“The house has amazing color theory and is a stunning example of early 70s design. It feels like an immersive piece of art.” — Matthew Reader
What words? Plush, lavish, regal, colorful … epic! This 1965 Palm Springs time capsule home — which was redecorated in glamorous 1969 style by the home’s second owner Jack Stephan, “Plumber to the Stars” — is currently listed for sale by Matthew Reader of Paul Kaplan Group. Almost all of the home’s 1969 decor and furnishings remain intact. Back in 1969, the interior redesign cost $150,000 – that’s a whopping $968,321 today! You will be amazed, we promise — thanks to the 23 photos, courtesy Lance Gerber of Lance Gerber Studio.
“Stephan’s Folly”
Jack Stephan founded his first business, Jack Stephan Plumbing & Heating, in 1946, and Adee Plumbing & Heating in 1949. The company is still in business, run by two of his sons. By the time he bought the house and redecorated it in 1969, his business must have been booming, because the decorators working on this house seem to have been given a blank check. Even so, Jack Stephan seems to have been bemused by his own extravagance and dubbed his estate “Stephan’s Folly.”
- Jack Stephan died in 2014. He was such a memorable fixture, the Los Angeles Times wrote a lengthy obituary here.
- Kinda sorta reminds us of our 2014 story about the 1962 time capsule house of Mel Brown — Furniture King of Los Angeles.
This house — it’s fantastique! From the listing:
- Price: $879,000
- Year built: 1965
- Square footage: 3,250
- Bedrooms: 3
- Bathrooms: 5
This grand 3,250 square foot estate style home is a showcase of design and Palm Springs style. This exceptional mid-century property was designed by architect Robert Lewis and constructed in 1965, and it is located in Deepwell Estates, one of the most desirable neighborhoods in South Palm Springs. This impressive home was made for entertaining, and it is rich in local history. Deepwell had many celebrity residents, and Loretta Young, Julie London, Jack Webb, Eva Gabor, Liberace, and Elizabeth Taylor all lived on Manzanita at one time.
The current incredible interior was designed and installed in 1971 [note, Matthew says further research indicates: 1969], and every surface has been meticulously maintained and preserved. The home was the 2015 recipient of the PS ModCom’s prestigious Residential Preservation Award.
This special home is centered around a kidney-shaped pool, and it features a sunken living room, curved wet bar, three bedrooms, den (or 4th bedroom), five bathrooms, pool cabana room, and an oversized garage for classic cars.
“There are 16 different types of wallpaper and fabric cohabitating in perfect harmony from red to orange, and pink to fuchsia.”
Stephan’s Folly has been so extraordinarily preserved that the Palm Springs Modern Committee just awarded its current owner of the home — Ross A. Klein — with a Residential Preservation Award. Realtor Matthew Reader, who sold the house to Klein, made the presentation and shared his introductory speech. It includes more background information (edited a bit by us for use here):
Adee do! Those words were drilled into pop-culture posterity thanks to Jack Stephan, a flamboyant entrepreneur with a flair for marketing who founded two of the region’s most heavily advertised plumbing companies in Southern California: Adee and Stephan’s Heating and Plumbing.
This fabulous residence, constructed in 1965, was designed by Robert Lewis & Associates. Originally built for Dr. & Mrs. Sanford Ehrens, it was later purchased by “Plumber to the Stars” Jack Stephan in 1969, who gave it the name Stephan’s Folly. Mr. Stephan founded Jack Stephan Plumbing & Heating in 1946, and Adee Plumbing & Heating in 1949. He passed away in 2014 at the age of 96 and left the home to his third wife of forty-five years, Barbara.
Ross purchased the home sight unseen after he was encouraged by yours truly of The Paul Kaplan Group. I was literally face-timing Ross from the house. He said it was love at first sight.
Ross says he was inspired to buy the house because of the history of the previous owners and the exquisitely maintained period interior decor and custom furnishings. The house has amazing color theory and is a stunning example of early 70s design. It feels like an immersive piece of art. There are 16 different types of wallpaper and fabric cohabitating in perfect harmony from red to orange, and pink to fuchsia. Every lampshade and light bulb is spec’d to match the light fixture.
