Wonder Walls, a vacation home rental in Yucca Valley, California

A Newly Built, Architect-Designed Eco Home with a Vintage Desert Modernist Vibe

Three king-sized bedrooms and two bathrooms fill this angular 2,200sqft outpost overlooking Joshua Tree National Park. The clean-lined, energy-efficient home’s slanting roof and sliding doors give it a retro, Desert Modernist look, and its deep overhangs were created intentionally for energy efficiency. Newly constructed and designed by Oller & Pejic Architects, the property was featured in Dwell Magazine and Estate Envy in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

The geometric house is nestled into its rugged, spiky landscape, its spacious living room’s glass walls and sliding doors giving the property its “Wonder Walls” name. The oversized glass panes continue across to the open-plan kitchen with its island bar and dining table, the huge panes opening out to the patio where a bubbling hot tub overlooks the cacti, boulders, scrub and Joshua trees. Bedrooms are bright, spacious suites, hung with art and set with luxe linens and blackout shades. Sun loungers and a barbecue grill complete the desert patio, promising starry night skies and flaming sunsets.

Around

A free and easy space on the west end of Yucca Valley, on the Joshua Tree National Park side of Highway 62, the house is accessed down a dirt road about 20 minutes from the park’s main entrance and even closer (10 minutes) to Pioneertown’s legendary honky tonk/barbecue joint Pappy and Harriet’s. Rolling, boulder strewn hills define this section of California’s rugged Mojave Desert, a landscape of spiny scrub brush and cactus, dotted with funky Joshua trees and giant yucca. Wildlife roam freely here, and chances are you’ll glimpse coyote, jackrabbits, quail and roadrunners.

Joshua Tree National Park is an otherworldly park of Flintstone-sized boulders and spindly, spiky trees that’s a popular playground for rock climbers, hikers, mountain bikers and nature photographers. Nearby Pioneertown is a historic Hollywood remnant, a Wild West movie set-turned-rugged desert community that’s home to a handful of galleries and roadhouses along with the famous Pappy and Harriet’s Palace.

Golf courses, restaurants, bars and classic architecture fill the mid-century modern oasis of Palm Springs, located an easy drive away. Palm Springs is the poster child of the Desert Modernism movement and its iconic strip is dotted with vintage boutiques, hip concept stores, and a multitude of cafes and cocktail bars. Other day trips include the cooler landscapes of the San Jacinto mountains, as well as Indian and Palm Canyons.