Modernism Week has held a special place in interior designer and television personality Bobby Berk's heart for a number of years. In fact, as he was working on the fifth Desert Eichler home for the annual architectural showcase in 2017, he got a call to audition for the Netflix series "Queer Eye.”

The annual event seems to be Berk's good luck charm — he landed the role of the show's design guru — and he's about to enjoy quite a homecoming as he invites the public into Casa Tierra, his showcase home for Modernism Week – May.

Modernism Week – May will highlight midcentury modern architecture throughout the Palm Springs area from Thursday through Sunday. Casa Tierra tours are available 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during those days and cost $55.

To view all events and purchase tickets, visit https://modernismweek.com/.

Last summer, Berk was enjoying a drink poolside at an Airbnb — The Summit in Palm Desert — when he realized he needed to own a piece of the desert himself. 

He went online to see what listings were available and found Casa Tierra, which was located right down the hill. Berk said he could even see the property from the Airbnb's pool. 

Casa Tierra, which translates to "land house" or "earth house," is a hacienda-style home originally built in 1950 and offers stunning panoramic views from its two and a half acre hillside setting. The property consists of a main house with five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms, as well as two casitas that include their own kitchens and bathrooms.

The interior designer was serious about the property, so he put an offer on the home and went into escrow without actually seeing what it looked like inside. When he finally saw the interior of the home, the only way Berk could describe it was a "s---show."

"It was gross, and there were so many safety hazards everywhere," Berk said. "On top of making it beautiful, we had to go around and be like, 'This isn't safe, this isn't safe, how did this place not burn down, and oh, my God, the guesthouse is filled with black mold.'"

But he didn't regret the purchase. Even with its problems, the hillside home was "such a cool property” that was so unique, he said. The only other home that looked similar to it in the valley was Suzanne Somers' former multi-building property. 

It would, however, end up being one of his most challenging projects to date.

Berk fell into interior design after working in restaurants and retail furniture stores. After one store went bankrupt and closed, Berk decided to launch his own online business, Bobby Berk Home, in 2006, which ended up being one of the first online furniture stores available, he said. He later also opened up brick and mortar stores.

In 2015, his profile started gaining attention in the interior design world, and he was given the opportunity to design show homes for the National Association of Home Builders' annual International Builders' Show. Though he didn't have previous experience crafting up floor plans or electrical plans, the homes turned out to be a "huge success," Berk said. 

That same year, Berk collaborated with Christopher Kennedy on his showcase home for Modernism Week. As he worked on more Mod Week projects over the years, he expressed interest in doing his own showcase home one year, but only if he owned a property. That finally became a reality when he purchased Casa Tierra in August.

"I've always wanted (a home) in the Coachella Valley," he said. "I think even before I closed (on Casa Tierra), I messaged them, 'Hey, I think I'm finally going to do it.'" 

Work started at Casa Tierra in mid-November, and what should have been a multi-year build ended up getting renovated in six months, but it didn't come without its challenges. 

The home was initially going to be shown during the 11-day Modernism Week festival in February, but the COVID-19 pandemic posed several problems.

"Omicron hit, half of our crew got knocked out, half of every supplier's crew got knocked out, so all of our appliances, our countertops, our cabinets, none of that was going to arrive (in time)," Berk said. 

On top of timing, there were several issues that needed to be resolved in the home. Berk said two bathrooms did not have hot water, the plumbing and electrical work had to be brought up to date and there was not enough electrical power in the guest house for air conditioning. 

"We mostly specialize in new build. We don't do many renovations, especially homes from the '50s, and especially homes from the '50s that I think were just built by whoever lived there then," Berk said about the challenges that came with the project. "Every wall you open, you're like holy (expletive)."

Knowing that a monster project was ahead of him, Berk asked Southern California interior designer Paula Oblen to join him in the venture. Oblen designed The Summit, the Airbnb that Berk stayed at when Casa Tierra first caught his eye. 

Oblen collaborated on designs, but also was in charge of "making the hard decisions every day," Berk said. Without her, the house “wouldn't be done for years.”

Though Casa Tierra did get quite a makeover, Berk said he tried to keep as many of the original materials in place, including the terra cotta tiles throughout the house. The flooring made a huge statement in the house, and Berk said if it was changed, it would have impacted the hacienda vibe. He also kept the textures on the walls, even though he's normally not a fan because it gets dusty and it's hard to hang decor on. 

Berk also found ways to incorporate his signature style, mainly by using a lot of black. He decided to ditch the natural wood color of the ceiling and give it a dramatic finish.

“I like dark, rich colors, but you have to balance that with white, so because we did dark ceilings, we left all the walls white and most of the upholstery in the whole house is all light colored,” Berk said.

The outdoor area also needed new features and safety upgrades. A large deck was added, where previously Berk said there was a "little bitty 4-foot deep deck that had a sign on it that said 'No more than 10 people.'"

There are two outdoor bars on the property, one on the upper courtyard and another near the pool. A powder room was also added since there was no bathroom near the pool without having to go through the main house or one of the casitas. 

Berk also changed the irrigation system from a spray, which was a “huge waste of water,” he said, to a drip irrigation system. The change is more environmentally friendly, he said, and it uses an eighth of the water that was previously used. 

Now that all the work has been done and Casa Tierra is about to be shown off to the public for the first time, the moment still hasn’t sunk in for Berk. 

“It doesn’t even feel real. We got to stay in it for the very first time (recently) and it doesn’t feel like my house. It still feels like I’m just at an Airbnb,” Berk said. “I used to live in my car, so moments like this are still surreal.”

With one desert project finished, Berk is already thinking about his next design. He purchased the property next to Casa Tierra, and he plans to create a “super modern,” net-zero home.

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.