The Stephans were incredibly social and many great card games and parties of Palm Springs luminaries were hosted at the house. Mrs. Stephan was very generous in leaving many period accessories in the home from books and games, and cards and shufflers, to the Jean Naté and chafing trays for guests! In keeping with his attention-grabbing advertising style, Stephan drove Rolls-Royces and maintained a flashy wardrobe, including mega-carat diamonds and suits in his favorite color, red.
The interior is almost entirely original. In fact, the only items not original to the design are some of the appliances that were replaced over time. The house was the epitome of chic luxury and Palm Springs style.
Every piece of furniture was custom designed, with many pieces featuring hand-applied gold leaf. There are matching fixtures in 23 karat gold, and up-to-date modern luxuries like electric drapes, a movie screen, 12 carousel 8-Track Player, and NuTone Sound System. There is even a professional salon hair dryer.
In contrast, the exterior is much more restrained than the interior. While the house was always “please, no smoking,” guests were given gold leafed wooden matchboxes inscribed with “Stephan’s Folly.”
On the phone with Matthew Reader, Pam discussed how to categorize the home’s interior design. How about: Arabian Nights meets Moroccan meets Hollywood Regency Taken As Far As it Can Go meets…. Steak House?! Indeed, Matthew says that everytime he goes into the house he immediately starts craving a steak, a baked potato and a Manhattan. “Even at eight o’clock in the morning,” he laughed. He underscores that inside, smoking was never allowed — the house does not feel musty or old. Pam declares that this home may not really be a “time capsule” — it’s a “time machine.”
Reader also told us that it’s believed that the interior redesign in 1969 cost $150,000. We went over to the online CPI Inflation calculator and that translated to nearly a million dollars ($968,321) today. That said, we don’t think you could even replicate these interiors today — some of these materials would be very difficult, and expensive, to find!
Also of interest — do you recognize anything familiar in the home’s kitchen?
Why yes, it looks like those are some woven wood blinds, possibly originals from back in the day from our friends at Beauti-Vue!
Suffice to say: We love it. Fingers crossed the new buyers do, too, and don’t change a thing.
Link love:
- Mega thanks to realtor Matthew Reader from Paul Kaplan Group for allowing us to feature this property and supplying us with even more information about the history and decor of the residence.
- Thanks also to photographer Lance Gerber of Lance Gerber Studio for supplying us with these fantastic photos of the property.
- Again: Wonderful story about Jack Stephan’s life via the Los Angeles Times.
- Adee Pluming — still serving Southern California, since 1949! Adee do!
Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge on screen… click anywhere to move forward and look for previous and next buttons within photo to move back or forth… you can start or stop at any image:
Nancy says
It’s weird–I like the kitchen and bar a lot, the dinette area and living room are hot (I’d say ‘cool’, but not with that palette!), but the bedrooms? They’re just a bit too Hugh Hefner for my tastes.
And while I like the avocado color in the tub, the tile it’s made of strikes me as an incentive to use the shower instead. (Seriously, who wants a waffle-texture *there*?)
maria says
I agree about the tub, I’m shopping for a new to me MCM house and have seen several of those sunken tile tubs. I love to take baths, but when I see them I always think what can I do with this because they sure don’t look bath friendly. Also, sunken is kind of a hazard.
pam kueber says
I had an apartment once that had a tiled-in sunken tub. I used it to shower, but also, occasionally, to bathe. It was fantastic. The biggest issue was that it held so much water that it took a long time to fill up. But once in, oh my word – delightful!
Yes, you need appropriate safety bars etc!
Kathy in San Leandro says
I was thinking along the same lines as ineffablespace. It’s over the top in the same way as certain Victorian styles were. I don’t think I could live with it every day, but I sure would like to spend at least one morning sitting in that high-backed fuchsia velvet chair, primping at the mirrored vanity. And at least one evening enjoying cocktails with fellow readers at that sunset-hued bar.
