The highlight of our unexpected Fourth of July adventure was definitely Arcosanti. Are you familiar with this wonderfully weird and groovy spot? I LOVED it and am ready to take up residency. And like many good things in my life, I first heard of Arcosanti from Jonathan Adler. Here’s the scoop + why I might be SWFing Jonathan Adler’s life…

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Arcosanti is the vision of Paolo Soleri, an Italian architect who coined the term arcology (architecture + ecology). Arcosanti is essentially a living urban laboratory/arcology experiment created as an alternative to urban sprawl.

Soleri observed that modern life has us so separated these days — for instance, we’re spending hours of our lives in our cars commuting rather than connecting with other people and our environment.

You can read about Arcosanti here.

I first heard of Cosanti from Jonathan Adler’s show Inspiration Point. For a great glimpse, watch the video above or here on YouTube.

Cosanti is Arcosanti’s sister property, if you will.  Cosanti is where Soleri lived and had his studio and where the bell foundry is located (Cosanti is famous for its bronze and ceramic bells, and from theses sales, this is mainly how the Cosanti Foundation runs).

If you love Marfa, the high desert, things that are wonderfully weird, and especially midcentury architecture, definitely put Arcosanti on your list. Just maybe don’t go in July when it’s 110 degrees outside. That said, Arcosanti was designed for the desert environment so you’re able to find cool, shady spots.

Bonus: We were even able to bring Odee on the 1-hour tour, as Arcosanti is pet-friendly.

Next time, I’d love to stay overnight at Arcosanti, perhaps in the Sky Suite or one of the Airbnb options they have. Even better, I would love to do a workshop/residency some day.

Fun fact: Up to 100 people reside at Arcosanti, with people staying anywhere from two days to two weeks to two decades!

And you better believe Cosanti is next on our list when it gets a little cooler.

Have you ever heard of Arcosanti? Have you been? Did you love as much as we did?

Read more about Arcosanti here + follow Arcosanti on Instagram for inspiration.

And JA, thanks for letting me SWF your life without pressing charges…yet.

Photos by Kelly Golightly + Fred Baby

p.s. Details on what I’m wearing here.

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