“Looking back, we began our current path by being open to change and allowed ourselves to naturally gravitate towards what excited us, or what we felt passionately about.”
Imagine going on a road trip and discovering that you were not only about to embark on a new adventure, but a completely new lifestyle. Sara and Rich Combs are the creators of The Joshua Tree House – incredible spaces and lifestyle brand made from a labor of love, creativity, and the connection with the Mojave desert.
A few months ago, we were searching for ways to come back to the rituals of life. To slow down, be present, and connect with our internal and external worlds in a new way. In a world where scrolling and connecting digitally is ever-so present, we wanted a tangible way to connect to inspiration. One of our rituals became purchasing hard-cover books from folks who inspire us. We saw that Sara and Rich wrote a book about the design and lifestyle of The Joshua Tree House. We never expected the impact the book would have on us.
For a month straight, our morning ritual was waking up, slowly brewing a fresh pot of coffee or turmeric latte, and sitting down with At Home in Joshua Tree. We loved the stories of the design and intention that went behind blending indoor and outdoor spaces; the internal and the external. We wanted to learn more about Sara and Rich’s story and so we reached out to do a Q&A interview with them.
Meet Sara and Rich…
It all started with a road trip… in your book ‘At Home in Joshua Tree’ you mentioned the story of a road trip. Can you tell us a bit about that adventure and how it led you to Joshua Tree?
Back in early 2014 we went on a road trip that changed our lives. One of our first stops on that trip was Joshua Tree, CA—a place that stuck with us as we continued to travel, and ultimately became a place we call home. One of the next stops on that same road trip was Tucson, AZ to visit Saguaro National Park. With a similar energy to JT, and what feels like a cactus jungle of wise Saguaros and Prickly Pears, we fell in love.
When did the idea for The Joshua Tree House first come about?
After living and working on the road while we searched for a place to call home, we’ve spent the past five years living in Joshua Tree while working on creative projects and growing The JTH.
As we’ve done so, we’ve fallen in love with creating spaces for people to reflect, reset, and create in. It began with individual homes in Joshua Tree, California and has now grown to also include our five suite inn in Tucson, Arizona. Our goal is to provide well designed spaces for people to stay that are immersed in nature and nearby national parks.
Did you have experience in renovation and interior design before the Joshua Tree House?
We both went to art school and have always loved interior design, though formally before creating The JTH we worked as web designers. So much of what we were designing digitally has translated to what we now do with tangible spaces. We love thinking about the ways in which we can guide people through an experience, and now playing with all of the senses has been so much fun.
As for the renovation portion, we both got our first taste of renovation in high school. We started dating sophomore year, and Rich’s family was fixing up an old home from the early 1900’s. I still remember one of our first dates, I helped carry sheetrock, haha! We both learned so much from that project, and still to this day use Rich’s dad as an endless resource for renovation knowledge.
Did you take a risk to move to Joshua Tree and start The Joshua Tree House? If so, tell us about it!
Yes, this was a huge and terrifying change for us. We had been living in San Francisco with rent control and great jobs, but we continuously felt the pull to create something of our own. We asked ourselves if what we had been doing was what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives. When the answer was no, we decided to just move forward and give it a try.
It was of course a transition, and we didn’t even know what we were leaving our jobs to create. We left without a fully formed plan because we knew that it would give us the push and urgency needed to make something happen. The risk was in not waiting, and jumping right in not knowing what was next for us.
We love how intentional you are. How have you created a lifestyle that is aligned with who you are and what you’re passionate about?
As we began our freelance careers, we started a cross-country road trip. Movement always gets our minds racing with ideas, and opens up new possibilities. It was on that road trip that we first discovered Joshua Tree National Park, and completely fell in love. As we continued to travel we couldn’t stop thinking about how magnetizing Joshua Tree was to us. The open landscape, the connection to nature, and the creative community all drew us in quickly.
Looking back, we began our current path by being open to change and allowed ourselves to naturally gravitate towards what excited us, or what we felt passionately about. Naturally from there our passions became both our business and our lifestyle.
What advice can you give to a creative or dreamer that can help them go from hustle to “slow and deliberate”?
We’ve realized that slow and deliberate doesn’t necessarily mean not doing anything… rather it’s about allowing the process of what you do create to become more enjoyable. Slow can sound like nothing’s getting accomplished, but it’s more of a quality over quantity mentality.
Can you tell us about your rad new addition, Posada? What inspired its creation?
Inspired by a southwest road trip that we had taken, we loved the idea of guests road tripping from one location to the next. Our inn in Tucson is a bit different from the Joshua Tree properties with some communal areas in addition to private spaces. We get so excited thinking someone might make a new friend during their travels, or see things from a new perspective after chatting with another guest.
As soon as we found this abandoned inn that we’ve now renovated, we just had a deep instinct that this was a place we would do whatever it took to be able to share its beauty. In addition to the incredible bones of the structure, the surrounding landscape has a forest of cacti unlike anywhere else we’ve seen. Though it’s a desert, it’s such a lush landscape!
What would be your biggest dream with your brand and the life you’re creating?
To encourage our guests to take the time to reset, feel inspired to take care of our environment and maybe even develop a few new positive habits during their stay, and eventually continue The JTH properties to future locations to recreate the southwest road trip we had initially been inspired by. On a simpler note, we just want to take the time out to watch the sunset each day.
Follow along Sara & Rich’s journey on Instagram and book a stay at their magical places here.
Photo credit: Image 1 @timmelideo, Images 2, 3, 6 @thejoshuatreehouse, Image 4 @aliweds
