An Artist Transforms a Joshua Tree Cabin Into a Surrealism-Inspired Rental
Taking cues from the otherworldly landscape of Joshua Tree National Park in California, artist Shawn Button crafts an immersive desert getaway that transports visitors to a different dimension.
Taking cues from the otherworldly landscape of Joshua Tree National Park in California, artist Shawn Button crafts an immersive desert getaway that transports visitors to a different dimension.
When Los Angeles–based artist Shawn Button considered buying a rental property at the edge of Joshua Tree National Park during the height of the pandemic, he knew it would be a risk. But the stakes became even clearer when he set foot on the site of the dilapidated 1959 cabin. "The house was pretty busted up, but as I walked around the property, the sun was setting and I started having these crazy visions of what it could be," Button recalls. "I knew it would be a gamble, so I asked the universe for a sign. Then, I looked down, and I saw a pair of dice in the sand."
Artist Shawn Button’s latest project, The Meltdown, is an immersive art environment in Joshua Tree, California, available nightly rentals on Airbnb. "I wanted the space to function as a gallery or portfolio of my work, but also elevate it into a full-on experience so you feel like you’re living inside an art installation," says Button.
Photo by Brandon Stanley
With that unmistakable sign to move forward, Button called his realtor and took the leap. Over the next six months, the artist got to work transforming the crumbling desert property into an otherworldly vacation retreat. Inspired by the surrealist qualities of Joshua Tree’s rocky landscape—and the house’s sublimely extraterrestrial neighbor, the 1980s Kellogg Doolittle House, also known as the High Desert House—Button sought to create a getaway that would surprise and delight visitors. "I wanted it to feel like an art installation," explains Button. "My work as an artist is not two-dimensional, so I wanted to elevate this place into a full-on immersive experience."
Button added new outdoor spaces to the home, including a covered side patio delineated by arches and circular openings. "There were so many squares in the existing space, so I wanted to balance that out with rounded corners and edges," says the homeowner and designer.
Photo by Brandon Stanley
The circular openings frame picturesque views of Joshua Tree National Park, which borders The Meltdown property.
Photo by Brandon Stanley
See the full story on Dwell.com: An Artist Transforms a Joshua Tree Cabin Into a Surrealism-Inspired Rental
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