The Long Awaited Shag House Opens For Modernism Week


Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House Palm Springs (Michele Stueven)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House Palm Springs (Michele Stueven)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House Palm Springs (Michele Stueven)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House Palm Springs (Michele Stueven)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House Palm Springs (Michele Stueven)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House Palm Springs (Michele Stueven)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House Palm Springs (Michele Stueven)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)The logia (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)The logia (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)The logia (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House hanging bed (Andrew Cabral Photography)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)Designer Trina Turk and Shag House owner Brandon McBurney (Courtesy Modernism Week)Shag House interior lounge (Andrew Cabral Photography)

Modernism Week always brings the crowds to Palm Springs, but nothing made a bigger splash this week than the long-awaited opening of the oversized green doors to the Shag House. Josh Agle, the artist most commonly known as Shag, converted a 1958  Little Beverly Hills neighborhood house into a live interpretation of his popular mid-century-inspired artwork for a dizzying lineup of tours and festivities.

From poolside caftan fashion shows to swinging mid-mod cocktail parties, the house tours have been sold out for months.

Agle teamed up with branding and design specialist John-Patrick, and philanthropist Brandon McBurney, of Brandtopia, to rescue a tired but cherished Midcentury Pool Home originally designed by Palmer & Krisel for the Alexander Construction Company.  As the creative director and lead designer for the team, the local Palm Springs artist incorporated his signature aesthetic to create a fully immersive experience that feels like you’ve just walked into a life-sized Shag painting. 

Shag House

Shag House Palm Springs (Michele Stueven)

The core design of the house has been preserved, including the three-bedroom, two-bath floor plan, as well as the tongue-and-groove ceilings. While the center of the home’s layout remains the same, everything else has been expanded and updated, including the whimsical kitchen and living room, with detailed features throughout the home, like an oversized Operation game on the wall.  

The front entry has been expanded and the original breezeway has been converted into a party lounge with a dramatic Modfire outdoor fireplace and bar. Beyond the lounge is the pool, jacuzzi and the addition of a casita.  

The bedrooms reflect the typical Shag style, like the cat room, filled with pillows and wallpaper that represent Agle’s love of one of his art’s most featured muses. Detailed closets custom designed by California Closets were staged with colorful ‘60s-style fashions courtesy of local legend designer Trina Turk, as part of the nearly three-year remodel.

Shag House

The logia (Andrew Cabral Photography)

Corian surfaces are featured throughout the house like sparkling white on the vanities, alabaster terrazzo on the kitchen countertop, waterfall island and coffee bar top, as well as basalt terrazzo on the dining room table. Dunn Edwards, the brand that painted the historic Walter Annenberg home at nearby Sunnylands its iconic Peach Parfait hue that matches a Palm Springs sunrise, also contributed to the Shag House.

“He was pretty firm about his design and I wanted him to have full creative ability to do whatever he wanted to do,” owner Brandon McBurney tells LA Weekly, in between parties, who bought the home in 2021. McBurney’s longtime friend John Patrick approached the artist about designing a house in 2019. “There were only two things that I asked for. The hanging bed was my concept. I’ve been going out here for 25 years and appreciate that you need covered areas in summer and winter. The Buddha and the two hanging doors were from my personal collection in my house in West Hollywood and he incorporated those into the design. That’s my little corner where I can lay out there and watch the rain fall into the pool or just nap.”  

Shag House

Shag House hanging bed (Andrew Cabral Photography)

McBurney’s favorite room where he spends the most time is the lounge, the only room in the house with a TV. It’s cozy with a playful Fuller Architectural Panel ceiling and a gin-soaked Shag pool party painting backdrop on the wall.

“He won’t take credit for it, but Josh has truly changed Palm Springs, hands down, with his art and vision and brought that glamorous and hip vibe back from the ‘50s and ‘60s for a new generation,” says McBurney. “He helped form the whole Modernism Week movement and has been a huge catalyst in business for the city. He’s made a lasting impression on Palm Springs and I couldn’t be prouder to live in this house.”

Take a tour in our slideshow, photography by Andrew Cabral Photography and Michele Stueven.

Shag House

Designer Trina Turk and Shag House owner Brandon McBurney (Courtesy Modernism Week)