Stay | Desert Wild – Pampa Journal

At the edge of the California desert, where wide skies meet sculptural rock formations, Desert Wild offers a serene retreat designed for slow living and quiet connection. The interior blends desert minimalism with Moroccan and Southwest influences: natural materials, layered textiles, and earthy tones that echo the surrounding landscape. It’s a space that speaks beautifully to our Southwest and Classica collections of rugs and cushions, both inspired by grounding tones and traditional design elements that mirror this part of the world.

Whether you’re starting the day with coffee in the cactus garden, hiking among the boulders of Joshua Tree National Park, or soaking under the stars in the outdoor hot tub, Desert Wild is a place to pause, ground yourself, and take in the magic.

SHOP THE LOOK

Describe the perfect 48 hours spent at Desert Wild. What would a typical day look like for you here?

I’ve put together a little itinerary for the perfect stay in our eyes.

Day 1 – Nature, Night Skies and Outdoor Rituals

Arrive midafternoon and take a refreshing dip in the pool and lounge in the shade under our massive daybed, or for the sun worshippers on the sun loungers. Then an alfresco early dinner/bbq with a game of Bocce. Make sure to catch the sunset on the front porch swing, and then, depending on the weather and your mood, either light an outdoor fire under the stars with s’mores or soak in our hot tub and stargaze the evening away.

Day 2 – Desert Exploration and Relaxation

Early morning: Sunrise and coffee. Grab a mug of coffee and watch the desert wildlife scurry around the cactus garden. You will more than likely see bunnies, jackrabbits, chipmunks, as well as roadrunners and many other birdlife. If you are lucky, maybe a coyote. Next, it’s time to explore some of the magic Joshua Tree has to offer. Grab a snack from The. Dez and head into the Joshua Tree National Park to hike amongst the giant boulders, cactus, and famous Joshua Trees. We recommend Barker Dam and Arch Rock trails for some truly magical scenery. Lunchtime, we highly recommend having lunch and a cocktail at La Copine. You could also pair La Copine with a sound bath at the famous Integratron if you are feeling up for it. Afternoon, return and rejuvenate, head back to Desert Wild for another round in the pool or a soak in the hot tub. Take a lazy nap on one of the many day beds or take a bubble bath in our indoor soaking tub overlooking a cactus garden. Evening, turn on the adobe-style indoor fireplace and snuggle up on the sofa, and pick your favourite movie from our projector screen.

Two nights at Desert Wild offer a luxurious meditative pause: desert immersion, starlit soaks, local art, and just the right amount of adventure – all wrapped in an undisturbed California quiet.

The design is full of natural materials and textures. How do you think these elements contribute to the sense of peace and comfort in the space?

Building my home in Joshua Tree was a dream rooted in my love for the natural world, so it made perfect sense to fill the space with natural materials and textures. The desert has this raw,

grounding energy, and I wanted that same feeling to flow through every part of the home and Grounds. Using reclaimed wood doors, microcement and tiled floors, plaster walls, and crystals helped me create a space that feels both warm and alive. There’s something deeply comforting about feeling the coolness of handmade tiles or plaster underfoot. These elements age with time and take on character, just like the landscape outside. They’re not perfect or polished, and I think that’s where the peace comes in—nothing feels forced or sterile.

Textures also play a huge role. I layered different surfaces—linen, brass, fibre art and plush rugs, —so the space always has a sense of depth and softness. It encourages you to slow down, to breathe more deeply. The home doesn’t compete with the desert—it echoes it. And in that harmony, I’ve found a kind of stillness that’s hard to put into words. It just feels right.

The house itself feels like an extension of all the desert around it. How do the natural surroundings, along with the Southwest American influence and Moroccan pieces, shape the overall mood and feel of the space?

Living in Joshua Tree, I’ve come to see the house not just as a structure, but as something that belongs to the land, almost like it grew out of the desert itself. From the beginning, I wanted it to feel like an extension of the terrain, not a break from it. The colors, the materials, even the layout—they all draw directly from what’s outside the front door. The natural surroundings are such a powerful influence. The quiet, the open skies, the way the light shifts across the rocks—it all creates this sense of calm and openness that I tried to reflect inside. I used a lot of earthy tones—sandy beiges and sun-washed terracotta and let the textures do most of the talking.

The Southwestern influence comes through in the structure of the house: exposed wood beams and adobe-style indoor fireplace, and then the Moroccan pieces—those bring in a touch of soul and detail. Carved wood, woven lanterns, low-slung seating, handmade ceramics—they carry a warmth and a sense of history that deepens the mood of the space. Together, it all creates this quiet, layered feeling—like every object, every shadow, has its place and its purpose. The house doesn’t shout for attention; it hums. And that, to me, is what makes it feel like a sanctuary.

Joshua Tree has such a unique energy. How does this environment influence yourdesign choices for the space?

Joshua Tree really does have this wild, magnetic energy—it’s both still and intense at the same time. Living here, you can’t help but be influenced by it. The land has a kind of quiet power that gets under your skin and shifts the way you think about space, time, and even what “home” should feel like. For me, that energy shaped every design choice. I wanted the house to feel deeply connected to the environment, so I leaned into simplicity and restraint. Organic shapes, open space, and natural materials that don’t try to outshine the landscape. The palette came straight from the desert—muted sand tones, soft pinks to mimic the desert floor, sun-bleached woods, and the occasional deep green accent. I also left room for silence in the design. Not every wall had to be filled, not every corner had to be busy. That openness lets the light move freely through the house, especially during golden hour, when everything seems to glow. It’s magic.

Joshua Tree taught me to slow down and to appreciate the imperfect, the weathered, the handmade. I brought in pieces from my travels that reflect that—vintage finds, ceramics with a bit of wobble, rugs that tell stories. The desert doesn’t need embellishment, and neither does the space. It just needs honesty. And when a home feels that honest, it feels alive.

If this stay could be described in one word, what would it be?

Serene. Desert Wild blends refined design with natural tranquillity, creating spaces that feel both grounding and quietly luxurious, perfectly capturing the essence of the serene desert living.

What’s one little ritual or experience you would recommend they are not to miss during their stay?

A guest at Desert Wild should not miss a starlit soak in the outdoor hot tub. With minimal light pollution, the night skies over Joshua Tree are some of the clearest in the U.S, revealing the Milky Way in dazzling clarity. Soaking in the warm water, surrounded by silence, under a canopy of stars, is an unforgettable, almost otherworldly experience that perfectly captures the magic of the high desert.