lowell house guide
Lowell House is named after its former owner, Lowell Bean, who lived there for over 50 years. In 1958 when he arrived to the desert as a graduate student in anthropology from UCLA, his gentle demeanor was recognized by the Cahuilla Indians who allowed him to learn about their society with unprecedented access to their culture and customs. Learn more about him and his work with the coffee table books.
We’ve made some design choices in the house to help honor Lowell’s legacy.
The Lowell House, designed by the renowned midcentury architect William Krisel and built by Alexander Construction in 1958, is a true architectural gem. We’ve carefully updated the home, preserving its original design elements and floor plan while adding thoughtful touches. We selected a mix of new and vintage light fixtures to capture the bold, space-age aesthetic of the era, and furnished the home with pieces from some of our favorite period designers.
We ask that you treat the house and its contents with respect. If you’re curious about anything you see, feel free to ask—we’d be happy to share more details or point you to where you can find it. You can also check out some great local shops in our Google recommendations list.
📋 Our local recommendations
Click the link below to be taken to our Google Maps list of our favorite places in Palm Springs. Includes restaurants, shops, fun tours, and activities.
💧 About the Water in Palm Springs
Palm Springs is known for its naturally high-mineral hard water—it’s perfectly safe to drink and shower with, but it can leave behind harmless white mineral spots or a light ‘soap-scum’ film on shower glass and fixtures, even shortly after cleaning. You may also notice that water from the tap sometimes looks white or ‘milky’ at first; this is simply tiny air bubbles caused by the high mineral content and pressure changes.
Our home uses a tankless hot water heater, which provides endless hot water but can take a minute or two to heat up if it hasn’t been used recently. This is completely normal and doesn’t indicate any issue with the system—just let it run on hot for a few minutes and it will heat right up.
🛜 WiFi
Network: Lowell house guest
Passcode: Hummingbird675!
🏊♂️ Pool and Spa information
The pool is cleaned and maintained every Monday and Friday. The technician will let themselves into the gate located through the carport. Pool heating is available for $80/day (actual cost, no markup). If you would like the pool heated during your stay, let us know. It takes ~24 hours to reach full heat. Most people prefer to have the pool heated during the winter months (October-April) if they plan on enjoying that amenity. In the desert, dirt/sand debris can sometimes make their way into the pool and/or under the spa lid. Please let us know if either needs services outside of the Monday/Friday pool maintenance days. The landscaper comes once a week to take care of the landscaping.
🍹Beverage Fridge
We noticed after our first few guests that people tend to buy more beverages than they can consume during their stay. Feel free to help yourself to any of the beverages located in the yellow beverage fridge. If you have additional unopened beverages after your stay, feel free to gift to the next guest—no one likes to check a bag on their flight.
🚲 Bikes
There are two bikes available for use on the side of the house. Just take the bikes through the house to the front door. The lock code is 45870 for both locks. Helmets and a pump are located next to the bikes. Make sure to test the bike to ensure it’s in working order prior to riding. Use these at your own risk.
🧺 Laundry
If you’d like to do laundry during your stay, feel free to use the washer and dryer located in the hallway. Please make sure to leave the doors to the washer/dryer cabinet open while in use. Detergent is located in the adjacent cabinet.
🗑️ Trash
Trash and recycling bins are located under the sink. Outdoor trash bins are located in the carport. On trash day, the trash service will take the bins to and from the curb to the carport.
📺 Entertainment
TV is located in the living room. To connect to the Sonos sound system, press the Bluetooth button on the back of the white speaker located near the window to connect your phone. Music can only be played inside the house when the doors and windows are closed. Absolutely no music outside per the City of Palm Springs.
🔌 EV Car Charger
We have a 240V car charger located in the carport with a Tesla connection. An adapter is located in the kitchen drawer if you have a North American style connection.
🔥 Fireplace
The indoor fireplace uses gas. To ignite, simply turn the black dial located to the left of the log pile. Do not leave fire unattended. A fire extinguisher is located in the hallway adjacent to the coffee maker. The gas fire pit in the back yard can be ignited by turning the knob on and lighting with a torch lighter (located in the kitchen drawer).