Choosing the right mudroom setup can bring some order to a dog’s life. A dog, like a Subaru Outback with a CVT tent on top and mountain bike rack on the back, is part of the Central Oregon lifestyle.

Almost half of Central Oregonians own a dog, and with dozens of dog parks, off leash hiking areas and breweries that allow your pup to sit next to you while you have a beer, the high desert is one of the dog-friendlier places to live.

At home, mixing style and function with the realities of owning a dog can be tricky. Bringing some order to a home’s entrances and exits can alleviate some of the mess that dogs track in and keep the rest of your home cleaner. Here are a few ideas for creating a space that has both style and function.

start with storage

A multi-functional space like a mudroom offers a great template to keeping your dog’s supplies contained. Investing in a built-in setup that can house a washer and dryer along with extra shelf and cabinet storage that is easily reachable when you first get home or when you walk out the door can make a space infinitely more usable. There are even ways to create built-in beds or kennels to leave your dog at home in a comfortable space that’s all their own. Create easily reachable spaces for items you need every day like dog food, harnesses and leashes, treats and poop bags.

consider the paws

Lucky for those of us that live in the high desert, mud isn’t a big issue throughout the year, but flooring is still an important consideration. Large ceramic tiles are durable and offer a high-end feel. A more affordable alternative is vinyl flooring that resembles wood or tile. Found at large chains and local flooring retailers, there are hundreds of styles to choose from that can match your home’s aesthetic and look real, for a fraction of the cost and much easier to care for—and can be scratch-resistant. Increase the life of your flooring by placing mats at the door and in front of high-trafficked areas to catch any excess dirt, snow or mud.

bath time

One of the best features to incorporate into a mudroom is a bath or shower for your dog. While something like a tiled, built-in, elevated shower and tub combo would be ideal, there are standalone sinks that can function just as well, including those that are elevated and those that sit on the ground so your dog can walk right in after a muddy adventure outside.

We can’t forget about tech when we talk about the look and feel of a home. Our favorite gadgets help transform our spaces to function more smoothly, which is why the best tech is both fun to play with and makes our lives easier. Whether you’re looking for something to bring your home further up to speed, or simply want to treat yourself to a new tech tool, we’ve got a few ideas to get you well on your way.

← Lenovo Smart Clock with Google Assistant $80

Calling all sleepyheads, this smart alarm clock just may be your morning rise-and-shine solution. The Lenovo Smart Clock may help to get at the root of your sleep issues by reminding you to reduce smartphone screen-time at night. Plus, it can control any smart features in your home from your lights to your espresso machine, play music, and keep you on schedule for meetings and to-dos. The soft-touch gray cloth exterior blends in well with any style.

Sonos 5.1 Home Theater Surround Set $1,650 →

When you’re having friends over to watch the big game or indulging in a movie night, you want a system you love, and can easily use. This set delivers on both, offering quality sound carried through just four pieces—a Sonos Beam, Sonos Sub, and two wireless speakers, making set-up easy. Once plugged in and ready to go, the system responds to voice command, your remote, the Sonos app and Apple AirPlay 2.

← Google Nest Hello $229

Google Nest Hello is a smart doorbell that offers both convenience and peace of mind. It provides 24/7 streaming and continuous video recording, video coverage that’s wide and tall to give you a fuller picture of your doorstep and HDR video that shows sharp details even when it’s extra bright or dark out. Google Nest can also be personalized to you and your home to recognize familiar faces and play prerecorded messages when you can’t answer the door.

Sensate Faucet with Kohler Konnect $919 →

This smart faucet is like having another hand in the kitchen. With voice-activated technology, the faucet can connect to Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri to follow voice commands. You can ask your faucet to turn on or off, dispense measured amounts of water, fill to presets such as your coffee pot and even check your water usage. You can also use the faucet’s sensor to turn on, hands-free. But aside from the smart features, the faucet itself is a great fixture, allowing you to choose from two steam settings and four chic finishes.

← KitchenAid Smart Display: Coming soon

In the cold winter months, many of us spend a lot more time in the kitchen, which is why we welcome a gadget that makes cooking easier and more fun. Whirlpool’s new KitchenAid Smart Display is a water-resistant, ten-inch standing screen meant for your countertop. Messy hands in the midst of cooking? The KitchenAid Smart Display takes Google Assistant voice commands. You can ask it to play a YouTube recipe video, call your mom for help with your turkey or pull up recipes from Yummly, another Whirlpool brand. The only thing we don’t like about it is that it hasn’t reached consumers yet—but the display is expected to be released by early 2020.

Dyson Pure Hot + Cool $500 →

A combination heater and fan that purifies the air, the Dyson Pure Hot + Cool is a three-for-one tech find. The Dyson 360° Glass HEPA filter removes allergens and pollutants you can’t see from the air, while keeping your home cozy or cooling it down. Its design also allows it to circulate purified air, instead of only purifying the air around the fan.

Backyard forests are behind the latest trends in interior decorating. Designers from all over the globe gathered recently at the largest furniture and decor industry trade show in the world, High Point Market in North Carolina.

Taking cues from Mother Nature, these contemporary interior design leaders pointed to our mountains, rivers and forests for nature inspired designs for the coming seasons. Coastal environments aren’t to be left out either. Right now, designers are wild about anything natural, whether derived from a branch, a rock or a seashell.   

The trend boils down to bringing the outdoors, indoors. Looking to natural materials means living more simply, and finding sustainable, organic, and environmentally friendly approaches to decorating and living in our spaces. Getting back to nature in one’s own home allows the homeowner to relax and feel peace and tranquility.

Even more upsides to using natural materials: eco-friendly materials found in nature really never go out of fashion. Natural materials are typically longer lasting and hold up better than man-made items, as well. Choosing natural materials almost always means a reduction in off-gassing of toxic chemical compounds that can pollute the air you breathe within your home.

