Desert Vibes in Joshua Tree
Eddie and I took a long overdue trip to the desert last week to relax, recharge, and celebrate our 6 year anniversary (where does the time go?!). We'd been to Joshua Tree a few years ago to camp with friends, but it was only for a night and we definitely didn't experience it fully. I've been wanting to return to really explore the town ever since then, and I'm so glad we finally were able to. With JT only being around a 2 and half hour drive from Los Angeles, it really is the perf place to escape to when you need a breather from LA life. Come take a little tour with me of where we stayed and what we did while we were in this desert paradise.
Casa de Agave
We absolutely loved our magical lil Airbnb, Casa de Agave. It's a beautifully furnished place, everything was so well thought out and designed. Those propagated hanging plants had me SHOOK - I definitely want to recreate the look in my own home at some point. It was so dreamy waking up to that green view.
That wood paneling though! All the heart eyes. I love how earthy and rustic it made the space seem, especially with the wooden beams and ceilings too.
All the plants and pillows in this space made me feel righhhhht at home - and such a beautiful color scheme! All the little details are what really made this place unique. From the choice of amazing desert books, to the pottery handmade by local artists, and the lovely smelling candles/incense. The owners also have an iPad available with Spotify that connects to a Bluetooth speaker, so we could listen to jams through that or through our own phones.
I fell in love hard with the industrial design the owners created here - the exposed pipes and faucets in the sinks are stunning! Makes me wonder why we ever cover them up, so much more interesting and pretty to look out when they're exposed. Also love the use of pipes for simple things like towel racks, shower curtain bars, and a place to hang a small hand towel right next to the sink.
I got so much inspo from this awesome bathroom! Check out how the owners wrapped the light fixture chord in jute - absolutely genius. We all have those spaces where a chord just can't be hidden, this is such a unique and beautiful way to fix the prob of an ugly chord.
This kitchen counter collage is such a fun part of the space - all those vintage desert scenes! Love, love, love.
The whole back of the house opened completely to a great big deck and backyard - complete with a fire pit, grill, and even a pool! It really is such a dreamy place to stay, I highly recommend checking it out if you're planning a desert trip. You can book it for yourself HERE. Now, onto the places we visited!
The End
The magical vintage wonderland that is The End is one of the coolest shops I've ever been in. You could probably already guess that just from the exterior of the building - those colorssssss. Such a gorge mural by artist Bunnie Reiss. And the interior is just as cool.
Promised Land
Another drop dead gorge shop, Promised Land, is total eye candy and definite vintage heaven. Took all the self control I had not to go HAM in here and buy everything I could lay my hands on. I was eyeing that cream hat and turquoise/black snakeskin cowboy boots reaaaaal hard though. Someone swoop them up so I can live vicariously through you plzzz.
Art Queen
A super interesting art gallery/exhibit by Shari Elf and Randy Polumbo, together they created ART QUEEN. From the old Photo-Mat booth they transformed into a Crochet Museum that houses Elf's collection of crocheted objects, to the "Art From Trash" pieces, it really is a fun, quirky place to explore. It's totally free to check out, and the grounds are filled with really unique art left and right - definitely not a boring viz!
Joshua Tree National Park
Ah, such a magical park. I think the Joshua Tree has to be one of the most adorable trees there are - each one has so much character! Eddie and I explored this desert heaven multiple times - when you buy a pass to enter the park, it's good for a whole week, so we wanted to take advantage. The drive in is breathtaking - mountain views, rock formations, and all the cutest little Joshua Trees for as far as the eye can see. We explored Barker Dam, which was the absolute perf hike for me. A v easy mile long loop, mostly flat (perf for my slothy butt) and the most gorge scenery. I'd love to return sometime and walk around the park during golden hour, I know it must be dreamy - those JT sunsets are no joke! Also, I can't recommend a desert viz in September enough. Such beautiful weather, even bordering on chilly. I packed zero sweaters thinking it was going to be a smolder-fest, and Eddie and I were delightfully suprised to find out that wasn't the case.
Pioneertown
We stopped at Pioneertown right before we made our way back home to LA, and I'm so happy we did. This Old West town was built as a 1940’s movie set, but now houses actual shops, a motel, and the famous Pappy & Harriet's. We stopped into MazAmar Pottery and bought the most beautiful wine glasses you ever did see. All handmade by the artists in the shop! You can even see them working in the back area as you're browsing all the goodies. I just love buying unique pieces that are handmade with love.
I took so many pics of all the beautiful things we saw, it was extremely hard to edit down - as you could probs tell. In conclusion, Joshua Tree is a magical desert town, and the perf place to escape the hustle of LA life. I'd love to come out here more often to recharge, and I even talked to Eddie about someday getting a tiny lil house to escape to for ourselves. If you've ever been to JT, I'd love to hear what your fave places to do and see are, so I can be sure to check them out next trip! Let me know in the comments :)
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