How about we pool our money, buy this place, and make it the first Retro Renovation bed and breakfast inn?
cc says
Why has nobody talked about the kitchen!??? Y’all take the rest of the house – I want th-t kitchen!!!! That counter, the color matched appliances!! The only thing that its missing is plastic tuperware cannisters and weird owl trivets and a fuzzy owl hanging (which incidently, I have!)
Karin says
Wow. I just picked up my jaw off the floor. Words fail me. It’s an art installation. What a place. Somebody please ABSOLUTELY MUST make a film set in the 1970s here. Quick, before somebody
“redecorates!” Love the commercial too. Thank you!
Ronda F. says
Parts of this design remind me of the “Madonna Inn” in central California.
pam kueber says
Yes! We did two stories on rooms at the Madonna Inn: https://retrorenovation.com/search-results/?q=madonna%20inn
maria says
It’s all the pink and flocked wallpaper, yes! I love that place.
PS
From my post above, even though it’s not my style I can appreciate it and hope it goes to the right person who will love it. I sure wish there were more houses that haven’t lost their original glow with all the “updating” and “flipping” going on. Much of that seems almost like a crime. I’ve been looking for a new to me mid-century home and so many have “updated” traditional kitchens that would IMHO need to be ripped out.
Shannon says
Pam and Kate must be busy to let a commenter throw any shade at this glowing beauty. I will be nice and not comment on the lack of understanding of art from any era. This house is surely Art if I have ever seen it! We know there are cool, genius, inspirational things for all eras of human history… even.. gasp the 70’s! the 1990’s! Even… dare I suggest… 2010. Sigh. Why do people have to be… people?
Beautiful House, Silly people.
pam kueber says
Yes, our commenting guideline is: Be civil. I deleted one comment flat out. To be sure though, I’ll happily allow for differences of opinions — as long as folks are civil about it.
tammyCA says
Wonder if any period movies/shows were filmed there..nothing would have to be added. Even tho’ I’m more of a light & window lover I can appreciate the design..I have a strong affection & nostalgia for dark, intimate 1960s cocktail lounges..I can hear that soft jazzy, xylophone music now.
Scott says
What a palace! And my heart just sings in delight at seeing a period-appropriate Cadillac in the driveway! YAY!
Normally I turn my nose up a dark wood finishes in the kitchen, but this just proves you have to be open-minded, even things you think you don’t like can be beautiful when put together in the right way.
Fun, fun, fun to see!
Kristen says
WOW I would totally buy it and keep it exactly as is! So so cool to see. Thanks for featuring! Time capsule houses are my favorite…sure hope to move into one someday!
ineffablespace says
Many people are going to feel about this as our grandparents felt about Late Victorianism. It’s of a too-recent past for many to look at its excesses, and its anti-now-ness with fondness. Lots of Victorian buildings and interiors were lost in this way: there was no historical value placed on them by the next generation. Elsie de Wolfe said later in life that she regretted some of her anti-Victorian sentiments of her early career.
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One element that houses like this have that is mostly missing in current interiors is atmosphere. This interior is completely enveloping and is a full sensory experience. This was obviously a high end project, but this sort of intense, saturated interior was executed at all levels of design. I would say that for the last 20 years, design–particularly in the middle of the market–has been stuck in a rut of complete dullness and inoffensiveness guaranteed to not inspire a visceral reaction in anybody. Only at the top of the custom markets are designers doing anything that is the current counterpart to this sort of design.
My personal feeling is that good design should not have universal appeal. If it is guaranteed to appeal to everybody, it’s not really going to make much of a statement.
Allison says
You make an excellent point; a great deal of current design trends right now are geared to not offending than to actually appealing to anyone.
I assume this is related to the fears people have of getting stuck with a house they can’t sell- worst since the First Depression, I suspect.
Retroski says
Agreed!
Good design is like good art; you might not care for its looks but you can still appreciate it.
It seems IKEA is one of the few places making good design on the low end. IKEA pieces are distinctive and some do get that hate it!/love it! reaction. Also if you look on Apt Therapy there are some modern designs with atmosphere yet people are turning to the eclectic look to get it.
I wonder, when today’s “meh” styles become the resale goods 20 yrs down, will thrifters find anything good?