Former Palm Springs home of ‘Dragnet’ star Jack Webb

The front of the house has a stone wall that runs nearly the length of the façade. It was most likely installed to ensure Webb’s privacy. Sitting in the living room, the star could look onto a small garden planted between the home and wall. According to former Deepwell resident-turned-local historian Ron Root, author of “The Unofficial History of Deepwell,” Webb constructed the house next door to the home of his ex-wife, singer Julie London, so he could keep watch over her. But Joseph Hahn, an attorney who owned the property from 2003 to 2007, says that the couple’s relationship was cordial and that Webb moved next door because of their young children. When home shopping, new owner Robin Mininni saw a signed picture of Webb on the home’s lava-rock bar. “It was the one thing I recall really liking when I saw the house,” Robin says. “I was hoping the owners would leave it. When we arrived, Jack’s photo was sitting on the bar.”  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The first time Robin Mininni saw the house, she hated the décor: black-and-white giant floral prints on curtains and bedspreads, uncomfortable-looking ‘50s furniture set against turquoise living room walls, and bedrooms painted in a sunshine-yellow “so bright it hurt your eyes,” she recalls with a laugh.

She and husband Michael called in Palm Springs designer Christopher Kennedy to evoke a Midcentury look while avoiding retro cliches. “They wanted to respect and honor the modern house but didn’t want a museum of period furnishings,” Kennedy says. “We furnished it with new pieces inspired from the era. I think of it as a vintage home updated for today’s living.”

Although the foyer reflects a Midcentury ambience, all of the furnishings are new. The brass starburst mirror, period-looking vases, small brass figurines and the zigzag walnut table were purchased from wholesaler Global Views. The wood partition on the left is original to the house.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The four-bedroom, four-bath house is U-shaped with this large, open-plan living area in the center. Kennedy, the designer, kept the old lava-rock fireplace but repainted the living room walls, which had been Tiffany blue. Instead he selected a subtle shade that mirrors the desert outside.

For above the fireplace, Kennedy commissioned a diptych by artist Shawn Savage. The pair of paintings, inspired by an abstract artwork of the period, reflect the house’s new sand-and-chocolate color palette. The result: Midcentury spirit interpreted for a contemporary setting.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The original fireplace below, the new artwork above.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The new Bovary dining table — white limestone set on brass legs — is from the Bay Area design studio Oly. Kennedy created the upholstered armchairs at the ends of the table and named the design Robin after his client; in homage to the Hollywood star who built the home, the side chairs were dubbed Jack.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Both types of chairs are part of the Christopher Kennedy Palm Springs Series. The artwork on the wall is vintage. In the background: the original wood partition dividing the dining area from the foyer.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The light fixture above the dining table is new. It’s made of hand-blown glass globes and came from Bourgeois Boheme in Los Angeles.   (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The bar/family room just off the kitchen features a curved sofa and a 36-inch-diameter ottoman that doubles as a table. Kennedy designed both pieces. “The walnut top lifts off,” says the designer, pictured here. “So you can use it as a seat or with the wood top in place, a modern-day TV-tray.”

He named the ottoman Michael after homeowner Michael Mininni.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Robin Mininni rakes the rug in the sitting area by the bar.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Robin walks past the bar, which is original to the house but has been updated with a quartz composite top with the feel of vintage terrazzo, designer Kennedy says. His Windows barstools sport a maple frame stained espresso and wasabi-green leather seats.

“It’s easy to imagine Jack sitting at the bar with Julie London or some other gorgeous star sipping a martini,” Kennedy says.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Kennedy gave the master suite a glamorous Hollywood look. The high upholstered headboard is lightly tufted and upholstered in a gray, chenille-like Holly Hunt fabric. Murano glass table lamps from Global Views sit atop a pair of ebony bachelors chests whose doors have been wrapped in leather and embossed with a Harlequin pattern. At the end of the bed: a custom-upholstered bench in gray silk.

All the house’s custom furnishings — dining chairs, bar stools, sofas, headboards and ottomans — were made on a larger scale than furnishings typical of the period, Kennedy says, to offer his clients more comfort.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A head shot of Jack Webb, original owner of the house, sits under one of the Murano glass lamps.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The Mininnis inherited the mirror-faced cabinetry in the master bathroom from a previous owner. It stayed as part of the Old Hollywood glamour look that their designer created in the master suite.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A different vibe in the guest bedroom: cozy, peaceful, welcoming.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Michael and Robin Mininni often sit and watch TV outside. A finishing layer of concrete tinted the same color as the new cork floors inside help to make the transition from indoors to outdoors seamless. “We also took away some of the water-hungry grass and planted more drought-tolerant succulents,” designer Kennedy says of the exterior improvements.

“We like to sit out here at night and gaze at the stars and toast Jack,” Robin says of the home’s first owner.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Michael Mininni walks around the pool, with palms towering overhead and the mountains beyond.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The low-slung house represents what its new owners desired: a place that’s conscious of the past but focused on the present.

You can peek inside dozens of Southern California houses, condos and apartments in our Homes of the Times gallery. And for a daily dose of design news, tips and deals, bookmark our blog, L.A. at Home.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)