Before & After: They Turned a ’70s Tract House Into a Quirky Desert Dream Home
Interior designer Kelly Kai helps her partner, Catalina Monsalve, find and renovate her very first residence on the outskirts of Joshua Tree.
Interior designer Kelly Kai helps her partner, Catalina Monsalve, find and renovate her very first residence on the outskirts of Joshua Tree.
Like so many others during the pandemic, creative director Catalina Monsalve found herself at a turning point when it came to her living situation. "I had been living in New York for 17 years, and it had started to feel stagnant there for me," recalls Catalina. "I gave up my place, and when I came to visit Kelly in California, she showed me this house. It just felt right."
Kelly Kai (left) and Catalina Monsalve (right) relax in the Morongo Valley home they renovated together.
Sterling Reed
Catalina’s partner, interior designer Kelly Kai, spent years traveling between her home in Los Angeles and the desert around Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, where she transformed run-down properties into charming Airbnbs. "I felt drawn to build and design out there because I find the area so grounding and healing, and I wanted others to experience it," says Kelly. She convinced Catalina to see the potential in the 1970s track house they visited together in 2022.
Before: Front Exterior
Catalina Monsalve’s home in Morongo Valley, California, just outside of Joshua Tree, was built in the 1970s. "It was a cookie cutter house—literally a blank canvas, as it had a total lack of character," says Catalina’s partner, interior designer Kelly Kai.
Courtesy Kelly Kai
"The house was in budget and off market," recalls Kelly. "It really felt like it just fell into Catalina’s pocket at the time she was interested in buying her first home."
After: Front Exterior
The couple were attracted to the home’s location on a corner lot in a sleepy area of Morongo Valley, along with its proximity to the mountains.
Sterling Reed
See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: They Turned a ’70s Tract House Into a Quirky Desert Dream Home
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