High Desert Retreat : Aidlin Darling Design

This monograph illuminates the design process for High Desert Retreat, a residence tightly nestled into a constellation of boulders on a bluff overlooking the Coachella Valley in Southern California.

The structure, nestled tightly into a constellation of existing boulders, is a composition of three fundamental elements: a floating roof plane, a collection of wooden volumes, and a pair of concrete anchor walls. The result is testament to the ethos of the firm to design for all the senses. The home became a framing device in which the sensuality of the surrounds is highlighted, and the boulders, Pinyon Trees and the distant mountain ranges became sculptures and paintings to be appreciated from within. The design is exceedingly crisp in its geometry, providing an intentional contrast to the organic forms of the desert.