Interior designer Natalie Myers’ vacation home is a playground of pattern, texture, and hues with terrazzo countertops and geometric wallpaper. Channeling her sense of #scandifornianstyle, the Veneer Retreat features vintage metal kitchen cabinets and a decorative Franklin stove with updated amenities and design. Room & Board furniture stand as anchors amid retro objects and art. The details are considered down to Buffy comforters, organic bedding, and Public Goods toiletries. Outside, a new backyard deck with lounge area, fire pit, dining area, and bar makes for the perfect sanctuary to enjoy the rugged landscape.
Sleek, white walls make up this desert haven. From the outside, it could very well pass as a gallery. Upon stepping inside, the home opens up to cathedral ceilings, designer furnishings, and an art collection in the dining library. The home’s alabaster palette is peppered with vivid pops of color. Rooms and living spaces are fresh and airy, while soft rugs underfoot add a sense of coziness to concrete floors. Find a hot tub on the terrace for some R&R.
This cozy, recently remodeled hideaway allows feminine, boho touches to shine against a minimalist backdrop. Inside, you'll find a velvet, rust-toned sofa; quilted hanging headboards in a dusty rose; and structural, inky accents. While some areas like the bedroom channel a bit of a beach vibe, the dining nook with corner bench seats and black-and-white decor mimics a chic city cafe.
Soak in a hot tub, relax in a lounge chair, or dine al fresco on the two-level terrace while enjoying 180-degree views of the park, Mount San Jacinto, and Mount Gorgonio. Inside the two-bedroom dwelling, floor-to-ceiling glass walls allow the outdoors and sun to flood the home. Decor is kept minimal with playful pops of color, letting the landscape take center stage.
Between Pioneertown and Joshua Tree National Park, this midcentury compound offers nearly 360-degree views along with a 40-foot salt waterpool, Jacuzzi, and fire pit. Inside, old-school charm flows through the space with vintage decor and airy nooks. A large, stone fireplace stands as the anchor of the home, warming up the living area surrounded by walls of angular glass. Bathrooms are minimal in earth tones with wooden benches and tile, and a separate guest house offers an additional queen bed, kitchen, and bathroom.
Clean lines make up this 1950s homestead. Situated on five acres outside of town, the property offers uninterrupted panoramas of the desert. The cabin maintains elements of a bucolic dwelling with exposed beams, wood countertops, vintage furnishings and decor, and an outdoor shower. At the same time, it privileges a modern aesthetic with concrete floors, a cobalt-hued kitchen, and industrial fixtures. From the bedroom, two large double doors open up to a large deck and an expansive view of the landscape.
Sliding walls of glass allow guests to enjoy indoor/outdoor living in this Oller & Pejic–designed retreat. Developed to be in harmony with the landscape, the home is energy-efficient and the design is led by solar orientation. The sun heats the concrete floors in the winter, while deep overhangs offer shade in the summer. Find stylish and whimsical furnishings including vintage and designer pieces like the Swedish leather butterfly chair by Cuero. The house also offers all the amenities of a full home including soaking tubs and dual Thermostatic shower; a Gaggenau- and Bosch-equipped kitchen; living room with fireplace, smart TV, and sound system; memory foam mattresses and room-darkening shades. Outside, one can enjoy a soak in the hot tub against a backdrop of mountain vistas.
If it’s unique and exclusive amenities you seek, look no further. Within walking distance of downtown Joshua Tree, while bordering the Coyote Hole Conservation Area, this escape has everything one would need for a serene getaway, including a hot tub sunken into a wraparound infinity deck looking out into Coyote Hole. There are also two four-foot "cowboy tubs," a custom outdoor rock shower, fire pit, and outdoor dining area that seats up to 16 people. Inside, interiors are defined by a midcentury aesthetic where vintage furnishings meet modern creature comforts (like Casper mattresses) and sleek amenities (like a state-of-the-art kitchen). Two full bathrooms are wrapped in white cement; the master is outfitted with a full-size tub with views of the national park.
