ABOUT US
As long time travel enthusiasts, we've explored the world, always with an eye toward design, soulful homes, and unique experiences.
As we traveled, we found ourselves gravitating toward simple, grounding spaces that were deeply integrated with nature.
We came to realize that we always left these trips feeling refreshed and energized to take on the world again.
Eventually we felt the call to create a space of our own and purchased a 1980s custom built home on 5 acres in Yucca Valley, CA. We spent two of the best years of our lives designing and building what would become Terra Nova. We poured our hearts into this space with a genuine desire to create a place where people could come to disconnect from the noise of daily life. When we opened Terra Nova to visitors, the feedback was so positive that we were encouraged to take on our second project, Terra Vieja.
Terra Vieja was much more of a restoration project. We were drawn to this 1950s homestead because it’s vintage charm represented much of the western qualities we’d come to love about Joshua Tree. While we upgraded just about every part of the home, we did our best to maintain as much of the home’s character as possible, including its original windows. When you visit Terra Vieja you find a home that has been lovingly restored to reflect the quirkiness of the high desert, as well as the modern luxuries that enable guests to take full advantage of this desert paradise.
Reflecting on our own travel, and feedback from guests, we've come to learn that modern travelers are seeking similar elements on their holiday.
Elements like….
Slowing down time
Caring for oneself
Reconnecting with nature
Creating lasting memories with friends & families
Some of our very best memories have been hosting friends and family at our properties. Our mission is to create spaces that reconnect people with nature, and thus, themselves.
We’ve never been more excited to fulfill this purpose and plan to expand our offerings beyond Joshua Tree.
Stay tuned for more!
-
We love wandering international book stores and find some of our best inspiration from books discovered in other countries focusing on design, sustainability, and natural building techniques. We're always considering ways to reduce the environmental footprints of our homes and would love to some day build a fully off grid space. Of course, we are travel enthusiasts and stay at short-term rentals everywhere we go. This is the best way to get to know a region, it’s land, and its people.
-
We're still avid travelers and bring little pieces back with us from everywhere we go. Terra Nova's kitchen contains some of our favorite ceramic dish ware from Oaxaca, Mexico, while Terra Vieja has woven trays from Cambodia.
-
When we're not working on our properties, we're hiking with our two dogs, Kia and Yuma. We actually found Yuma in the desert on the very day that we moved to Terra Vieja. Unable to locate his family, or resist his charm, we ended up adopting him into the family.