How to Throw a Desert-Inspired Friendsgiving

Sara and Rich Combs may be best known for their beautiful inns in Joshua Tree, but their latest labor of love, the Posada in Tucson, deserved a celebratory housewarming. 

While the stucco and timber inn feels as timeless as the old saguaros and prickly pears studding the sand just outside its doors, the project came together at a sprint. In less than a year, the Airbnb superhosts purchased a dilapidated property on the edge of Saguaro National Park, transformed the rambling five-bedroom space into a chic high-desert hideaway, and opened the doors to the public. “We were ambitious with our dates from the beginning,” says Sara. “We knew we’d need great momentum to complete a project of this scale, and that we couldn’t afford for the project to take over a year.”

The Combs tapped their wide network of friends and fellow creatives to collaborate on some of the most notable features in the Posada: a desertscape mural over one of the beds, hand-loomed textiles in the rooms, and even to test out rooms during the soft open. To celebrate the Posada’s opening in September, the Combs invited some of those same friends back for a friendsgiving-esque housewarming that leans away from the holiday stereotypes and into the muted tones of the surrounding terrain.

With a dusty rose wreath and geodes on the dining table, Combs and guests tucked into a menu from their friend chef Daniel Benhaim that featured hearty yet surprising wintery dishes like turmeric-roasted romanesco and chermoula-spiked lamb chops, all plated in a casual style that matches the Posada’s elegant rusticity. The evening unfolded on desert time as storm clouds threatened on the horizon but then gifted the party with an ochre glow, and guests christened the house with chile-spiked cocktails mixed with Tucson single malt as the sun set over the saguaros.

Along with the desert-inspired holiday wreath, local floral designer Akiko Senda of Bloom Maven designed tabletop florals to pair with the housewarming event. Senda takes inspiration from the Sonoran Desert’s dry elements and colors, creating florals that capture the beauty of the Arizona landscape.

Among the guests were Emily Tartaglia, a Tucson artist whose photography is featured in the Posada, and her husband, along with Phoenix-based bloggers Christina and Robert Martinez and their son, Oliver. Posada manager and founder of The Wild Sisterhood Mariah Grimes also joined with her husband, Christopher Grimes.

As their guests arrived, the Combs whipped up cocktails in the Posada’s living room bar. Their go-to cocktail of the evening was the Corona de Tucson with whiskey from the local craft distillery Del Bac.

The hearty menu included a Harissa Lamb Roast, Roasted Eggplant Puree, an Herb Chermoula, and Turmeric Coconut Romanesco. The lamb roast was finished off in an outdoor grill built into one of the columns on the rooftop dining terrace.