High Desert Haven x City Home
High Desert Haven
A City Home collaboration with Summit Sisters
What does it take to design a vacation home in Central Oregon that people don't just stay in, but remember?
High Desert Haven is a City Home-furnished vacation home, created in collaboration with Summit Sisters and designed to feel as considered and comfortable as a primary residence.
In places like Bend, Brasada Ranch, and Caldera Springs, the landscape does most of the work. Wide skies, dry air, that unmistakable high desert stillness. The challenge isn't adding more, it's knowing what belongs.
High Desert Haven was designed with that in mind from the start.
Contents
- Rooted in Something Real
- Designing for the High Desert
- A Home That Works for Real Life
- Why It Comes Together the Way It Does
Rooted in Something Real
Summit Sisters didn't arrive at this project with a mood board and a checklist. Their vision was built over years.
Amy and Anna spent decades returning to Central Oregon, building a rhythm of family summers at Caldera Springs near Bend. The kind of time that feels expansive while you're in it, and somehow even bigger once it's behind you.
"Those weeks were the highlight of our year. We wanted to recreate that feeling and share it with other families looking to build their own traditions."
That experience shaped not just what they wanted to build, but how they wanted it to feel.
As founders with backgrounds in biotech and healthcare, they're used to precision and pressure. Summit Sisters became something more personal, a space to design with real intention and create an environment that reflects how people actually want to spend their time.
Their goal for High Desert Haven was clear: build a home that offers the same level of comfort, function, and beauty they expect in their own lives.
"We wanted the kind of luxury we enjoy in our own homes. That means details that truly matter, from how the kitchen functions to how the space feels day to day."
Not a temporary rental, but a place that feels settled and ready to be lived in from the moment you arrive.
Designing for the High Desert
Light moves differently in Central Oregon. Colors read differently. A well-designed high desert home has to hold both openness and warmth at the same time, which is harder than it sounds.
Nathan, City Home's lead designer for the project, approached it with that balance in mind.
"Designing a home in the high desert is really about balance. You want it to feel connected to the landscape, but still comfortable and easy to live in. For this project, we focused on how each space flows into the next, making sure the home feels cohesive without losing personality."
That thinking carries through the entire home. The palette draws from the surrounding terrain without becoming literal. Materials add depth without competing for attention. Each room shifts slightly in tone, so the whole home feels connected without anything feeling overworked.
A Home That Works for Real Life
One of the guiding ideas behind High Desert Haven was simple: it should feel like a primary residence, not a vacation placeholder.
That meant making real investments in the spaces that matter.
A kitchen designed for actual cooking. Layouts that support gathering without crowding. Bedrooms that feel considered. Furnishings that hold up to use while still elevating the experience.
"Both of our families love to cook, so the kitchen had to be more than just beautiful. It needed to be fully functional for real meals and big gatherings."
For families, it creates space to settle in without overthinking anything. For groups, there's flexibility, places to gather, places to step away, all within the same footprint.
For anyone exploring vacation home design or second home furnishing in Central Oregon, it's a clear example of what happens when interior design is approached with both intention and real expertise.
Why It Comes Together the Way It Does
Projects like High Desert Haven don't happen by accident.
They're shaped by hundreds of decisions made long before anything is installed. Proportion, placement, material selection, how one room leads into the next, how a space feels at different times of day. These are the details that turn a well-furnished home into something that feels complete.
At City Home, our Portland and Bend design services are built around that process. With locations in multiple cities and a team that works across regions, we bring a consistent point of view while tailoring each project to its setting and the people who live there.
If you're planning a project in Bend, Caldera Springs, or anywhere in the Pacific Northwest, you're in the right place. Contact us to start your design project today.
