For Natalie Myers, her vacation home is more than a place to escape to; it's also a place to experiment. When the Los Angeles-based owner of Veneer Designs and her husband found a desert cabin in Yucca Valley, near Joshua Tree National Park, she decided to use their new retreat as an opportunity to hone her design P.O.V. without having clients to answer to. "I had concepts I was itching to try and companies I wanted to work with, but it was hard to convince clients to commit to in their homes," says Myers. "I wanted to take a few design risks and the only place to really do that is in a vacation home, where things can be more light hearted." Myers refers to that lighthearted aesthetic as "Scandifornian," a mix of minimalist Scandinavian style with earthy Californian elements.
The home was built in the 1950s as a hunting cabin and had been expanded over the years. Myers started by stripping away laminate floors, wall paneling, and other dated details. "I wanted to bring it back to the basics with simple materials that were either part of its vernacular — like vintage metal kitchen cabinets, polished concrete floors, and glazed brick tile — or introduce new elements that seemed right for the desert," says Myers.
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The walls and ceilings were painted in a crisp white, creating a blank canvas for an eclectic mix of materials and warm hues that nod to the desert landscape. Touches of black and streamlined furnishings keep the space from feeling like a typical Joshua Tree retreat. "There was a desire to get away from the rustic boho look that's somewhat expected in the High Desert area," says Myers. "I wanted to create a house that felt relaxed and inviting, but also refined in a way that's appreciated by design lovers." The designer says she still has plans for more experimentation on the cabin in the future, but in the meantime, Scandifornian lovers can rent it on Airbnb.
