High on the rocks above the desert of Joshua Tree National Park, beneath some of the largest blue skies or sweeping starscapes you’ll see in your life, there’s a building that looks like a brutalist shell, cracked open and shining with its own internal glow. This site isn’t just rare: it’s one-of-a-kind, a house designed by a renowned architect, built and refined over two decades. It’s nestled so perfectly, so naturally into the crags and boulders of the high desert that you could convince yourself it was carved by some ambitious wind.
Modernity dwells here as well, with up-to-date appliances and television, not to mention the fact that the home invites visitors to book a stay on Airbnb.
Take a Look Inside: Cracking Open the Kellogg Doolittle House
From overhead, the Kellogg Doolittle House looks like a broken stone, a burning pinecone, or some kind of desert crustacean. Once inside, you’ll notice that the interior structure is built around massive boulders that have never been moved. Above you, great pillars blend the walls into the ceiling, with glass enclosing the space between them, letting in natural light or giving a view of the beautiful evening. Unique marble sculptures decorate the space, with structures like a dining table or even a shower carved from marble. In other places, natural stone forms careful, organic shapes.
“Organic Architecture” is the philosophy architect Kendrick Bangs Kellogg brought to the project, designing the home specifically for artists Jay and Bev Doolittle. It’s a 3-bedroom house on a 10.5-acre lot of beautiful desert right next to Joshua Tree National Park, around five thousand square feet in size.
A Historic Project: The Living Art of an Evolving House
Everything inside the house, from furniture to light fixtures to art pieces, has been handmade by Kellogg’s protégé, John Vugrin. He’s been working on the interior since 1994 and continues to refine it today, while the house’s current owners do their part to preserve the original vision. The house is a living piece of art, significant for its cultural history and also for its continued role as an architectural landmark.
Through Airbnb Luxe, the house is available to guests, allowing travelers, adventurers, and art enthusiasts to experience the architectural and sculptural marvels of the home up close. This era of experiential tourism is becoming part of the history of the house, making the building an open, intimate gallery all its own.
Touch the Earth and Feel the Sky: Find Natural Inspiration in the Kellogg Doolittle House
Like all art, the house will have an effect on you. A stay at the Kellogg Doolittle House can bring you into the natural wonder of Joshua Tree National Park, inviting you to dwell close to the Earth without ever losing sight of the sky. It creates a unique experience, combining the instinctive calm of security with the wide-awake dream of stargazing from your living room. At the same time, you become part of the house’s story just by being there, keeping the art alive by seeing it, living in it, and bringing your energy to it.
Even if a stay at the Kellogg Doolittle House isn’t in the cards for you, take some time to find out more about the house and browse through pictures of the artistic work being done there. It’s an inspirational sight from every angle.