Radiating a spaciousness to match that of its magnificent view, the home of Arthur Elrod, AID, nestles in splendor in the excavated rock of a splintered desert ridge - if a 5,700-square-foot house can be said to "nestle".

Built specifically for the desert, the residence is much more than the sum of its materials and site. Dramatic, charged with surprises, frankly self-indulgent, consummately finished and elegantly appointed, Elrod's elegant eyrie might well be called the ultimate Palm Springs house.