PALM SPRINGS PALAZZO

Elle Decor A-List Legend Michael S. Smith has carved out a rich European fantasy in the California desert, complete with a marble tub fit for a principe.

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WHere, he sits down with another design royal—Rose Tarlow—to break down the state of style. When longtime friends and clients approached Michael S. Smith to help them create an oasis in Palm Springs, he was easily persuaded. A resident of the area himself, he carved out a lavishly layered retreat that could just as easily be on a Mediterranean hilltop. Imagining an entire universe that’s evocative of the past but tailored for today comes naturally to Smith. “People ask me, ‘What would you have done if you didn’t do this?’ And I always say I would have been a director,” he says. “I’ve always been fascinated with the scholastic aspect of decorating. It’s a fusion of history and architecture. I never thought it was silly or flighty.” Here, he continues the conversation with his close friend, furniture designer and boutique owner Rose Tarlow.

MICHAEL S. SMITH: Let's talk about California decorating and the role [the late designer] Michael Taylor, a good friend of yours, had in shaping what it is today.

ROSE TARLOW: