Houzz Tour: High-Desert Modern Style in Oregon
A couple’s new home in scenic Bend opens wide to views of the desert and mountains
The approach. From the driveway there’s a wide-open view through the living room out to the desert on the other side — sometimes. Part of the Swiss army knife strategy happens here. There are sliding panels and a gate tucked to the side that can close off this view. The piece on the right that looks like a door is a swinging gate that closes off that side underneath the canopy; the slit you see toward the left side of the photo is a track for sliding panels that extend to enclose the courtyard and block this driveway view through the house.
Garage door: Overhead Door Co.
Garage door: Overhead Door Co.
Entry Courtyard. Here’s a closer look at the courtyard. The view you see here is completely closed off from the driveway when the panels and gate are closed, making it cozy and private. When guests are expected, they can open it all up to make it welcoming and inviting. “The goal was to see the main living space across the courtyard, then turn to the entry and hall before rediscovering it on the interior,” DeForest says.
Chris Hart-Henderson of Heart Springs Landscape Design designed the contemplative courtyard space.
Find a landscape architect in your area
Find a landscape architect in your area
This is what the rolling screen, left, looks like when it closes off the courtyard. In addition to the natural beauty of the high desert, local vernacular structures influenced the design.
“Nancy was really drawn to the idea of using a detail common to industrial and agricultural structures in the area but in a refined form,” DeForest says of the shape and structure of the panels. “From a practical standpoint, the X-shaped cross braces help stiffen the sliding panels to keep them square.”
Windows: Western Window Systems
“Nancy was really drawn to the idea of using a detail common to industrial and agricultural structures in the area but in a refined form,” DeForest says of the shape and structure of the panels. “From a practical standpoint, the X-shaped cross braces help stiffen the sliding panels to keep them square.”
Windows: Western Window Systems
Entry. The influence of the natural surroundings on the interiors can be seen along the front walk approach. One such natural element almost literally hits visitors in the face as they walk in the door, in the form of a twisted lilac tree trunk. The cedar siding continues inside along one wall, blurring the line between indoors and out. The material underfoot transforms from concrete to engineered reclaimed white oak. The entry is part of a hallway that leads past a coat closet and pantry, where the plan opens up to the main public space.
Floors: Restoration Timber
Floors: Restoration Timber
“The hall from entry to main space is intentionally without windows to heighten that experience of rediscovering the landscape once further inside the house,” DeForest says. A collection of vintage catcher’s masks lines the wall.
8 Things Successful Architects and Designers Do
8 Things Successful Architects and Designers Do
Heading toward the living room, chartreuse ottomans provide a pop of color and tuck under a sofa table. They are easy to pull out for extra seating. The hallway at the back leads to the master suite; the windows on the right face the entry courtyard.
Photograph: Sheila Rock; ottomans: Blu Dot; Parsons console: Dansky Cabinetry
Photograph: Sheila Rock; ottomans: Blu Dot; Parsons console: Dansky Cabinetry
Living room. The main living area has a clerestory overhead, views of the desert on the left and the entry courtyard on the right. “The ceiling is raised over the main living area to bring in natural light and create a loftier space to contrast with the cozier ones in the bedroom wings,” DeForest says. “Most direct sun angles bounce off the roof and onto the ceiling for a nice, diffuse light source that prevents too much heat gain.” Energy efficiency was a priority — the windows are energy-efficient, and there are built-in window shades and high insulation values to help reduce heat gain and loss. Also, there is a full photovoltaic solar array neatly concealed on the roof.
Fireplace. DeForest refers to the two windowless walls in the main living space as “bookends” paneled in cedar. One bookend — the fireplace surround and hearth — echoes the exterior’s vocabulary of cedar, blackened steel and concrete. The scale of this focal point stands up to the size of the room and its high ceilings. “Our goal was to use subtle changes in color, material and orientation to compose that wall,” DeForest says. There is a sliding panel to the left of the fireplace that conceals a niche for the TV.
