This “white, bright, and ready-to-entertain” midcentury-modern mansion in the Old Las Palmas district of the California desert city showcased its business owners’ chosen passions in a “wildly colorful fashion,” according to a 2015 Palm Springs Life magazine story. Imagine interiors with a retro feel that include a unique office covered in fuscia, a den with a British theme and a vintage motorcycle collection, as well as a fun small music room with stereo equipment and collectible guitars tossed in for good measure.
The late real estate developer Robert Marx, the son of “Gummo,” a member of the renowned Marx Brothers vaudeville act, had the house designed and constructed in the early 1960s as his personal residence. However, it turned out to be a study in Bacchanalia-style extravagance, complete with a swath of Corinthian and Ionic columns. In spring of 2012, Karen Haines, the founder of Spa Girl Cocktails, and her husband Chris, who owned an off-road motorcycle tour company, became the new proprietors of the establishment for a meager $895,000.
The pair has now decided to put the chic pad back on the market, this time asking a higher $5.2 million price tag than when they first listed it for $4.8 million in the summer of 2022. However, during their time there, the two gave the building a “wall-to-wall makeover,” which included including some Hollywood Regency style.
Situated on a roughly half-acre plot of land concealed behind high hedges and gates, this exclusive estate is called “Villa del Leone” and offers sweeping views of the San Jacinto Mountains. A little over 4,300 square feet of U-shaped living space with four bedrooms and three bathrooms is broken up throughout by floor to ceiling glass walls, white epoxy tile floors, original molding, and bespoke lighting.
A set of ornate front doors leads to an entry lobby, which continues into an open-concept great room featuring a living area near the fireplace and a dining room surrounded by bookshelves and mirrors under a concave dome ceiling that is capped by a silver-and-gold chandelier. The previously mentioned den, which is connected to a wet bar, and the gourmet kitchen furnished with premium stainless equipment are other highlights.
Secluded in a separate bedroom wing, the lavishly wallpapered master retreat is showcased by two walk-in closets, and a marble-clad bath equipped with dual vanities, an elaborate soaking tub and a glass-encased shower; and outdoors, the palm tree-laced backyard holds a swimming pool flanked by a grassy lawn, along with a harlequin-patterned patio ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining. There’s also an attached two-car garage out front.
According to listing agents Lloyd Ross and David Williams of Douglas Elliman, the entrepreneurial couple have decided to sell so they can “continue to pursue new adventures and opportunities.”
