend a weekend in Palm Springs if you want to build an itinerary first.
FAQ: The Sundune at Palm Springs
What is the design style of The Sundune at Palm Springs?
The Sundune is built around a coastal-desert aesthetic: sun-faded clay and terracotta tones meet muted ocean blues and dusty teals. Materials include warm woods, woven fiber, linen, and ceramic finishes. The mood is relaxed and layered, specifically designed to feel collected over time rather than styled from a single shopping cart.
How many bedrooms does The Sundune have?
Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, with three king beds total. The primary bedroom has a hotel room setup with a standing desk and pool view. The second bedroom has sunset pink wallpaper and a swivel chair that makes the whole room feel playful rather than serious.
Is The Sundune good for remote workers?
Yes. The primary bedroom has an adjustable standing desk positioned to look out at the pool and palm trees. The kitchen, dining, and living areas flow together so you can shift workspaces throughout the day. Fast WiFi comes standard.
What makes The Sundune different from other Palm Springs vacation rentals?
Most Palm Springs vacation rentals lean into mid-century modern or generic desert boho. The Sundune sits outside both: a surf-culture meets desert-warmth identity, specific color palette, and design choices made by a branding team, not assembled from a catalog. It's meant to function as a basecamp you're genuinely happy to come back to, not just a place to sleep.