Sofa: Room and Board; floor lamp: Design Within Reach; swivel chairs: Lee Industries; custom coffee table: Durante Furniture; fireplace surround: Modernfab
Browse modern sectional sofas
Fireplace. DeForest refers to the two windowless walls in the main living space as “bookends” paneled in cedar. One bookend — the fireplace surround and hearth — echoes the exterior’s vocabulary of cedar, blackened steel and concrete. The scale of this focal point stands up to the size of the room and its high ceilings. “Our goal was to use subtle changes in color, material and orientation to compose that wall,” DeForest says. There is a sliding panel to the left of the fireplace that conceals a niche for the TV.
Sofa: Room and Board; floor lamp: Design Within Reach; swivel chairs: Lee Industries; custom coffee table: Durante Furniture; fireplace surround: Modernfab
Browse modern sectional sofas
Through this view to the courtyard, you can see that the exterior panels under the entry canopy are closed for privacy.
Find an architect to help with your dream project
Find an architect to help with your dream project
Kitchen. The living room is open to the kitchen and dining area. Seen here is the “bookend” opposite the fireplace wall — note the way the kitchen is tucked away into an alcove framed by the same cedar paneling. This alcove strategy keeps the hardworking part of the kitchen streamlined and integrated into the larger open space, maintaining the calm, cool and collected feeling. To the left is the work triangle while the other side of the island is for socializing. On the right, a wet bar is well-placed to serve the living room, the dining area and a cook who may need a cocktail.
Cabinets: Pendini Kitchen Cabinets; quartz composite counters: PentalQuartz; island faucet: Hansgrohe; range: Wolf; stools: Design Within Reach; See more modern counter stools
Cabinets: Pendini Kitchen Cabinets; quartz composite counters: PentalQuartz; island faucet: Hansgrohe; range: Wolf; stools: Design Within Reach; See more modern counter stools
Dining area. One of the couple’s cats naughtily perches atop the dining table, which was crafted from 18th-century floorboards. A contemporary version of classic Klismos chairs provides a crisp contrast to the table’s well-worn wood and brings in more black metal. Speaking of wood, check out the way the use of rugged root balls, the lilac trunk in the entry and other pieces inside relate to the views out the window. In this photo there’s a fallen tree just beyond the picture window that’s having a conversation with the sculptural trunk piece inside.
Table: Michael Folks Showroom; Anziano chairs: Donghia; pendant lights: Foscarini
Table: Michael Folks Showroom; Anziano chairs: Donghia; pendant lights: Foscarini
Here’s a good view of how the dining area relates to the living room and kitchen. The chair you can see way down at the end beyond the fireplace is in the master bedroom. Like the courtyard, there’s not always an open view into it due to more clever Swiss army knife-like design elements.
Now that we’ve peeked inside the house, let’s pause for a second to make those exterior-interior connections. The master suite is on the left, the living room is in the center with the high clerestory and the dining area is on the right. You can catch a glimpse into the guest room jutting out on the far right.
Master bedroom. The master bedroom has a lower ceiling than the living room, which gives it a cozier feeling, but it still enjoys wide views of the desert and mountains through large windows and transoms. Well-concealed motorized roller shades recess into the ceiling.
Bed: Alchemy collection; bedding: Crate & Barrel; custom rug: D.A. Burns; chair: vintage 1950s T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, 1stdibs; chair fabric: Calvin
Browse modern bedroom furniture
Bed: Alchemy collection; bedding: Crate & Barrel; custom rug: D.A. Burns; chair: vintage 1950s T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, 1stdibs; chair fabric: Calvin
Browse modern bedroom furniture
DeForest applied the Swiss army knife strategy to this cabinet wall between the living room and master suite. It has five sliding panels that conceal and reveal a TV, storage shelves and an opening to the living room. This wall also brings in the cedar from the exterior to the interior.
