We are so lucky to live in and host our guests in two locations with incredible creative communities: Joshua Tree, California and Tucson, Arizona. During a stay in either location, you’ll find that our spaces are filled with special pieces by artists, makers, and small shops we admire. Both our inn in Tucson and our rental homes in Joshua Tree offer an immersive place to connect with the beautiful, yet fragile, natural desert landscape that we are passionate about conserving.
Whenever possible, we buy vintage or from small artists or brands that we know feel a similar connection with the environment. We especially love to tap into our communities to focus on local makers, which helps to make each space feel of its own particular place. We’re excited to share more about some of the makers we feature here at JTH Tucson.
Murals
Behind our bar there’s a mural of Agave plants by local botanical artist Trevor Mock, aka Sonoran Witch Boy. Linda Pappa, a Greek multidisciplinary artist did a residency and painted this mural in our Ocotillo Suite, as well as the eye in our Yoga Room while she was here.
Dishes
In our pantry and in your room at the inn, you’ll find beautiful marbled clay coffee mugs. They’re part of the Swish series by local potter (and botanist!) Ursula Basinger. We also have her copitas behind the bar in the communal living room.
Also on display in pantry is matte white dishware by HF Coors, a local ceramics company. (Our wine glasses we grabbed on a daytrip to Mexico, the town of Nogales is only a couple of hours from us! Most of the other pieces pictured are vintage finds.)
Hand Painted Signs
When designing the inn, we knew signage was necessary in order to help our guests navigate the space, but we didn’t want to compromise our aesthetic. We decided hand painted signs would be the best fit, so during the initial renovations our old pal from art school, artist Jen Mussari, came out to help with making our signs. (You may recognize Jen’s work from our bandanas and t-shirts!) Recently, we had local designer and painter Ashley of Modern Aquarian come out to paint a few new signs, including the ones for our Souvenir Shop.
Furniture
With close to 10,000 square feet to fill, sourcing furniture for the inn was both a fun and overwhelming project! A few years in, and some of our favorite (and most asked about) pieces are the handmade ones. Our guests have spent many sweet evenings sharing a meal around this dining table that Rich and his Dad built from reclaimed wood that they sourced at local salvage yard and natural material supply, Originate Natural Building.
Another prized piece is the coffee table in the communal dining room, which was hand built using traditional methods by local furniture maker Sam Okerlund. We also have stools throughout the inn handmade by him as well—his work is so inspiring to us!
Paintings
Throughout the inn we’ve hung paintings from artists we admire. A couple of pieces that we love are this scene inspired by our Saguaro Suite by local artist Scout Dunbar, and this large scale piece in our communal living room that was painted on-site by Julia Rosenthal.
Photography
In our communal living room there’s a black and white desertscape, which is a collaborative piece done by local photographer Emily Tartaglia and her mother. (Emily also offers portrait sessions for our guests.) Just up the stairs in our communal yoga room hangs this special piece taken on-site by a past guest of ours, Kristin Hart Studios Fine Art Photography.
Fiber Art
Throughout the inn, fiber art from skilled artisans and small shops create a cozy vibe. Our vintage Moroccan rugs are sourced by Berber artisan and “rug addict” Taib Lotfi of Soukie Modern.
In our Saguaro suite, there’s a wall hanging and pillow designed by Kuddkrig Home.
Interested in shopping our picks?
Shop your room here, and check out our round up of frequently asked about products here.
(Some images are by Bethany Nauert, Images by Laila, and Margaret Austin)
