Guest suites cluster around an expansive living area at this California mansion, which Kovac Design Studio designed to emulate a boutique hotel.

The Madison Desert Club residence is named after the exclusive golf club where the 9,220-square-foot (856-square-metre) home is located in La Quinta, California, near Palm Springs.

"Inspired by the concept of a boutique hotel, the project sought to take maximum advantage of the dramatic desert views and, through its interior design, pay homage to the Golden Hollywood era of nearby Palm Springs," said Kovac Design Studio, an architecture firm based in Los Angeles.

The home's boxy massing is arranged around a central, double-height volume that contains the kitchen, dining area, and plenty of lounge space.

Overlooking the living room is a mezzanine and catwalk that can be used as a DJ platform, according to the architects.

The entrance to the home brings visitors past a reflecting pool, under a mesh-like canopy that shades the front door. "Upon arrival, one circles into the motor court and is greeted by a still dark water element that seems to rise from the ground, water shimmering down its sides," said the architects.

This canopy, which is made of a stabilized aluminium foam manufactured by Alusion, spans the entire home, shading areas between the main central volume and five additional wings scattered around it.

"The overhang, ideal for providing shade on hot desert days, connects the main living space to six surrounding casitas, ideal for guests, and casts a pattern of delicate shadows that changes with the day’s spectrum of light," said Kovac Design Studio.

At the back of the large entertaining area, a glass wall with motorised panels can slide open, revealing vistas of the surrounding golf course and mountains beyond.

Of the five ancillary volumes, four contain guest suites – two with a single bedroom, and another two with a pair of rooms each – while the fifth is used as the home's garage.

Kovac Design Studio included plenty of amenities in the guest rooms. Each has its own ensuite bathroom, private terrace and fire pit, and other features that enable those staying to be self-sufficient.

"Each [suite] also includes its own bath with indoor/outdoor shower, mini-fridge, and bar so guests can enjoy a drink without going to the main house whenever a private escape is wanted," said the architects.

The guest blocks are connected to each other and to the main home via open-air corridors, which provides plenty of opportunities for informal seating areas throughout the residence.

The home's interiors have a refined palette of wooden ceilings, rough plaster walls, and polished concrete floors.

Other amenities made available to the residents include a bunkroom that can accommodate several children, as well as a home spa and gym with its own courtyard – all in the basement.

Other homes built in and around the Coachella Valley, where Palm Springs is located, include a minimalist residence surrounded by boulders and pine trees by Aidlin Darling Design, and a partially prefabricated home by Turkel Design that is meant to match the area's prevailing mid-century-modern aesthetic.

The photography is by Roger Davies.

Project credits:

Lighting designer: Lux Populi
General contractor: RJC
Stylist: Anita Sarsidi