Did you know you could stay in a desert home curated by one of television’s most beloved interior designers?
Bobby Berk, former star of the Netflix show “Queer Eye,” debuted his Palm Desert rental property, Casa Tierra, at a special Modernism Week event in May 2022, but he recently teased a brand-new business venture in the desert.
On Friday, July 17, Berk announced on his Instagram Broadcast Channel that he’ll soon be opening Camena Collective, two “private wellness estates” in Palm Desert. The message also included a link to a business website, camenacollective.com, that simply says “We open the doors soon” and that the venture is “The quiet opposite of hotel wellness.”
Who is Bobby Berk? And what’s his connection to the desert?
Berk started Bobby Berk Home in 2006, which ended up being one of the first online furniture stores available, he told The Desert Sun in a 2022 interview.
In 2015, he started gaining attention in the interior design world, and he collaborated with Christopher Kennedy on his showcase home for Palm Springs Modernism Week. As he worked on more Mod Week projects over the years, he expressed interest in doing his own showcase home one year, but only if he owned a property. That became a reality when he purchased Casa Tierra in August 2021.
“I’ve always wanted (a home) in the Coachella Valley,” he said. “I think even before I closed (on Casa Tierra), I messaged them, ‘Hey, I think I’m finally going to do it.'”
What is Casa Tierra? And how’s it related to Camena Collective?
Casa Tierra, which translates to “land house” or “earth house,” is a hacienda-style home originally built in 1950 that Berk purchased after being inspired while staying at a nearby Airbnb in 2021. Berk’s rental property offers panoramic views from its two and a half acre hillside setting, which consists of a main house with five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms, as well as two casitas that include their own kitchens and bathrooms.
Lately, the Casa Tierra Instagram page has been promoting “wellness stays” — centering around its sauna, cold plunge and “1,800-square-foot-outdoor deck” — as well as wedding and other “Large Group Stays” at both Casa Tierra and its “sister resort,” @casamallorca (the latter of which has yet to open, and its Instagram bio lists it as “coming summer 2026”). While more details are clearly still to come, it appears that Camena Collective is a venture spearheaded by Berk to promote these two properties as wellness destinations.
Fans and other interested parties can sign up for Camena Collective’s mailing list to “be first through the doors” submitting their email on camenacollective.com.
Previous reporting by Desert Sun journalist Ema Sasic was used in this report.
(This story was updated to add a gallery)
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: ‘Queer Eye’ star Bobby Berk teases new wellness retreat in Palm Desert
Reporting by Paul Albani-Burgio, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Paul Albani-Burgio, Palm Springs Desert Sun | USA TODAY Network
