Aqua Bedroom
King bed · private ensuite
A Howard Lapham House
A Palm Springs original.
Made to live outside.
Built in 1971, The Orchid House is part of Orchid Tree Lane Estates, the Sunrise Park neighborhood conceived by Palm Springs architect and designer Howard Lapham. Its low profile, open rooms, and easy flow to the pool carry the spirit of his Desert Modern work.
Lapham began developing Orchid Tree Lane Estates in 1966 as its designer-developer, with Coble & Wessman Construction Company bringing the homes to life. The Orchid House belongs to the estate’s 1971 chapter, designed for the particular Palm Springs rhythm of bright mornings, long pool afternoons, and dinners outside.
Born in Oklahoma City in 1914, Lapham arrived in the Coachella Valley from Connecticut in 1954. He brought a hands-on background as a carpenter, draftsman, contractor, land planner, and architect, then spent the next three decades shaping homes, resorts, banks, medical buildings, storefronts, and residential neighborhoods across the valley.
He worked alongside Palm Springs modernists William F. Cody, E. Stewart Williams, and Donald Wexler, building a reputation for inventive design, sharp wit, and a trademark cigar. Lapham kept working into his 90s, and his 1956 Desert Star Apartments earned Class 1 historic designation in 2016. The Orchid House remains one of the places where his vision for everyday desert living still feels wonderfully intact.
