In traditional architecture, a folly is an ornamental building that doesn’t serve any kind of purpose. This is a very different concept from tiny houses where every bit of space is deemed practical. Folly house near Joshua Tree National Park in southern California might be an exception—especially if you love to look at the stars.
Folly features a rooftop bedroom sans roof in the “folly” structure.
Designed and built by rockstar designer, Malek Alqadi of Cohesion architecture and design studio, Folly is built on a former 1950s homestead plot and utilizes the harsh desert environment to its advantage. Folly features a small main house with a living space, kitchen, bathroom, and loft bedroom. The “folly” portion of the structure is a second building connected by a shaded deck. It contains the Stargazing Suite accessed by an outdoor ladder and the home’s mechanicals and water tank on the bottom floor. The suite has a heated queen bed, seating and a mini fridge. The partial roof allows for fresh air sleeping or sunbathing. It doesn’t rain much in the Mojave Desert, but a cover is available when drops begin to fall.
Like a treehouse, the stargazing bedroom is accessed via an outdoor ladder.
The bedroom can be used for sunbathing as well.
The main structure has the living and kitchen space and a private sleeping loft.
The contemporary, simple structures are covered with oxidized metal sheets and nearly blend in with the desert landscape. The views and arid surroundings are also brought inside. The wet room shower features a granite boulder that are widely found in the area, the deck has a horse trough cold plunge pool and outdoor shower for hot days, and the roomy interior of the main building is decorated with cactus. The property is off-grid and a solar panel tree is used for power. The entire house is controlled with a central system that runs off an iPad.
The shower contains a desert boulder as decor and seating…
…and is connected to the outdoor deck and cold plunge pool.
For rent on Airbnb, Folly has room for tent camping too.
Folly is available for rent on Airbnb. It can sleep up to six people (with the transforming sofa in the living area) and extra guests can set up tents on the property.