Written By: Colleen Wadeson
For over two decades, Interior Designer Amy Troute has shaped some of the most distinctive custom homes in Central Oregon and throughout the Pacific Northwest. With artistic intuition and technical expertise, Amy brings depth to every custom interior. From design concepts through final installation, she envisions how architectural details, materials, furnishings, lighting, and artwork all contribute to a cohesive design. She believes art should be woven into a home design from the beginning. With creative sensibility in subject matter, movement, composition, orientation, and presentation, Amy instinctively knows when artwork should take center stage or quietly complement a space. When thoughtfully curated, not merely decorated, holistically designed interiors honor the tastes, lifestyles, and vision of her clients, resulting in spaces that feel harmonious and timeless.
The Artful Home Curated By Design
In Amy’s client-centered approach, she often incorporates established art collections, advises clients on acquiring new artwork, or serves as a trusted consultant to ensure every painting, sculpture, or installation is intentionally placed. Amy guides her clients through an initial process of inquiry to draw out their priorities as art collectors with an existing portfolio, or their level of appreciation for fine art, original art, and local art. Whenever touring gallery shows, open studios, and local venues, she documents new findings and continually refines her list of artists as a resource. Amy regularly accompanies clients to art galleries and artists’ studios and loves connecting directly with the artists. In her experience, “The magic happens when there’s a magnetic connection between the art and my client—their eyes light up. This is when we know the piece is right and we begin to welcome it into the home.”
“THE MAGIC HAPPENS WHEN THERE’S A MAGNETIC CONNECTION BETWEEN THE ART AND MY CLIENT—THEIR EYES LIGHT UP. THIS IS WHEN WE KNOW THE PIECE IS RIGHT AND WE BEGIN TO WELCOME IT INTO THE HOME.“
-Amy Troute, Interior Designer, Amy Troute Inspired Interior Design
Pronghorn Sanctuary is a custom-built home at Juniper Preserve. Amy and her team led the construction, supervised the design, fully furnished the home, and curated the entire art collection. The clients were very interested in showcasing local art and were drawn to several paintings by artist Jennifer McCaffrey. Marigold is a dynamic vestibule feature between two guest rooms; the vivid colors and unusual size of this bold piece resonated in every way with the client. Mirror Pond and Todd Lake Octoberportray asimilar loose abstraction, and these prints hang together in a guest bathroom. Selected specifically by Amy because she knew it would sing, Snowberries completed the palette perfectly in a guest bedroom. For Jennifer, nature is an infinite source of wonder: “Water, sky, light, and reflections are subjects I’m very drawn to; the colors are always changing, and the palette is always shifting. The playfulness of colors in all forms feels alive, cinematic, and delightful.”
“MY LANDSCAPES ARE A COMBINATION OF MEMORIES FROM MANY DIFFERENT PLACES IN OREGON. LAYERS OF PAINT AND MIXED MEDIA ARE A METAPHOR OF LIFE EXPERIENCES AND THIS ALL COMES OUT LIKE A CONVERSATION ON CANVAS.“
Golden Eagle, by artist Sheila Dunn,is the great room’s focal point in this reverse-living home, soaring above the open staircase in a gestural nod to the custom-glass feather chandelier overhead. Symbolic of its flight in the expanse of open sky, the eagles’ majestic wings and colors capture a viewer’s attention in a relatively neutral interior space.
The complex work of artist Shelli Walters captivated the clients in a local gallery. Sugar Bowl is a wildly textured composition of paint and torn paper abstractly layered on canvas to resemble an alpine lake scene. “My landscapes are a combination of memories from many different places in Oregon, “Sheila says.” Layers of paint and mixed media are a metaphor of life experiences and this all comes out like a conversation on canvas.” Purely for their own delight, this piece privately greets the clients inside the mudroom-garage entrance of their home.The clients also fell in love with Shelli’s Are Ya Feelin’ Lucky and how the tones and textures blend seamlessly with the bedding in a second primary suite. With striking colors and a dramatic vertical format, Falling Water is showcased like an exclamation point in their home office. As Amy’s clients state, “We have so enjoyed these works from local artists and how these unique pieces transform our home.”
“I LOVE TO GIVE PEOPLE A MEMORY THAT CONNECTS THEM TO A PLACE AND EMBRACES SOMETHING DEEPER. MY ART IS AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO SLOW DOWN, BE STILL, SIT IN AWE OF THAT MOUNTAIN, LISTEN TO THE RIVER, NOTICE THE LIGHT, AND REALLY SEE THOSE UNEXPECTED COLORS.“
In Bend’s premier west side resort, Amy was commissioned to furnish The Tetherow House. She was thrilled to discover that her clients shared an appreciation for the work of local artists, which inspired the colors, textures, and furnishings within the home. Mounted in a recessed, illuminated niche, Red-Tailed Hawk is a commanding presence in the primary suite hallway. The ethereal coloring and mystical rendering capture the essence of this predominant high desert creature, which Sheila describes as an observant sentinel with a soulful connection to the land. “A major focus in my art is protecting what I hold sacred: the wild places and wild creatures that share our Earth. When people revere these things, they are more compelled to protect the life of other species and preserve the beauty of the natural environment.”
FOR AMY, INTEGRATING ART IS ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING ASPECTS OF THE DESIGN PROCESS—A JOYFUL AND ENGAGING COLLABORATION THAT INVITES DISCOVERY, SPARKS CONVERSATION, AND CELEBRATES EACH CLIENT’S UNIQUE STORY.
A contemporary classic depiction of Elk Lake by artist Lindsay Gilmore hangs above the home office fireplace. The calm tones and tranquil strokes embody the peace and serenity of experiences along the Cascade Lakes Highway. “I love to give people a memory that connects them to a place and embraces something deeper,” Lindsay says. “My art is an encouragement to slow down, be still, sit in awe of that mountain, listen to the river, notice the light, and really see those unexpected colors.”
For Amy, integrating art is one of the most rewarding aspects of the design process—a joyful and engaging collaboration that invites discovery, sparks conversation, and celebrates each client’s unique story. Every interior is a canvas, shaped by an appreciation for the transformative role art plays in the lives lived within its walls and its power to bring depth, meaning, and connection to interior spaces. Rooted in the surrounding beauty of this region and enhanced by the work of local artists, her curated interiors demonstrate how thoughtful design and meaningful art can enrich daily life and contribute to a legacy of art, place, and people who call Central Oregon home.
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