Introducing the newest place to stay in Tucson: the Creosote Suite at JTH Tucson! After more than a year of renovation transforming this once blank space into the suite of our dreams, we are so excited to finally share it with you.
This spacious studio has a king bed, a full kitchen, built-in couch, a private patio and a very dreamy jungle shower.
Renovation
Though the other rooms at the inn had been abandoned for a decade, they did have great bones to work with. This space, however, was a completely blank slate: a former garage storage area that quickly had become a cluttered dumping ground—both a challenge and an opportunity.
Renovating this suite was one of *those* projects—the kind where any little thing that could go wrong did. Our timeline was pushed back time and time again, as we learned some major lessons about patience as well as perseverance. Rich and his dad Jay took over renovations after we lost our contractors in the final stretch (and in my final weeks of pregnancy). Working on this space as a family reminded us of our earlier days tackling renovations together, except this time as we approached the finish line we also had our newborn daughter Flora along for the ride. The push to get the suite finished while simultaneously experiencing all the joy and challenges of new parenthood made for a time we can best describe as a blur. Though, it felt so good to show Flora what we’re passionate about even in the earliest days together—to know that becoming parents does not mean we are losing ourselves as designers or inn-keepers. We will always have a soft spot in our hearts for this space that came about during those long and intimate days together.
Inspiration
Since Creosote was a blank canvas, we got to let our imaginations run wild when designing the space. We pulled inspiration from our surrounding landscape, and also from some of our favorite elements of our existing rooms. For the suite’s floors, we chose Fireclay Tile’s brick tile inspired by the sand just outside, and for the bathroom we went with Zia Tile’s cotto and zellige tiles, reminiscent of the sky and red mountains here in Arizona.
The jungle shower was inspired by the planter we discovered in the Saguaro suite shower. We wanted to use some more tropical plants in here as well to reflect how lush the Sonoran desert feels—particularly during monsoon season. We decided to build a full kitchen in Creosote suite. This choice was inspired by the one in our Agave Suite kitchen, a popular amenity for our guests who’d prefer more privacy. We had a lot of fun dreaming up the little nook built-in storage space in this kitchen!
Namesake
Reconnecting with nature is at the heart of our designs. Since Tucson is so lush and full of plant life (as deserts go!), it only made sense to honor our surroundings by naming each room here at the inn after desert flora. We decided to follow this tradition for our newest suite, and settled on a special plant as it’s namesake.
Creosote bushes are true desert survivors, and as such are one the most common plants you’ll come across in both the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. We love their cheerful yellow flowers, and the little fuzzy balls of seeds that they leave behind after blooming. But the real magic of the creosote bush is in the leaves. Creosote leaves are coated in a layer of resinous oil to help the plant conserve water. When it rains in the desert this oil becomes active and fills the air with the most beautiful scent. This phenomenon is known as petrichor—a sentimental scent of rain on dry soil.
We hope to inspire our guests to explore indoor-outdoor living. The Creosote studio suite flows out onto a private patio with a seating area and a dining table. If you wander off of the patio to explore our 40 acres of wild desert grounds, you’re sure to encounter creosote bushes. And if you’re not lucky enough to be visiting during a rain, crush a few of the leaves between your fingertips to release it’s signature scent.
With an unforgettable start and a nostalgic scented plant as its namesake, it seems the Creosote suite is destined to be memorable. We hope a stay in it will offer a beautiful desert memory all your own.
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