This past November marked the debut of “Inside Palm Springs,” a hardcover volume featuring striking photography by The Agency’s Don Flood, Managing Partner of The Agency San Miguel de Allende.
A globally renowned fashion and beauty photographer, Don has worked with a number of distinguished brands over the years, from Victoria’s Secret and L’Oreal to Shiseido and Cover Girl. His body of work has also been featured in Vanity Fair, InStyle, Esquire, Elle, and more. Don’s longtime career in the arts and current work in real estate continue to inform his eye for design trends, culture shifts, and iconic destinations.
A Palm Springs and Twin Palms regular for over 15 years, Don was initially drawn to the city’s dedication to Hollywood legacy, historic preservation, and deep appreciation for the arts. When asked to photograph architecture for Inside Palm Springs, he drew upon this admiration alongside inspiration from his Chicago upbringing—a city that instilled in him architectural reverence through masters like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright.
In choosing just 22 homes of the countless icons in the desert, Don notes that the team sought houses that didn’t look like “1950s or 60s TV show sets,” but that had “their own, very original design language, but with influence from the great design traditions of the desert from classic designers like Arthur Elrod, Steve Chase, and Gary Jon.”
“The Palm Springs ‘look’ has really evolved over the last couple of decades, and we were looking for the houses that were setting the new standards for desert design,” says Don.
Alongside Don’s photography, writer and editor Peter Haldeman provides expert commentary and insider perspective on both classic modernist landmarks and fresh, cutting-edge estates that carry on the mid-century tradition. Throughout the book, Palm Springs residents share personal anecdotes—from collectors of 1970s Brazilian furniture and queer contemporary art to minimalists living in clean, glass-walled spaces. Together, they spotlight houses that are setting new standards for desert design.
So what’s next for Don? In real estate, he continues expanding The Agency’s San Miguel de Allende office in Mexico, bringing his passion for design into every new listing and project. And in Palm Springs, perhaps a follow-up photography book, capturing even more of the area’s idiosyncratic homes. But for now, we congratulate Don and his team on the achievement of “Inside Palm Springs,” a true celebration of design and preservation.
When you’re in the desert and the sun is out, there really isn’t a better place to be if you’re a fan of architecture and design. You’re surrounded by others that are like-minded…with an incredible respect for what is there. People don’t level houses and rebuild—they take incredible houses, whether they are midcentury, 1920’s Spanish or contemporary designs, and try to restore them.
—Don FLOOD
For more details about “Inside Palm Springs,” visit Vendomepress.com. And to see Don’s currently available listings, visit his page on TheAgencyRE.com.
