to the topic of humans in the desert.

Having spent a couple of years making monthly trips to the foothills of the Catalinas for a design project, I became versed in the transitions from “the rest of the world” to the desert. The physical changes were always the first thing to get out of the way; bloody nose, crackling skin, deadening heat, thirst, the nausea of going from 28 degrees Fahrenheit in the car to 110 Fahrenheit on the pavement beside the car etc, etc. Then, always,  after a bit of re-acclimation, there was the moment I always  wondered  — how do humans actually manage to live here?

However,  I never

ever

wondered why.

After a couple of hours, I’d look up at the night sky and feel like I was actually inside the Milky Way. Each time it was an astounding pleasure, which began the chain of other surreal miracles of the place.

The fact is, the desert of the American West is so completely magical, that despite the perpetual aggression it shows to try to keep us away, its far too captivating to leave alone, and I miss it terribly.

The above project is an example of settlement in the desert on a super-luxury scale (which I don’t often love) yet somehow the relevance is there — the simplicity, the constant connection to the horizon, the color, the light…

Of course Rick Joy was involved. As well as Wendell Burnette and Marwan Al-Sayed

all for the vision of Adrian Zecha and Aman.

Amangiro Resort, Spa and Villas

Photos:

1. 2. 3. 6 Aman Resorts – Amangiro Villas

4. Aman Resorts – Amangiro Resort

5. Wendell Burnette