Tour the Palm Springs Oasis of Formula One Champion Jenson Button and His Wife, Brittny
Brittny and Jenson Button’s careers have been nothing if not the product of hard work. Yet, for the former professional model and 2009 Formula One world champion, their new vacation home in Palm Springs is the epitome of happenstance. “We were in Palm Springs for a weekend and almost immediately felt that the people, the place, the architecture [were] all so incredible,” explains Brittny, who recently wed Jenson. “We decided it would be a great place to own a home. But when we looked at the market, nothing caught our eye.”
That changed when Brittny reached out to a group of new mothers on social media. (The couple are parents of two.) “After putting out a feeler, someone showed us a new listing of a modern Spanish Revival home,” she explains. “We went the next day to see it and fell in love.”
While the duo’s primary residence remains in Bel Air, Palm Springs offers a necessary escape from city life. “I love going to the backyard, enjoying a drink by the pool, and looking up to this almost otherworldly mountain range,” Jenson says of the nearby San Jacinto Mountains. “And since we don’t live here full-time, we get goosebumps each time we come back. This home centers us more than any place I’ve really ever been.”
For Jenson, who was born and raised in the United Kingdom and retired from Formula One racing in 2016, Palm Springs has always had a idilic association with American culture. “Where I’m from, there was this mythical perception of the California desert,” the 42-year-old explains. “Now, after all my years of traveling the world and seeing what this area is all about, I’ve come to realize that you can’t find another place quite like this.”
The home itself was far from a turnkey purchase, and instead required a heavy facelift. That meant gutting the family room’s dizzying marble floor and the kitchen’s ’90s-era wood cabinets and backsplash—replacing the former with clean, unified concrete and the latter with quartz. In the living room, an uninspiring fireplace was jazzed up to become an adobe-style hearth. Overall, what was once an almost stuffy set of interiors was transformed into a serene abode with a mix of old-world charm and new-world relaxation. That, ultimately, was exactly what the couple wanted. “I love being in these old Palm Springs homes and letting my mind wonder,” Brittny says. “The conversations, the parties they must have had…”
While Jenson took a backseat, his wife seized the reins of the redesign process. Throughout the overhaul, she found herself gravitating toward design as a profession. “Growing up, I used to go to flea markets with my parents all the time,” the California native notes. “I like digging through things and finding the unexpected…I like objects that show real craftsmanship.” But to really make the home fit their vision, the couple knew they needed out branch out. Once again, Brittny reached out to the same group of moms on social media to find an interior designer, and ultimately, a new friend.
“When I was first introduced to Jenson and Brittny [Button], I was a bit nervous since they are celebrities,” explains Tanya Stone, founder and owner of Tanya Stone Interiors. “But they are such incredible people, so down to earth, so warm…They are the client you always dream of working with.” While Brittny’s vision materialized in the architectural scheme of the renovated interiors, Stone helped refine the space with recommendations on materials and lighting. “I understood her perspective and she trusted my opinions,” Stone says. “We worked on the home during the pandemic, which caused a lot of delays. But in a way, it allowed us to really slow down, talk through the process and really get to know each other. Brittny has a keen understanding of balancing textures and styles which really impressed me.” As a result of their partnership on the Palm Springs abode, the dynamic duo joined forces this year to create Stone & Button, a company specializing in the revival of Spanish-styled homes.
“Neither me nor my husband had done anything like this before,” Brittny admits. “Nevertheless, for a retired racing driver and former model, we somehow made it work. In fact, we’re a little bit in awe with what we’ve created in this home.” Like most things the couple has done in their lives, they’re not the only ones in awe of the end result.
