Near Joshua Tree, a Sublime Desert Home Embraces Shadows and Sunlight

Brian Libby
·2 min read

Drawing inspiration from Japanese architecture and beach umbrellas planted in the sand, Mapa Architects crafts a calming escape at a turbulent time.

Los Angeles–based fashion insider Francesca Laranga dreamed of creating a different kind of desert getaway. "I wanted this house to be a kind of sacred space," she explains. It’s why she calls the ensuing project, located in the town of Joshua Tree, California, the Tera Haus—tera translates to temple in Japanese.

"It’s a temple for me and my guests: a place to access the silence of the desert," Francesca says. "That’s why it feels so restorative to be there. It feels sacred because you’re disconnected from everything that’s overwhelming these days, but you’re also connected to the earth. Somehow, it makes you connect with yourself in a different way—it’s really special."

Homeowner Francesca Laranga chose this five-acre desert site, about seven minutes outside Yucca Valley, California, after seeing it once.
Homeowner Francesca Laranga chose this five-acre desert site, about seven minutes outside Yucca Valley, California, after seeing it once.

Not unlike a real religious pilgrimage, Francesca faced an arduous journey as she set out to complete the home in 2020, amidst pandemic lockdowns and supply chain volatility.

Francesca is from Bologna, Italy, and while working in the fashion industry she lived in Berlin and made regular trips to Paris. "I’ve always traveled so much— maybe too much—my entire life," she says. "Then, when I arrived in California, it felt like I could put down some roots here."

The house was conceived as a kind of umbrella, providing shelter for a series of bedrooms and the great room below, as well as an adjacent carport that doubles as covered outdoor space.
The house was conceived as a kind of umbrella, providing shelter for a series of bedrooms and the great room below, as well as an adjacent carport that doubles as covered outdoor space.

She had only visited the site, in a small valley near the edge of Joshua Tree National Park, on one occasion before purchasing the land—but that was enough to convince her. "There was this steep road, and then you go down into this sort of private cove and it’s stunning. You feel a very, very different energy," she recalls. "I was like, ‘This is it. This is it.’"

The property sale closed just about a week before the first U.S. quarantines started. "I got a little scared, and I was like, ‘What am I doing now?’" Francesca says. "But then I thought, ‘You know what? Just do it.’"

The interiors, by Francesca's Interlude Studio, feature simple maple cabinetry and concrete floors.
The interiors, by Francesca's Interlude Studio, feature simple maple cabinetry and concrete floors.

See the full story on Dwell.com: Near Joshua Tree, a Sublime Desert Home Embraces Shadows and Sunlight
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