On Friday afternoons, Los Angeles architect Steve Johnson and Dana Benoit wave goodbye-for-now to their Miracle Mile home and the constrictions of urban living. Their weekend home, an iconic 1959 Alexander tract house on the north end of Palm Springs, offers privacy, mountainous views and plenty of sunshine both outside and in. To some, it might not seem glamorous: The vacation home looks like every other house on the block, not to mention the 2,500-plus identical homes throughout Palm Springs that architects William Krisel and Dan Palmer designed for the Alexander Construction Company. But for Johnson, a principal of MDA Johnson Favaro Architecture and Urban Design, the home's historical significance was appealing.

With a typical Alexander floor plan, the home creates the illusion of expanse. The living room and kitchen are one single space, punctuated only by a round walnut table used occasionally for indoor dining. White on white is the dominant palette, but a few dramatic design elements stand out like sculptural relief and keep the home from feeling stark. As Johnson himself points out, "There is a fine line between spa-like and institutional."