Office. This home office is located just off the master suite hallway — a walk-in closet and the master bathroom are in between this room and the master bedroom.
A long desk provides room for two with a wide view of the Cascade mountains. More of the couple’s collections are shown off in here — vintage gears and softballs.
A long desk provides room for two with a wide view of the Cascade mountains. More of the couple’s collections are shown off in here — vintage gears and softballs.
The room’s darker feeling differs from the glass house sensibility in the other spaces. The designers carefully edited the views through the wide picture window over the desk and the long slit window seen here.
Sofa: Room and Board; rug: West Elm; cabinets: Dansky Cabinetry; floor lamp: Design Within Reach
Sofa: Room and Board; rug: West Elm; cabinets: Dansky Cabinetry; floor lamp: Design Within Reach
A dark gray wall provides a dramatic backdrop for a gallery display.
Cabinet: Organic Modernism
Cabinet: Organic Modernism
Blackbirds flutter along the powder room ceiling.
Wallpaper: Indi, Trove; sconces: Lightology; sink and faucet: Kohler; browse contemporary bathroom sconces
Wallpaper: Indi, Trove; sconces: Lightology; sink and faucet: Kohler; browse contemporary bathroom sconces
“A steel arbor helps extends the living space from inside to outside and provides some needed shade,” DeForest says. The simple plane of the terrace creates an easy transition from built work to the desert landscape.
Contractor: Young Construction
More: So You Want to Build: 7 Steps to Creating a New Home
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
Contractor: Young Construction
More: So You Want to Build: 7 Steps to Creating a New Home
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
House at a Glance
Who lives here: This is a second home for interior designer Nancy Burfiend and her partner, Joey Reiter
Location: Bend, Oregon
Size: 2,670 square feet (248 square meters); two bedrooms plus home office, 2½ bathrooms
Designers: DeForest Architects and NB Design Group
Interior designer Nancy Burfiend and her partner, Joey Reiter, fell hard for Bend, Oregon’s stunning landscape, the region’s low-key and outdoorsy lifestyle and Bend’s tasty restaurants. When they found this property with sweeping views across the high desert toward Tumalo Creek and the Deschutes National Forest, as well as the snow-capped peaks of Mt. Bachelor and South Sister mountain, they knew where they’d be making their new home. Traveling back and forth from their primary home in Seattle, Reiter is settling into retirement and Burfiend continues to run her Seattle-based business. The couple plan to eventually retire here full-time.
Scope of work. This is new construction, with DeForest Architects completing the architecture and Burfiend’s firm, NB Design Group, completing the interior design.
Process and inspiration. The architects assigned the couple in-depth homework assignments to determine how they wanted the house to function, and had them participate in block-model workshops, where they all literally played with blocks to determine the shape and flow of the house. “This is a form of ‘rapid-prototyping’ for us and helps clients literally get their hands on the design in three dimensions. It keeps us loose and thinking big-picture in the beginning,” DeForest says. Through this collaboration they came up with several themes for the new house.
1. High-desert palette. The natural palette of the high desert surroundings inspired the interiors and exteriors. “Rather than creating a busy exterior with lots of changes in materials and orientations, we chose to clad the entire house in a wide, horizontal cedar siding to blend with the landscape,” says principal architect John DeForest. The team used overhangs of varying depths to help control sun, letting in low winter angles while blocking more of the summer sun. Blackened steel accents the facade.
2. Calm, cool and collected feeling. “The home’s clean lines and simple, light-filled volumes create a backdrop for evolving collections like a row of vintage catcher’s masks and softballs and large industrial gears,” DeForest says.
3. “Swiss army knife” strategy. Swinging and sliding panels make the spaces dynamic — the entry courtyard can remain open or be closed off and intimate, as can the master suite. A large hinged wall can transform a sunny sitting area into a private guest room.
4. Outside inside. Light-filled courtyards, clerestories, large windows, skylights and terraces blur the lines between the interiors and the exterior. There are wide views of the desert landscape from every room.