John McIlwee and his husband, Bill Damaschke, would never have dreamed of buying a weekend house in Rancho Mirage when they first visited the quiet California desert city in 2010. To juggle the balance between old and new, the couple called in the architectural firm Marmol Radziner , he of whom had worked on their primary Los Angeles residence, the John Lautner-designed Garcia House. 

A kitchen wall that had originally separated the staff quarters from the cooking area was removed to open up the space, and floor-to-ceiling windows installed to look out over the pool. For the design direction, the couple and Brown decided on ’80s ash. Some original gems were perfectly suited for era-appropriate repurposing. The grid ceiling light in the main bedroom is made from the lightbulbs framing Betty’s original bathroom vanity.

One room the couple decided to leave exactly as they found it is the lime-green dining room, complete with its original lattice-patterned chairs, dining table and leafy wall mural hand-painted by American artist Garth Benton.Providing an element of balance are contemporary pieces such as a Paul Evans table, Jay Spectre chairs, a Joe D’Urso sofa and a number of pieces custom-designed by Brown. Some of the couple’s impressive contemporary art collection, featuring works by Annie Leibovitz, Catherine Opie, and Kirsten Everberg, is also on display.