On a sunny spring afternoon in the high desert, Adam Miller and Devon Oder prepared to host guests—friends, neighbors, artists and family—at a reception for artist B. Wurtz at their one-bedroom cabin in Yucca Valley .
Like many Los Angeles parents of young children needing a break during the COVID-19 pandemic, the married artists and gallerists escaped to Yucca Valley with their two children and three rescue dogs amid stay-at-home orders.
Oder, a Los Angeles native who first camped in Joshua Tree when she was a student at UC Santa Cruz, says they had long dreamed of buying a home in the desert. “Spending more time here during the pandemic revitalized our dream,” she says.
When a local real estate agent specializing in off-market listings showed them a small cabin on 2½ acres above the center of Yucca Valley, their dream of buying a home and living part-time in the desert came true.
The sunken living room features a colorful oil painting by Joani Tremblay, a ceramic owl by Myungjin Kim, and a large ceramic vase by Jennifer Rochlin.
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“Once we opened a second gallery in Palm Springs, we wanted to be immersed in the community here,” Miller says. “We dreamed of buying land and building our own house, but once we found this cabin, we knew we wanted to start living here right away and make memories with our children.”
Today, the 1958 cabin is more than a second home for the Pit Art Gallery owners who met while earning their MFA at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena and later worked as studio assistants for the Los Angeles artist Sterling Ruby. It's also a place where they can connect with a thriving community of artists, like their neighbor Heidi Schwegler of the Yucca Valley Material Lab and Ryan Schneider and Heather Day, who they represent at The Pit.
“They made the decision to become part of the community here,” says Schneider, an artist focused primarily on sculpture who lives in Joshua Tree full time. “They renovated the cabin beautifully, filled it with art and started hosting gatherings. It has a super warm and family atmosphere.”
When Miller and Oder first saw the house on a scouting trip, Oder says she “immediately said yes.” Although the house was offered as-is in a probate sale, they realized that the previous owner, a deceased musician, had taken it over. “The property just needed a little love,” she says.
“The property just needed a little love,” Oder says of the 1958 cabin, shown before being remodeled.
(Devon Oder)
Miller wasn't so sure.
“The house wasn't torn down, but it was twisted,” he says of the dark wood-paneled walls and small, compartmentalized rooms.
Still, Home Depot's simple kitchen and bathroom were functional. A detached garage would help with storage since the cabin had no closets. The plumbing and existing mini-split HVAC system were in good condition. But since the cabin measured 988 square feet, the couple wondered where everyone would sleep.
The uneven floor tiles hinted at minor additions over the years, including a supply room with shelves next to the only bedroom and bathroom. “I thought, 'If we can put a bunk bed in the pantry for the kids, then we should buy the house,'” she Oder recalls, laughing. His optimism prevailed. Logan, 5, and River, 8, now sleep in bunk beds in a small space. They also added a sleeper sofa in the living room and RV hookups in the backyard, hoping to accommodate more friends and family.
The Yucca Valley cabin pantry before it was converted into a children's room, as shown at right. (Devon Oder) The old pantry today. (Lisa Boone / Los Angeles Times)
In 2022, the desert contractors they approached were busy with remodeling projects, so the couple hired a gallery associate in Los Angeles, who moved into the house and completed a cosmetic makeover in just a month and a half with the help of three other people with remodeling experience. .
Rather than completely redo the interiors, the couple kept as much of the cabin's original charm as possible, including the 1960s oven and stove in the kitchen, windows, a wood stove in a corner of the dining room with brick backing and some wood. paneling. “We wanted it to look like a cabin,” Miller says. “But we also wanted it to feel homey.”
The sunny kitchen transformation includes new butcher block countertops and open shelves filled with Miller's Reaperware ceramic dishes. More handcrafted tiles by Miller, who is also a painter, brighten the backsplash behind the sink and stove. The couple also chose to keep the kitchen's original island: a walnut dresser with drawers; They renovated it with a new butcher block countertop to match the others.
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The wall that once separated the living room from the kitchen and dining room was removed to open up the interiors, and the concrete floors, which had several coats of paint, were sanded and re-polished, a sensible move that suited the inside the family. -outdoor lifestyle.
To add more warmth to the interiors, the couple, both 42, combined colorful Moroccan rugs with kilims and cotton textiles, including handmade double-sided linen and cotton curtains that Miller's mother sewed from Marimekko fabric.
And then there's the art, which Miller said was chosen because it “seemed appropriate for the desert environment,” including mixed media and ceramic pieces by Miller and Oder, George Sherman, Joani Tremblay, Tony Marsh and Jonathan Cross.
After the couple updated the interiors, which cost about $45,000, not including furniture, fixtures and appliances, they focused on the outdoor area, which was largely neglected with bricks, trash, random planters and a run-down shed. A propane tank was relocated to the middle of the patio and the couple hopes to convert an abandoned shipping container into an art space.
Working together, they installed new cacti, succulents, rocks, a hot tub, and a galvanized steel cowboy-style bathtub for their children.
When they wanted to add a redwood deck, the artists drew it on a sheet of white paper and asked Los Angeles-based contractor Finished by Design to build it. A fire pit and shady pergola create more places for the family and their guests to gather outdoors when the weather is nice. Temperatures can reach triple digits in summer and it has been known to snow in winter.
Because they have dogs and children, Oder and Miller installed a three-foot-deep rattlesnake fence around the perimeter of the property. So far they haven't seen snakes, but their neighbors warn them they are out there. According to Oder, the backyard, which offers uninterrupted views of the mesa, is now “the best part” of his property.
After living in Joshua Tree for a decade, Schneider appreciates the couple's landscaping choices. “It's a lot of elements out here,” she says. “They did it well: practical but beautiful. A must do when you live in Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms. It should be as simple as possible so you can enjoy the mountains, the hills and the desert landscape.”
The living room includes a wooden skeleton sculpture by Ryan Schneider, left, a ceramic tray by George Sherman, above left, and a painting on wood by Purvis Young.
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It may come as a surprise that Miller and Oder, whose primary residence is a Spanish-style house in Eagle Rock, live in a modest cabin on a remote dirt road.
But sit with them on their outdoor terrace, where you can enjoy a magnificent sunset, and you will discover that a couple deeply appreciates their surroundings.
“It's a wonderful place to unplug,” Miller says. “The atmosphere is so calm that it feels like a mental change. Our careers are very busy. “We wanted a place to be in nature and focus on our family.”
When in town, the family enjoys visiting nearby Pioneertown, Joshua Tree National Park, and the Noah Purifoy outdoor sculpture. “Kids like to see that you can make art out of discarded toilets,” says Oder. But most of all, they love hanging out at the cabin, where they can soak, play, ride their battery-powered ATVs around the backyard, and make s'mores by the outdoor fire pit. “All the things we don't let them do at home,” says Oder.
Miller adds: “It's like a breath of fresh air here. It often takes us a while to decompress, but after a couple of days we don't want to leave.”
A view of the one bedroom cabin along a dirt road in Yucca Valley.
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