Icon - Arrow LeftAn icon we use to indicate a rightwards action. Icon - Arrow RightAn icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Icon - External LinkAn icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - MessageThe icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - Down ChevronUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - CloseUsed to indicate a close action. Icon - Dropdown ArrowUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Location PinUsed to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Zoom OutUsed to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Zoom InUsed to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - SearchUsed to indicate a search action. Icon - EmailUsed to indicate an emai action. Icon - FacebookFacebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - InstagramInstagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - PinterestPinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - TwitterTwitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Check MarkA check mark for checkbox buttons.
You are reading

Merchant House High Desert: A Spanish-Style Oasis in the Mojave

Search

Start typing to search...

Search
PlasterIssue 6 — Saint Valentine

Merchant House High Desert: A Spanish-Style Oasis in the Mojave

February 12, 2021

Like many people, we have vacation escapes on the mind (one can dream). This one, about 20 minutes from Joshua Tree, would make it a breeze to shelter in place: It’s secluded and far from the crowds, blurs the line between outdoors and indoors, and furnished with vintage, eclectic finds.

Dubbed Merchant House High Desert, it’s owned by the mother-daughter team of Denise Portmans and Sara Marlowe Hall. Together, they run the Merchant brand, a three-pronged business that includes a store (Merchant Modern), a gallery (both in Los Angeles), and vacation rentals, including this one.

Here’s a peek.

Photography via @merchanthousehighdesert on Instagram.

the sunny yellow front doors are original to the \1950s spanish style ranch hou 9
Above: The sunny yellow front doors are original to the 1950s Spanish-style ranch house.
the doors lead to this front porch with built in seating. a vintage japanese wo 10
Above: The doors lead to this front porch with built-in seating. A vintage Japanese wood deck chair adds warmth to this predominantly white space.
french doors lead to the living room. denise and sara painted the plaster walls 11
Above: French doors lead to the living room. Denise and Sara painted the plaster walls and concrete floor white. The arched window to the right affords a peek into the kitchen.
the home (like their store and gallery) features a mix of vintage mid century d 12
Above: The home (like their store and gallery) features a mix of vintage mid-century Danish finds, Moroccan touches, California-made ceramics, and contemporary art. The two travel once a year to Morocco to source vintage rugs, baskets, and objects.
in the simple kitchen, baskets were turned into pendant lights. 13
Above: In the simple kitchen, baskets were turned into pendant lights.
each bedroom has a simple platform bed and subtly pink walls. 14
Above: Each bedroom has a simple platform bed and subtly pink walls.
another guest room. 15
Above: Another guest room.
a quiet corner of a bedroom, expertly decorated with texture and patina. 16
Above: A quiet corner of a bedroom, expertly decorated with texture and patina.
dining en plein air. 17
Above: Dining en plein air.
the house is set on on five acres. 18
Above: The house is set on on five acres.
a stock tank pool was inserted into the multi tier deck for refreshing dips. 19
Above: A stock tank pool was inserted into the multi-tier deck for refreshing dips.

For more desert escapes, see:

You need to login or register to view and manage your bookmarks.

Explore Deeper Into These Areas

Previous Post

Trend Alert: Josef Albers-Inspired Color Blocks on Quilts, Rugs, Shower Curtains, and More

February 10, 2021
Next Post

Favorite Pandemic Discovery: The Verve Manual Juice Press, Made in Mexico

February 12, 2021

Have a Question or Comment About This Post?

Join the conversation

Related Stories

Read all recent posts

join us on Merchant House High Desert A SpanishStyle Oasis in the Mojave portrait 7 20

remodelista

Sourcebook for The Considered Home

Merchant House High Desert A SpanishStyle Oasis in the Mojave portrait 7 21

v5.0

×
Join the Remodelista Family of Websites

Become a Member at no charge

When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.

Member benefits include:

  • Access to all posts published in the past year
  • Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
  • Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
  • Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
  • Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
  • Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites

Or Subscribe for Maximum Value!

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Sorry! As a registered member you get 10 free posts from our archive (posts more than a year old) every 30 days. You have reached your limit for this 30-day period. If you would like to access unlimited posts from the archive (ad free, too), become a subscriber today, and keep reading as many articles as you want.

Full Access Individual Subscription

Benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home sites
  • Ad-free browsing environment
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay just 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99


×
Sorry! You have reached your limit of three (3) free posts from our archive every 30 days. You can increase this to 10 posts by joining as a free Member, or read unlimited posts with no ads by becoming a paid Subscriber.

Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites

For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.



Subscriber benefits include:

  • Unlimited access to all three sites
  • Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
  • Receive the full-text daily newsletters
  • All features that Members have access to
  • Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99

Become a Member at no charge

When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.

Member benefits include:

  • Access to all posts published in the past year
  • Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
  • Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
  • Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
  • Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
  • Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites

My Account

Your member profile is powered by memberstack