Photography by Steven Wilsey.
What better place to recharge and ignite fresh ideas than in a seemingly limitless landscape, surrounded by sand and sky? With this is mind, nearly 50 designers convened in Joshua Tree National Park for Interior Design‘s Giants of Design Retreat. The three-day event, hosted Match 2-4 at AutoCamp Joshua Tree in California, offered an intimate group of industry experts—including recently inducted Hall of Famers David Galullo, founder of Rapt Studio, and Adam Rolston, cofounding partner of INC Architecture & Design—the chance to connect with each other and the desert scape.
“I peek out the window and I think of all of you being here nestled in the quiet of the landscape” said Editor in Chief Cindy Allen, kicking off the first full day of programming following the previous evening’s welcome cocktails and dinner. “We’re here for the experience—we’re releasing, we’re letting go.” Leaning into the essence of the word “retreat,” this year’s event focused on restorative experiences—think: sound baths and hiking—as well as a lineup of panelists deeply committed to their craft, in and beyond the design world.
Explore Interior Design’s Giants of Design Retreat Highlights
Before the morning panel discussions, attendees were challenged to stretch their imaginations with a cheeky play on four-letter words, though not the ones that likely come to mind. “Think about something differently,” Allen challenged the group, noting that her four-letter word is edit, which she said applies to her career as well as her personal life, editing away what is not needed to make room for the new. Attendees then shared their take on the exercise, offering insights into words such as “note,” “save,” “talk,” and “undo.”
Building AutoCamp Locales From The Ground Up
Allen talks AutoCamp design with Meena Krenek and Michael Luft-Weissberg. Photography by Steven Wilsey.
Up first, Michael Luft-Weissberg, principal at Workshop/APD, which worked on AutoCamp properties in Cape Cod and the Catskills, and Meena Krenek, global sector director, interiors at HKS Architects, which designed the Joshua Tree location, shared insights into creating the brand’s unique locales. “As a client, AutoCamp is an interesting story because they’re always trying to reinvent themselves,” said Luft-Weissberg. “We got involved with them early and saw the evolution of their brand.”
For Workshop/APD, which was breaking into the hospitality space at the time they first teamed up with AutoCamp, the brand’s site-specific destinations offered much opportunity. “These were amazing projects for us because they are residential scale and ground up construction… but they are also hotels,” he adds. “It’s an interesting hybrid.”
Ensuring each AutoCamp melds with its respective surroundings is paramount when it comes to design. One question the HKS Architects team asked when approaching the Joshua Tree site is: “How do we bring people together in this land and create curated collective community and have individual experience out there,” says Krenek. Airstreams, like those at AutoCamp Joshua Tree, were a longtime wish for the brand, though engineering each space with plumbing and privacy is no easy feat. “I do think the art of it is the sustainable element,” she adds. For the Joshua Tree locale, chairs are custom made by a local manufacturer and textiles are locally sourced, working closely with the area’s community of makers and artisans. The result? A stunning indoor-outdoor oasis that’s anything but a mirage.
Behind-the-Scenes of Burning Man
Stuart Mangrum shares insights into Burning Man. Photography by Steven Wilsey.
Next, Stuart Mangrum, director of the philosophical center at the Burning Man Project and host of the Burning Man Live podcast, took to the stage. “When it comes down to it, design is design,” he said. “We’re all creating containers for experiences, creating a great space for people to have their own story unfold.”
Mangrum, who became involved in Burning Man in 1993, described the process of building what is now known as Black Rock City, in Black Rock, Nevada, each year and then removing it without a trace. “It’s a city of 75,000 people that only exists for a week,” he says. “There’s 300,000 acres of blank canvas… that’s a pretty powerful thing to conceptualize and reshape.”
A pivotal element of constructing such a city, which features more than 400 art installations, are Burning Man’s 10 principals, which evolved as interest grew in establishing similar events around the globe decades after Burning Man’s humble start in 1986. While the core principles focus on the event’s ethos, such as radical inclusion, gifting, and decommodification, Mangrum also identified four design-focused ideas at work: organic and adaptive design; collaboration; designs that are extremely iterative (the event happens every year); and alignment with the main 10 principles.
“A lot of times, people [at Burning Man] realize they can do things differently than they’ve been told,” he shares. The same can be said of great design.
