A modern hideaway in Oregon’s high desert designed to capture forest views

Modern single-story home partially hidden behind tall ponderosa pines and desert scrub landscaping

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Concealed from the street, this high desert hideaway designed by Feldman Architecture and Copperline Homes opens onto mountain views and a courtyard pool in Bend, Oregon. The owners are recent empty nesters who wanted to move from Portland to Bend for a more active, nature-focused lifestyle in their eventual retirement home.

They sought a 5,765-square-foot floor plan that would comfortably accommodate themselves, their two dogs, and visiting family, along with spaces to support their healthy lifestyle, including a lap pool and a home gym.

Devising a complex site to meet their requests, the design shields the occupants from the neighbors to the northeast while opening westward into a 650-acre nature preserve, providing access to hiking and cross-country skiing, as well as uninterrupted woodland views.

DESIGN DETAILS

ARCHITECTURE Feldman Architecture
BUILDER Copperline Homes
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Cahill Design
LIGHTING DESIGN Kim Cladas Lighting Design
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Walker Structural Engineering
CIVIL ENGINEER Sun Country Engineering
METALWORK Iron Environments

A High Desert Home Concealed by Ponderosa Pines

Contemporary low-profile house nestled among ponderosa pines in Oregon high desert at dusk

The home’s private wing extends to protect an outdoor lap pool and sitting area, serving as a shield against strong winds and from a neighboring property. The public wing runs perpendicular, housing a living, dining, and kitchen area that opens fully onto an outdoor patio and fire pit, creating a warm outdoor living space for cool Oregon evenings. A protected windowed bridge connects the perpendicular wings, creating a sense of transition and compression between the two forms.

A Welcoming Entry Rooted in Crisp Modern Detail

Minimalist wood-paneled entry door with black handle and slatted wood ceiling casting tree shadows

As lovers of modern design and former owners of a Richard Neutra home in Portland, the homeowners were interested in exploring crisp geometries and materials such as non-combustible paneling and concrete flooring on their mountainous site.

A Glass Bridge Connecting Two Distinct Wings

Glass-walled corridor with wood ceiling and a dog silhouetted at the far end near wooden steps

On the exterior, operable wood screens offer shade and add warmth and textural interest. Inside this high desert hideaway, black steel, warm wood, white plaster, and concrete form a dynamic material palette that complements snowy forested views.

Open interior hallway with concrete steps, wood ceiling, framed artwork, and view toward dark kitchen

Radiant heat is embedded in the floors, and long, exposed concrete sections required precision.

A Great Room Designed for Indoor-Outdoor Living

Spacious open-plan kitchen and dining area with vaulted wood ceiling, black island, and large ceiling fan

The great room sits beneath a sloped roof, encompassing the living, dining, and kitchen areas, and is supported by a large metal black beam. A horizontal band of black metal above the sliding doors conceals roller shades, bug screens, and indirect lighting.

Living room with white fireplace, wood ceiling, floor-to-ceiling glass walls, and a dog resting on the rug

In the great room, a dynamic roof form runs diagonally through the space, and clerestory windows open dramatically onto the surrounding tree canopy.

A Windowed Corridor Framing Garden Courtyards

Symmetric glass-and-steel hallway with wood ceiling opening to a courtyard with ornamental plantings

The home includes the owner’s bedroom suite, three guest bedrooms, an office, a home gym, and a sauna. There is an open courtyard that shares space with a lap pool, hidden behind a concrete screening wall. It is heated year-round and covered during the cooler months to retain its warmth, while offering one of the homeowners a regular workout routine and providing a favorite spot for visitors.

A Light-Filled Home Office with Built-In Bookshelves

Home office with floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelves overlooking a gravel courtyard

Courtyards tucked into the private wing break up the linear form, inviting light and garden views into the guest bedrooms and offices.

A Bedroom Retreat Opening onto the Forest

Bedroom with Eames lounge chair, dark hardwood floor, and sliding glass doors opening to forest views

A Spa-Inspired Bathroom and Cedar Sauna

Minimalist bathroom with floating wood vanity, black fixtures, and narrow windows framing pine trees

What We Love About This Home

This high desert hideaway balances openness and shelter, shielding occupants from neighbors while fully embracing the nature preserve just beyond its walls. The interplay of warm wood ceilings, black steel, white plaster, and polished concrete creates an interior that feels both refined and deeply rooted in its landscape. From the cedar-lined sauna to the year-round lap pool and the great room’s soaring diagonal roofline, every element reflects a thoughtful commitment to both beauty and the active, nature-centered lifestyle the owners envisioned.

Tell Us: What are your overall thoughts on the design of this high desert home? Let us know in the Comments below. We enjoy reading your feedback!

Note: Check out a couple of other amazing home tours that we have highlighted here on One Kindesign in the state of Oregon: North Rim Reverie: A modern sanctuary in Oregon with stunning mountain views and A black cladding house in Oregon blends in seamlessly with nature.

Hallway with light wood barn door opening to a cedar-lined sauna with tiered benches

A Year-Round Lap Pool for an Active Lifestyle

Covered poolside walkway with vertical wood siding, black-framed windows, and lap pool alongside

Lap pool with concrete surround, ornamental grasses, lavender plantings, and tall pine trees at sunset

Swimmer doing laps in a long narrow pool beside a horizontal modern home with vertical wood cladding

Courtyards That Break Up the Linear Form

Aerial-level view of lap pool between two wings of a dark modern home surrounded by pine forest

Enclosed courtyard with Japanese maple, volcanic rocks, and gravel against vertical wood slat cladding

Nestled in a 650-Acre Nature Preserve

Aerial view of L-shaped modern home with lap pool set in vast Oregon pine forest with snowy Cascades beyond

Native Landscaping Rooted in the High Desert

Front facade of low horizontal modern home seen through ponderosa pines with native desert wildflowers

A Home That Glows Warmly at Twilight

Contemporary home glowing warmly at twilight through floor-to-ceiling glass walls among pine trees

Illuminated modern home at twilight framed by tall ponderosa pines with cantilevered roofline and vertical wood siding

Angled exterior view of dark modern home at dusk showing two wings, wood-ceiling overhangs, and glowing interiors

Aerial dusk view of L-shaped modern home with lap pool set within vast Oregon pine forest and Cascade Mountains beyond

Axonometric Drawing

Axonometric architectural drawing showing timber roof framing and steel framework of the home's two wings

Floor Plan

high desert modern home floor plan

PHOTOGRAPHER Adam Rouse