Our Hearts Skipped a Beat Upon Seeing This Majestic California Home

Have you ever felt your jaw physically drop at seeing something your eyes simply can't believe is real life? This is what happened to our MyDomaine team when Shannon Wollack and Brittany Zwickl of California-based Studio Life/Style sent us their latest project—their jaw-dropping Spanish revival home is our dream home of 2018 too. Our eyes tripled in size when we looked inside the 7000-square-feet, six bedrooms, and seven and a half bathrooms (it also has an outdoor shower) home in La Quinta, California, built in the most exclusive community in Palm Desert, The Madison Club, complete with panoramic views.

"The client was a personal friend of mine that we met when we first had babies and then turned into a client," says Wollack. "As elevated as the house is, the family likes to have fun and be playful, so there are definitely fun moments in the kid's rooms, using colors, patterns, and art." 

The house was a "super-fast build," Zwickl tells MyDomaine. "They started pouring foundation around the beginning of September 2016 and our final install was mid-April 2017," she says. "The clients were great decision makers, but we had to hit the ground running with the design." The architecture is a nod to modern hacienda style combined with cleaner lines and contemporary elements as well. "The goal for the house was to feel fresh, youthful, yet still sophisticated," Zwickl adds. "We did this by using lots of white and steel windows for contrast, comfy furniture for lounging, and fabrics that were kid- and dog-friendly."

Ready to step inside and see this home for yourself? Just hold your chin tight because we guarantee it's about to drop. 

Due to its desert location, the team needed to beat the heat each day, so many site visits would start at 6 a.m. and involve seven-hour meetings so they could accomplish as much as possible in a single trip. "We stayed cool by plunging in the pool," says Wollack. The unforgiving desert weather also made furniture choices a challenge. "The heat can ruin furniture, materials, and art, so we had to really make sure everything we used was protected and could withstand the heat," adds Wollack.

"The house has one the best views at the Madison Club, so the goal was to open up the house as much as possible for indoor/outdoor feel," says Wollack. "All the doors and windows are electronic. When they open up, it really gives a seamless feeling like it's all one space."

"This room was a bit of a challenge because of its size and scale, but we wanted each side of the space to speak to one another," says Zwickl. "This is why we mirrored the marble on the kitchen hood to the marble going up the fireplace wall." When all the doors open, it creates a seamless indoor/outdoor flow. ​What a dream.

When you have high ceilings like this home does, you need to make the most of them, so they did by hanging a statement chandelier right above the marble kitchen. This is how we want to cook every day. 

With views like this home, you need to make sure you maximize them at every turn. With so much natural sunlight in the desert, you want to let as much of it in as possible, without overheating it of course. 

This designer kitchen is more than just good looks. It fuses fashion with function. With three children, having a bar area in the kitchen is crucial. It makes mealtime easy and fun. 

The dining room is where the Studio Life/Style team really flexed their design muscles. "We always try to work with custom artisans and vendors," says Zwickl. "We found these Casa Midy chairs from Mexico and built the room around them. The goal was for the dining room to offer formal seating but still be approachable." They nailed it.  

Every corner of the home is considered. We love the neutral elements featured in this corner of the dining room, and the large round mirror opens up the space even more than it already is, bouncing that natural light all over the room. 

This room had us at exposed beams. The pop of blue in the sofa really lifts up the layered neutral tones and anchors the airy living space. 

Despite the sheer size of this room, the Studio Life/Style team managed to create a space that still felt comfortable, cozy, and approachable. 

The floor-to-ceiling windows allow the neutral rooms to really come alive and accent the Cali-cool design style. 

"This space is meant to be very calm and serene, yet still unique," says Zwickl. "We custom designed almost all of the furniture pieces in this room, but our favorite feature is when the doors the open up to a breathtaking view." 

Simple and streamlined with minimal clutter is the key to creating a zen bedroom like this. 

No moment is left untouched. Even this simple hallway space is carefully thought out with decorative wall art and greenery. 

While it looks utterly effortless now, not everything was smooth sailing along the way for the design team. "During the install, we laid the primary bedroom rug and put all the heavy, heavy custom furniture on it only to realize the rug was too big," laments Wollack. "It took about 12 guys to pick up the bed, move the rug and then we had to rush the rug to L.A. to have it cut down with a 24-hour turnaround to get it back for the client reveal. It was definitely a close call."

Fireplace, check. Exposed beams, check. Expansive view, check. Four-poster bed, check. Hang on, this really is the bedroom of our dreams. 

There's so much to love about this room, but we will never get enough of this view. 

No need to keep rubbing your eyes because this isn't a fantasy, it's real. "We always gravitate toward a marble statement in a bathroom, and think this one sets the bar," says Zwickl. "Although, our other favorite feature of the primary bathroom is the indoor/outdoor shower." 

Yes, you're seeing it correctly. You can access this shower from the inside and the outside. It's also big enough for two to three people, which is perfect when you have little ones, and you don't want them running through the house wet after being in the pool. 

With fairly pared-back and neutral design throughout the rest of the home, the design duo stepped it up a little in the powder room with patterned wallpaper. "It was the perfect place to add a little mood," says Zwickl.

This seriously cool kids room sleeps six children (it has trundles underneath the bunk bed). "Our client wanted them each to be individual pods so they have nooks for books, sconces for reading, and drapes that shut," says Wollack. "The cactus wallpaper was a nod to the desert too. That was really fun to design with the client and their kids. Who doesn't love a big sleepover?"

The fun moved on from the bedroom and into the bathroom, playing up the contrast with bright colors and patterned tiles. 

The outdoor areas of this house are just as beautiful as the indoor. They kept the tonal theme going but ramped up the fun with some hanging swings. But installing them was the hard part. "They required a ton of support, and there was a lot of extra support put into the beams to make sure they were secure," says Wollack. "We had to make sure to use fabric and materials that could withstand the heat too."

"The pool was originally planned to be 40 feet, and it ended up being 100 feet long," says Wollack. "The clients really love to have fun and have a bocce ball court in one side yard and a mini soccer field on the other. "The owner at one point talked about adding a water slide to the pool." 

This home was truly one of those projects they both didn't want to end. "Although the drive to La Quinta added up, the project was a great collaboration with our team, the client, the builders, and all the custom vendors involved," she says. "A true labor of love for all parties involved."