There’s perhaps no Airbnb trendier than The Joshua Tree House. Created by Sara and Rich Combs (who just recently opened a boutique hotel in Arizona), the home is an embodiment of the creative community of these two artists, teeming with vintage finds and decor from artists like Heather Day, Aleksandra Zee, Katie Gong, and Stella Maria Baer, and brands including Soukie Modern, Schoolhouse, Article, and PAMPA. The updated 1949 abode melds old and new where Southwest style meets modern interiors amid 100 Joshua trees.
Surrounded by boulders and twisted yuccas, two cabins in the Mojave Desert stand like Monopoly houses, their steel siding weathered to a tawny finish. But behind the simple gabled forms lies a complex network that enables them to operate wholly off the grid. Designed by architect Malek Alqadi, this desert getaway has an open-air room that allows guests to sleep under the stars on Silvon sheets woven with pure, natural silver. The minimalist space embodies a modern feel with a primarily gray, onyx, and wood palette with a splash of cobalt in the bathroom. Large cutout windows flood the space with natural light, though there are also large hammocks outside for some extra vitamin D or stargazing.
Located in the upper Friendly Hills area of Joshua Tree, the five-acre Spirit Wind compound holds an array of amenities for the creative at heart including a vintage mid-’70s Dual turntable, hot tub, and hammock circle. Curved walls offer stellar acoustics, while several dedicated spaces offer nooks to feel inspired: the "crow’s nest" bedroom is perched on the third floor with meditation alcove; the "opium den" is a lounge with expansive desert views; and the library with high ceilings is outfitted with books, art objects, and a telescope. With contemporary furnishings and Heath Ceramics dinnerware, this space exudes a clean and soothing aesthetic.
This villa has touches of Joshua Tree’s boho flair (think: hanging macrame planters, mudcloth pillows, and pops of pattern) but maintains an overall modern aesthetic. The palette of black and white hues comes with contemporary finishes like marble, wood, and stone with onyx accents. Outside, a saltwater pool, outdoor shower, and fire pit top off the three-acre gated retreat.
Perched on eight acres, the SkyHouse is designed for indoor/outdoor living with high ceilings, walls of sliding glass, and all the creature comforts. It offers a heated pool with an integrated hot tub, a 1,800-square-foot deck, numerous gardens, and a 10-foot-long fire pit. The interiors fuse a sense of wabi-sabi with contemporary luxury. Artistic accent walls abound—along with stone and wood finishes and designer lighting. Best of all, the home is within walking distance to the Desert View Conservation Area of Joshua Tree National Park.
Naturally rusted steel sheathes the cabins that Malek Alqadi built on a 1954 homestead outside Joshua Tree National Park. "I loved the idea of stitching the existing structure back together, reinforcing it, and giving it life again without compromising the beautiful setting it’s in," he says.
Featuring glass walls and private atriums flush with ocotillos, Acido Dorado is a mesmerizing, minimalist retreat. Designed, managed, and maintained by architect Robert Stone, the home comprises two master suites. The main area is made up of glass walls on three sides, with a full kitchen and large dining table, all in a milky palette. Ornate, wrought-iron gates with gilded roses open up the living room to the back patio with a mosaic-tiled pool and a sprawling spa. A sunken area holds built-in seating, a fire pit, and a barbecue. The house can be opened entirely to allow the desert breeze flow through the space, although it also offers A/C and central heating. It’s no wonder this house has been used for numerous photoshoots over the years.
Welcome to the Jungle House floor plan
In one of the home's bathrooms, a sink from Lindsey Wherrett Ceramics gracefully sits under a circular mirror from Clearlight Designs. The Ilde Wood S pendant is by David Abad.
The children’s bedroom opens to the aquaponics pond. The custom upholstery is from South Pacific Fabrics and the blue pillow is from MissoniHome. On the floor is a Moroccan Boucherouite rug.
The field of neuroaesthetics teaches us about our biological responses to beautiful design. The thoughtful homes below showcase how lighting, colors, textures, and shapes can coalesce to become bona fide sanctuaries. Whether it be a focus on outdoor connection, aging-in-place, or accessibility, these projects are designed to promote wellness in mind and body.
There, a kitchen and dining area bleed into indoor and outdoor living spaces that have unobstructed views of the city skyline.
A spiral staircase runs through the center of the house, serving as a chimney that pulls cool air up from the ground floor as hot air exits through windows on the top level.