The Complete Package
by Lori Williams
They say a man’s homeland is wherever he prospers. This adage rings true for the talented husband and wife team of custom home designer Joey Shaw and landscape designer Becky Shaw, the “home” and “land” of Homeland Design. Joey and Becky are two of Bend’s most talented professionals who built their business from scratch 13 years ago. With 50 years of combined experience, the duo offers a unique approach to custom home design in Central Oregon, a complete design team creating homes that are designed for the landscape and landscapes that are designed for the home. By channeling their creativity in tandem throughout a project, Joey and Becky are able to offer their clients a more seamless process and project, stay within budget constraints, eliminate lost opportunities, and ultimately produce a more cohesive design for each individual property.
It was 2009 when the couple, who were working separately in their respective fields, decided to make a brave move in the middle of a financial crisis and recession. Joey had lost a business partner and Becky was being laid off from her landscape design job. “We decided to approach projects differently, thinking about the project as a whole, inside and out from the very beginning,” explains Becky. “That became our niche.”
“We decided to approach projects differently, thinking about the project as a whole, inside and out from the very beginning. That became our niche.”
–Becky Shaw, Homeland Design
Homeland Design prides itself on understanding the client’s vision, collaborating with them for a one-of-a-kind home and land design on each individual property. “We take the time to walk your property in search of the best views, relevant topography features, and potential screening points, and to see why you bought your lot in the first place,” says Joey. “We always try to craft something different for each project. When we design a house, you will not see that same design down the street. We design a house for you, yet each project will complement the neighborhood.”
From the very beginning, Joey and Becky meet together with their clients. “Throughout the process, inevitably, more information surfaces between clients, their desires and personal wish lists,” says Becky. “Even when Joey is laying out the site plan and we are thinking about grade issues, we work as a team to incorporate and blend the desires of each individual. The project ends up being more of a complete package in the end.” Homeland is known for minimizing materials while maximizing space and also maintaining the integrity of the property. They push the design to meet clients’ budget goals and help their clients find value where they most want it.
Advance planning is also essential to designing and implementing the popular holistic concept of outdoor space as an extension of the inside of the home, especially in Bend’s high desert climate, with its year-round recreational lifestyle community. “Because we are working side by side, we are thinking about the flow inside from room to room and the flow outside from room to room,” explains Joey. The transition is where artistic passion is reflected—Joey’s creativity shines in a linear fashion, while Becky’s talent is in the fluidity of landscapes and their effect on space and time. It is no surprise that she draws inspiration from their own active outdoor lifestyle. “I’m always cognizant of Central Oregon’s vegetation throughout each season, even when we are out elk hunting,” says Becky.
“We take the time to walk your property in search of the best views, relevant topography features, and potential screening points, and to see why you bought your lot in the first place.”
–Joey Shaw, Homeland Design
Many of Central Oregon’s finest homes have been designed by Homeland Design. “We do a lot of work in Brasada Ranch—40 homes and well over 100 landscape designs,” says Joey. They designed the home and landscape for one of the first homes constructed in Brasada Ranch during what was then the height of the building boom in Central Oregon. The builder’s only requirement—make a statement. The stunning home offered huge mountain views with a large viewing deck and a floor plan for entertaining. A new design of theirs was built last year just across the street that pushed the envelope of design requirements for the neighborhood, adding modern design to certain roof lines as well as metal/burnt wood siding, making for a very low-maintenance exterior. Homeland Design’s reputation is well known and regarded throughout Bend’s neighborhood developments and more often than not, referrals are by word of mouth from one landowner to the next.
A one-of-a-kind lodge-style NorthRim home and landscape is a great example of what the firm does best. Surprising details abound in every direction, from the clerestory over the stairs bringing light through both levels of the home, to ceiling lines, fire pits, and a back patio with full Cascade Mountain views, as well as a custom infinity edge pool. Another project just finishing final design review and slated for construction this year is a 6,000-square-foot home on half an acre of landscape. It features a lap pool and built-in fish tanks and looks out over the Cascade Mountains.
“Because we are working side by side, we are thinking about the flow inside from room to room and the flow outside from room to room”
–Joey Shaw, Homeland Design
“I’m always cognizant of Central Oregon’s vegetation throughout each season, even when we are out elk hunting.”
–Becky Shaw, Homeland Design
Over the years, Homeland Design has been recognized by Central Oregon Builders Association (COBA) Tour of Homes for numerous awards—among them Best Architectural Design, Best Landscape, Best Home Feature, and Best Master Bath. Homeland Design also has a solid commercial landscape design background with projects like golf course resort entries, auto dealerships, assisted living facilities, banks, restaurants, and commercial campuses.