Natural Touch

The warmth of wood and rocks gives a home a warm and cozy feel. In Central Oregon, we see many homes already with a natural stone accent wall or hearth, along with a rough-hewn exposed beam, which gives an earthy and comforting feel. Bringing in a river rock wall or a brick feature wall will add texture to any home. Also trending are wood paneled walls, and entire ceilings made of reclaimed barnwood. For a more minimalistic and Zen design, eco-friendly materials like bamboo and linen for interiors will create a similar atmosphere.

At the High Point Market this year, rattan, cane and wicker furnishings were the rage, coupled with rooms filled with tropical leaf print wallpaper or Audubon-like prints of colorful birds. The look of these natural materials is a historical glance back to British Colonialists in Africa and India, when nature played a significant role in design, and furniture was made with what was on hand in the region.

As the colonialists found then, it’s still true today that natural textures of rattan and wicker pieces pair well with vibrant colors coming from floral or botanical prints of that area, and so designers are bringing back that look once again, in various motifs. While the color wheel may surround the earthy taupe, tan and camel hues, pops of vibrant color from nature are also an inspiration; greens, saffron red, cinnamon and persimmon orange will warm up the space and add personality to any room.

Décor from the Earth

Anything nature inspired is on trend this year, from mirrors framed with seashells, sticks or rocks to seashell light fixtures. It’s as if Madison Avenue designers came to Bend and borrowed some of our ideas, because interior décor such as taxidermy and antlers are being installed in client’s homes, to give homeowners that rustic, down home appeal. Another hot trend are stones. Cut polished stones are placed as décor: think thundereggs, granite and marble.

Organic materials are popular for flooring, whether it’s hardwood floors, or rock slabs, or even sisal and jute floor coverings. To fit this design aesthetic, window treatments should be made with organic materials as well, such as bamboo blinds, linen shades, and cotton or silk drapes.

Because designers and homeowners seem to be embracing new environmental consciousness with green natural materials, the push to natural décor may not be an actual trend, but a movement that is here to stay. As they say, nature never goes out of style.

It was 1970. Bend’s population was just over 13,000 and St. Charles Medical Center’s current location wouldn’t open for another five years.

But the then-small upstart Brooks Resources had the foresight to predict the town’s growth, and took a bet on developing a hill west of downtown Bend called Awbrey Butte. Now fifty years later, that bet has more than paid off.

“We always viewed Bend as a desirable place,” said Brooks Resources chairman Mike Hollern. “We thought Awbrey Butte was a good investment, and it in fact turned out to be.”

Today, there are close to 800 homesites on the butte that sits about 500 feet in elevation above Bend’s west side. Developed with attention to how each site could have ample space and privacy as well as fantastic views of the surrounding region, Awbrey Butte has attracted homeowners who are looking for all the perks of living near the hustle and bustle of Bend without being squeezed into urban-sized lots.

It took almost two decades for Brooks Resources to develop the butte. But in the 1990s, once water service was delivered and roads were carved into the hill, with the intention that they blend into the landscape, Awbrey Butte took off as one of the most desirable places to be in Bend.

There are a wide range of homes on Awbrey Butte, named for the pioneer Marshall Awbrey who lived in the area during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Buyers can choose from mid-century modern homes to classic Northwest craftsman—though there is continuity among the homes, driven by the homeowners’ association guidelines for building, including outdoor paint colors that match the surrounding landscape in order to better blend into the hill.

North Rim is the newest neighborhood on the butte. The private community has 121 one-acre homesite with a collection of custom-built homes. Other exclusive amenities include a lodge and park available to homeowners and guests as well as private tennis court. Awbrey Butte’s two public parks include Sylvan Park and Summit Park, with tennis courts and ample green space to play. A small business park sits on the butte’s north side, as well.

Kristi Kaufman, a real estate broker at Coldwell Banker Bain with two decades of experience in the area, said that homes on Awbrey Butte have seen an appreciation in value that is following the trends of the region. Buyers can expect to spend between $700,000 and $1.5 million for a home on the butte. “There is a wide range of homes that work for retirees who are downsizing, as well as 7,000-square-foot homes for large families,” she said.

The large lots, location in Bend and quality of homes continue to draw more buyers to Awbrey Butte, said Kaufman. “It’s a huge draw for people wanting to be on the west side for access, but who want a little bit bigger lots,” she said. “Awbrey Butte gives a little more space, more elbow room. The homes are larger than what you would find in west Bend, and value seems to be pretty good.”

Jason Epple and his wife Trisha built their home on Awbrey Butte in 1998, selecting the lot for its privacy as well as space for a long driveway and yard for their future family. Today, they’ve raised four kids in the house and have built long-term friendships with their neighbors.

“It’s a place where there aren’t busy streets or cars driving fast,” he said. “Our kids grew up playing in the cul-de-sac and the yard. The most important thing for us is the neighborhood community we’ve had over the years. That’s what makes it for us.”

They also appreciate life on Awbrey Butte because of its location in town and how it’s become a retreat from the ever-growing construction and traffic. “Bend has been expanding and growing outward, and it helps me appreciate the butte even more. We drive down the butte and it’s busy with a lot more traffic and people,” he said. “It’s really nice to drive up on the butte and have a quiet neighborhood.” 

With kids in college, Epple has considered a move from Awbrey Butte, but they haven’t been able to find a place that matches everything they have in the neighborhood, including close access to trails, popular west side amenities and attractions, and of course, their neighbors.

“My wife and I would love to build a new house, now that life and circumstances have changed, but I don’t know where we would go,” he said. “I don’t think that there’s a place where we would go in Bend to be happier.”