Musician Allen Stone Sings A Tune
Following a break for lunch, attendees were treated to a discussion with musician Allen Stone, a soul and R&B luminary who brought along his guitar. “Let’s talk about this thing we call fame or success,” said Allen, opening the conversation. From singing in a church as a kid to taking to the road to share his music, Stone said he defines success by authenticity.
“I write from a place that’s honest and real, not only in an attempt for therapy, really, in my own personal experience but knowing I’m going to be needing to bring that honesty on stage and through my life and career as often as possible,” Stone told attendees. “Finding your voice sometimes is a lifelong journey in design, you get inspired by people but how do you come out of it as an individual who has a message to say?” Allen chimed in.
Allen and Allen Stone. Photography by Steven Wilsey.
Like many designers, Stone said he’s learned to detach from the music he creates, letting it live with those who experience it. “I came to realize that the music and art is not mine once it leaves my body so, in reality, I’m just a vessel,” he said, before playing one of his songs for the crowd.
Protecting the Beauty of Joshua Tree
Closing out the day’s sessions, a panel of local experts joined Allen to discuss being part of the creative community there. “Everything here changes quickly; the desert is an experience,” said Brad Wilson, managing partner at Atelier Ace. “Living here is a real process.” Part of that process is respecting, and tuning into, the ebbs and flows of the landscape. “The desert, and the continuation of the desert, is critical to our planet,” he adds, noting its ability to capture carbon dioxide.
Echoing that sentiment, Bernard Leibov, founder and director of BoxoPROJECTS, a local artist residency, as well as the cofounder and cocurator of the Joshua Treenial, left New York City behind for the quiet of Joshua Tree. “I learned it was the community around the art that was important,” Leibov said, explaining his desire to start a residency that supports art that relates to the local community and landscape.
Allen with Joshua Tree panelists Bernard Leibov, Brad Wilson, and Alison Carroll. Photography by Steven Wilsey.
Similar to the Burning Man installations, Joshua Tree art works also tend to center on a mix of reused objects, Wilson shared, referencing the Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum of Assemblage Art. “I think the desert demands recycling,” he added.
Alison Carroll, co-founder of holistic skin and haircare brand Wonder Valley, shared that she moved to Joshua Tree 10 years ago since the desert expanse fueled her creative drive. “There’s a lack of things blocking sight lines here,” she said, comparing the locale to her former home in Los Angeles. “Driving in an open desert landscape really is a powerful thing.” The environment enabled Carroll and her husband to grow their brand, which started with a focus on organic virgin olive oil grown in California and expanded into the health and beauty realm.
Importantly, the desert continues to reveal itself to those who chose to stay. The conditions can be harsh and unpredictable at times, and even for those well connected, the desert can be isolating, which makes community all the more valuable. “In truth, you depend on community a lot more,” said Wilson. To that, Leibov shared a phrase he often heard from Steven Nash, who was executive director of the Palm Springs Art Museum: “The desert attracts, and then it resists.”
Editor’s note: Stay tuned for more updates from the Giants of Design Retreat!
See Event Snaps from the Giants of Design Retreat
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AutoCamp Joshua Tree. Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Airstreams on site. Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Allen Stone performs during the opening night festivities. Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Photography by Steven Wilsey.
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Cindy Allen and Allen Stone. Photography by Steven Wilsey.
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A visit to the Kellogg Doolittle House. Photography by Tiffany Brieve.
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Attendees on a hiking excursion. Photography by Tiffany Brieve.
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Sound bath participants. Photography by Steven Wilsey.
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Photography by Steven Wilsey.
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Photography by Steven Wilsey.
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Photography by Steven Wilsey.
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Photography by Robert Caldwell.
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Attendees recieved custom blankets made by Williams-Sonoma, Inc. B2B. Photography by Robert Caldwell.
Check Out The Exciting Moments From Giants Of Design
A very special thank you to our 2025 Giants of Design Retreat partners: Mohawk Group, Mannington Commercial, HBF + HBF Textiles, Kohler Company, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. B2B, Bernhardt Design, Arktura, Craftmade, Cosentino, Shaw Contract, Armstrong / Turf Design, B+N Industries, Andreu World, Haworth, Lutron, Momentum Textiles and Wallcovering, NeoCon/THE MART, Kimball International, Tuuci, Mohawk Group, and Material Bank, which offset the estimated carbon footprint for the event.