Skip to main content

Live in a Tatooine-Esque Barrel Cabin in the Joshua Tree Desert

Standing at the entrance of this little cabin, you almost expect a young Luke Skywalker to answer the door. Desert sand for miles all around, a lone Mojave yucca some of the only vegetation, and that distinct dome shape. Is this a house on Earth or did we somehow end up on Tatooine?

You most certainly are on planet Earth, and in one of the most beautiful desert locales in all of the world. Located in Joshua Tree, California, the Barrel Cabin is the creation of multi-disciplinary artist and architect Fritz Haeg. It’s a one-of-a-kind structure and full of character that provides for a deep connection to nature. And it can be yours — if you have $498,000 to spend.

Fritz Haeg house in Joshua Tree
My Desert Home Source

At 721 square feet, Barrel Cabin is considered a micro-house — smaller than an average-sized home, but larger than a typical tiny house. While 721 square feet may feel cramped to most, Haeg created a home that feels spacious, bright, and cozy without feeling small. That’s thanks in large part to the barrel-vaulted ceiling which puts the ceilings at nine feet instead of the standard eight. That extra foot makes a big difference visually.

Recommended Videos

Along with the high ceilings, there are white walls, light wood finishes, and plenty of windows that all keep the home feeling bright and spacious. The open floor plan allows you to see different areas of the home, again adding to the spacious feel. The eat-in kitchen looks out to one end of the barrel, where the entire wall is glass to allow for maximum natural light during the day.

The living area is a concrete block that cuts through the middle of the barrel. It features a set of double sliding glass doors allowing the room to open up to an outdoor patio. The sliding door to the bedroom off of the living area is patterned frosted glass, letting light pass through while still maintaining privacy. The bedroom, which sits in the other end of the barrel, has a set of sliding glass doors leading outside as well, framed by more of the patterned frosted glass.

The home’s only bathroom was a chance for Haeg to get even more creative. Placing it inside of a set of corrugated aluminum cylinders, the first cylinder holds the toilet and a pedestal sink. But you have to step outside to the second cylinder if you want to wash off. The shower is open air, a refreshing way to clean off the dust after a day of hiking the nearby national park.

The Barrel Cabin’s backyard is all sand and cacti, providing unobstructed sunrise views from the spacious patio. With plenty of room for a dining area and lounge chairs, the covered patio adds a bit of extra square footage and makes for a great place to unwind and take in the beauty of the desert.

Fritz Haeg house in Joshua Tree
My Desert Home Source

So if you’re wondering why a 721 square foot house would be selling for just under half a million dollars, don’t worry. There’s a good reason for the price tag. Barrel House sits on 45 acres of land – an unheard of size property for the highly sought after Joshua Tree area known for its unique dwellings.

If 45 acres still isn’t enough privacy for you, the property sits in between two pieces of BLM land, meaning no neighbors as far as the eye can see. Which is fine by us. We don’t need anyone judging us while we practice our lightsaber moves in the desert.

Kelsey Machado
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kelsey is a professional interior designer with over a decade of experience in the design field. With a passion for…
Don’t ruin your cigars: here’s how to properly season a new humidor
Seasoning secrets every cigar lover could use
faceless man presenting a cigar humidor with cigars inside with gloved hands

If you're a newcomer to the world of cigars or just bought a brand-new humidor, you'll need to season it. And no, I'm not saying to add salt and pepper to it. If you've never heard of it, you might ask, "What is seasoning for a humidor?"

Don't think you need to flavor the box or anything — seasoning is really about getting the wood inside your humidor so as not to rob your cigars of precious moisture. Easy to understand, and getting it done is relatively straightforward as well. The trick is figuring out the "why," and we'll get into that in a bit. But let's first discuss seasoning a humidor.

Read more
The NBA’s ultimate celebration tool: The victory cigar
A look at the players and coaches who smoke to celebrate
Jordan smoking a cigar image on a bag

Sports are synonymous with celebration. After winning the biggest trophy of their lives, athletes want to indulge in the payoff that comes with seeing their dreams realized. Teams go into the locker room, where a waterfall of champagne hits them in the eyes, and swimming goggles seem to be a requirement, lest you walk around on the best night of your life half blind. While drinking is often the activity of choice after winning a championship, the NBA has an alternative symbol of greatness that other sports don't use nearly enough: the victory cigar.

Basketball is a team game, but it's also an individual canvas for solo superstardom. After winning an NBA championship, the coaches and players who sit atop the throne have long smoked a cigar in the locker room, during the parade, or even on the bench before the clock has hit zero. There's nothing quite like a good stogie to signify the ultimate win over the rest of the league, but how did the victory cigar get so ingrained in NBA championship celebrations? We want to take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the historical moments and people who made the cigar what it is within the NBA today.
Red Auerbach's victory cigar on the bench
Red Auerbach: The Story Behind the Victory Cigar + His Disdain of NBA Officials - Red on Roundball

Read more
The best medical shows of all time to binge now
From ER to The Pitt, these are the best medical shows ever made
Noah Wyle in the Pitt

Throughout TV's long history, the medical drama has occupied a somewhat unique place in the landscape. Medical shows are often some of the most reliable on TV precisely because there's so much drama built in to working in a hospital.

Personally, I've found the medical drama to be deeply comforting for years, even if I have no desire to be a doctor myself. Understanding the stress of people in the healthcare profession is fascinating in and of itself.

Read more