Photo by Margaret Austin

Sara and Rich Combs, design-savvy couple behind desert-lifestyle brand and Airbnb The Joshua Tree House recently opened doors to their newly completed inn in Tucson, AZ. Surrounded by the stunning landscape of Saguaro National Park, Posada is every desert-lover's dream retreat. 

The Joshua Tree House's spaces have one thing in common: they're each designed to be places to reset, reflect and create. We sat down with the darling couple to learn how to create that feeling in our own homes and acheive their carefully-curated desert look. 

Photo by Margaret Austin

Photos by Margaret Austin

Photo by Margaret Austin

Your design mantras serve as reminders during your design process to ensure your spaces feel warm and full of love. Can you share your four mantras with us?

1. Blur Indoor and Outdoor Space — A house becomes a home in the context of its surrounding environment. At home in the desert, our influences are rooted in the natural environment. The senses all play a role in how a space feels connected to its environment, including light, color, and scent.

2. Curate a Home That Enhances With Use —   A home is not meant to be perfect, it's meant to be lived in! We use this mantra as a reminder to design spaces that celebrate age as character, and get better with use. We've found natural materials to enhance over time, and really love incorporating them into our designs.

3. Design for Ordinary Experiences — Ordinary is our everyday, it's our routine. It can be mundane, but ultimately forms our lives. Ordinary moments pull us into what's happening now: making morning coffee, having a conversation with a friend, bathing, sleeping, etc. This mantra is a reminder that it's worth considering how design can gently enhance ordinary experiences.

4. Always Add Plants, Real Ones –   Even the warmest environments can feel sterile without plants. Not only do plants draw our nurturing qualities to the surface, they improve air quality and bring a home to life.

Photo by Margaret Austin

How did our furniture fit into the way you've approached the design of Posada? 

We've found Barnaby's designs to be made of the highest quality natural materials: wood and leather are two of our favorite materials to witness aging over time. The Barnaby pieces we own also add an appreciation for the everyday as we get to interact with them in our home: whether it's reading a book in our lounge chair, or tying our shoes on the bench.

Your never-failing color palette?

Warm whites, ochres, and the green of cacti are definitely a go-to!

Your go-to material palette?

Natural materials like plaster, wood, leather, and ceramics.

Your relax at home playlist?

Our New Moon Playlist is constantly playing at our house.

Your favorite plant to give a space a desert vibe?

Euphorbias are a favorite indoor plant for a desert vibe. While they look like a cactus, they are actually their own genus (and definitely less pokey). There are also so many varieties in different sizes and colors.

Your best desert decorating tip?

In our personal home, we matched the color of our floor to the sand outside. It's a little thing that's gone a long way in keeping our space relaxed, as the desert tends to get dusty!

Photo by Margaret Austin

Photo by Tim Melladio

Head here to book a stay at the Posada Inn by The Joshua Tree House.