This is not a flash-in-the-pan recently flipped home, just for the rental market. Steph’s has a glorious history, and you can feel the love from the moment you arrive.

Steph writes:

This mid-century-ish home was originally built in the 50’s by the owners before me, and, although it started as a boxy efficient space, Ray and his wife Mary kept expanding on all sides to make it what it is today.

Ray built this home with incredible care and efficiency, from the slope of the roof to the double paned glass and air tight insulation. It is a perfect desert home.

Ray and Mary, in their later years, donated the home and some attached property to Ray’s alma mater, Harvey Mudd College in Claremont,CA in lieu of selling it themselves, and it sat on the market until my boyfriend at the time and dear friend, John “Juke” Logan and I stumbled across it in the winter of 1997.

It was a blank slate and the price had just been reduced, so we saw it as a sign and purchased it, soon after adding on extra acreage that was still owned by Ray and Mary. We completely transformed the place ourselves (including painting the outside to a desert tan from the original pink). We pulled up blue carpeting, painted all the walls, and made it feel unique and homey.

Even after Juke and I transitioned to best friends only, we continued to enjoy co-owning the home, with Juke eventually moving out here to live his final years. We shared it with friends, family, and Juke had many amazing parties with musicians from all over the country (Juke was an incredibly successful and loved blues harmonica player from Los Angeles) Everyone who came here, felt its calming energy and understood the peaceful power of this part of the country.

Juke passed away in 2013, and, a few years later, I decided to do a renovation to help move it forward into the present, using my own eye and creativity to choose an eclectic mix of colors, furnishings, art, cement floor treatment and other details. Many of the art pieces are my own works and have been featured in showings at the Joshua Tree National Park Foundation shows and events (and yes, mine are for sale).

I am pleased to open this place up to more visitors beyond my own circle of friends and family, so that this beauty can be shared and respected.  I know you will treat it as if it were your own. After all, there is nothing like pure nature to help you get back to center and grounded. Throw in a clear night sky, and the result is magic.