Joshua Tree Living
Joshua Tree, CA has a certain mystique that captivates the soul. A small, untouched town despite its popularity. A place where people say hi to one another even if you're just passin' through. And most people are just passin' through.
It was on a weekend "soulo" excursion that I found myself in Joshua Tree. Literally and figuratively. From Los Angeles I road tripped up Highway 62 to clear my mind. It must have been a calling because all I knew about Joshua Tree was that U2 had once filmed a music video there. While driving up Hwy 62 the stress was melting off my body and my mind was becoming lucid. Maybe it was the whimsical shapes of the Joshua trees dotted through out the landscape or the signs on the side of the road stating "slow down, enjoy the view". Perhaps it was a mix of both that created the special elixir of calm flowing through my body and mind.
It felt like deep connection and ease. At that moment I knew Joshua Tree was a place I needed to be. My partner and I searched for the perfect place to recreate that feeling of ease from the soulo road trip. For two years we searched all over Joshua Tree and the surrounding areas. Then one day we found it!
A spot that was home to Joshua trees, jack rabbits, quail and cotton tail bunnies set on 1 1/4 acres less than a mile from the national park entrance and 5 minutes from town. The house had what we call "good bones", structurally sound with a nice layout. It was in dire need of an upgrade to take it from it's confused 1980's western vibe to a space where people could daydream their cares away.
After four months of demo, remodel and modern upgrades throughout the dead heat of the summer The Sukha Life Retreat was born. Our design ethos for her was ease, freedom and creativity, the exact words that embody the feelings I had on that first soulo trip.
Finally it was time to decorate. We changed our hats from novice general contractors to novice interior designers. the question we asked ourselves was how do we convey ease, freedom and creativity into the experience of a short term rental? We started with ease. To us ease was in the textures you'd have direct experience with. Like 100% organic cotton sheets, the way the coffee mug sits in your hands and the large cotton towels that dry your body after relaxing in the salt water jacuzzi. The ease is all around invisibly supporting your experience.
The unending expansiveness of the Joshua Tree desert provided the freedom. We took down a fence so you could experience the sunrise kissing the back porch. This became an invitation for the rabbits and quail to provide evening entertainment. The private yoga studio faces east and captures the sunrise. We added a giant clear, glass roll up door so one could experience the sunrise while meditating or doing yoga no matter what the weather has planned. Marilyn's Casita, named after Lisa's mom who recently passed and shared in the dream of The Sukha Life Retreat, faces west. You can catch evening sunsets while playing a heated game of ping-pong or dawdling over a puzzle
For us creativity and freedom go together like peanut butter and jelly. Where there is freedom there is creativity. The Sukha Life Retreat is where the slow-paced, soul-warming lifestyle of Joshua Tree living begins.