What happens when a Southern California desert home is designed around just three circles? This curved residence was born of such a minimalist premise, taking its cues from, and unfolding around, its surrounding landscape.
Avocado House is a newly completed retreat perched above the Yucca Valley, created by Arshia Architects' principal architect Arshia Mahmoodi. The starting point was three simple circular shapes. One forms the house's core, another defines the yard, and a third connects the two. Sections of that geometry were then carved away to create a crescent-shaped courtyard and frame views across Yucca Valley to the San Jacinto Mountains.
Explore Avocado House, a new Californian desert home
Somewhere along the design process, the floorplan began to resemble an avocado, with the rounded core forming the ‘pit’ and the name stuck. The three-bedroom home is now part of Fieldtrip’s Signature Homes portfolio, the hospitality company behind Joshua Tree’s famed piece of desert architecture, the Invisible House, and other distinctive properties for home stays that include boutique hotel amenities.
The shape of Avocado House was conceived around its hilltop setting. Rather than placing the outdoor spaces behind the house, the architecture wraps around a central courtyard (or the pit, if you will) with a pool, spa and fire pit. Angled openings capture the surrounding boulders, desert sunsets and mountain views, while the main living room and two bedrooms open directly outside, serving as both a gathering space and a frame for the surrounding vistas.
The courtyard was a key element of the circular layout. ‘We wanted an outdoor space carved directly from the building volume, one that connects the house to the hillside and creates a quiet, intimate space within this vast hilltop landscape,’ says the owner of the home, Zhang Zhuo.
The curved interiors were developed by Xinlei Li of Xinlei Architecture, Inc., in collaboration with the ownership team, and include lighting fixtures by Flos with custom furniture pieces and artworks commissioned for the house to reflect the natural light at different times of day, while a lofted lounge with a pool table overlooks the main living area, creating a more intimate space within the open interior.
The curved wood framing and canopy were among the home’s most challenging elements to execute, but also some of its most defining. Following the geometry of the house, they create a sense of enclosure and privacy without closing the home off from its desert surroundings.
With the views as a core priority for the owners, Zhuo notes, ‘We explored a circular geometry for the layout with a central core for the living spaces, an outer ring defining the yard, and a connecting zone linking the house and yard together. We developed this circular idea into a volumetric form and wrapped it within an outer shell. We then made two intentional cuts into the building mass to frame the views and manage building height. The courtyard was carved out of this volume to tie the house to the hillside. The curved walls and canopy grew naturally from this circular geometry we pursued for the project.’
One of the main construction challenges for the team was building the curved wood framing and canopy accurately. ‘The most distinctive material we used is curved glulam timber,’ adds Zhuo. ‘It forms the sweeping canopy and roof structure, bringing warmth while following the building’s soft, rounded geometry.’
The project also incorporates a roof-drainage system with runoff directed to two dry wells on the property, and a solar-panel system to offset electricity demand.
‘When we started planning the home, the three-circle layout was our response to this hilltop setting. The three rings create a natural flow from the private interior living zone, through a transitional courtyard, out to the surrounding desert landscape. This layered arrangement lets us enjoy the panoramic views while still maintaining privacy.’