Designer $4.7m bunker for sale in Joshua Tree in the California desert

This extraordinary bunker is a residence that melds with one of the most inhospitable landscapes on the planet.

The house, on the market in Joshua Tree, in southeastern California, is encased by two colossal hand-built walls.

The listing describes the almost-invisible dwelling as an “intersection of art, architecture, and the natural environment”.

With an asking price of $US2.95 million ($AU4.7 million), the property is the work of artist Alma Allen, who built it as a home and studio.

A “compressed passage” is the entrance, opening the buyer to a tranquil utopia.

The rooms of the home wrap a large courtyard, bookended by the hefty and handsome stone walls. Most of the rooms have an aspect to the courtyard, undulating mountains and rugged terrain.

The property is adjacent to the Joshua Tree National Park, world famous among rock climbers and sightseers.

The timber kitchen is illuminated by large copper pendant lamps that twinkle from soaring ceilings.

The rustic theme is carried through copper basins, timber vanities and exposed metal pipes, and concrete floors in the main living space flow to the courtyard, which is minimal and does not interrupt nature’s show.

The median house price in Joshua Tree is $US400,000, according to local listing site Redfin, and this listing will nudge the $US3.5 million record.