How to Decorate a Cabin

Log cabin

Whether your cabin is in the Piney Woods of Texas, on the lake in Michigan or in the mountains of New Mexico take your decorating cues from the nature that surrounds you. Your cabin is your home away from home and you want it to be a warm, comfortable and restful respite from your normally busy world.

Things You'll Need

• Wood flooring
• Sturdy furniture
• Throw rugs

Instructions

1. Warm your cabin with a wood floor. Cabins are rustic and generally near the lake, sea, forest or mountain top. With all that traffic in and out of the great outdoors, you need a sturdy yet warm flooring to hold up under family gatherings or cozy nights by the fireplace. Hard wood floors can withstand the test of time and will cozy up your retreat with some nice scattered throw rugs.

2. 

   Cabins tend to be masculine as this is usually where hunting, fishing and skiing are done. Purchase over-sized furniture for those big guys in easy to clean upholstery, such as leather or a sturdy wool. Let nature infuse your cabin with log furniture or even twig pieces made by local artisans. Opt for a cedar or pine four-poster log bed in the master bedroom. Some beautifully crafted rustic furniture can be found at Great Rustic Furniture and for fabulous designs in willow and birch, see Rustic Furniture. For a more southwestern look, Rio Grande Rustics is a great place to start. Adding stripes, plaids and animal fabrics to add color and flair to your cabin.

3. 

   Don't overlook the kitchen and bathroom. These are excellent places to add to the theme of your cabin. Whether you are hunters, fishers or skiers, you can find great wall hangings in these themes to decorate your walls. The kitchen is a great place to showcase local pottery and antiques as well as family plate collections and 1950s deco appliances. Install a farm house sink and use your theme in curtains, chair cushions and decorative items. Use cast iron skillets or blue or white enamelware to accomplish the camping look. In the bathroom, a claw footed tub is always a welcome retreat after a long day enjoying the wild outdoors. Teamed up with a pedestal sink and some cozy rugs, you will have a warm, comfortable bathroom to come home to. Add some deco lighting, a metal medicine cabinet and maybe even a towel warmer and an oak toilet seat to add a vintage look.

4. 

   Accessorize to match your cabin theme. If this is a lake cabin, show off your old canoe paddles and fishing poles. Display those antique fishing lures in a glass case or shadow box. Mount some of your best catches, even you can refrain from eating them. Hang an old fishing basket filled with reels, lures and tackle. If yours is a hunting cabin, show off your collection of duck decoys on the mantle or a beautifully carved wood display cabinet for your antique guns. Of course you will have ample supply of antlers and horns to mount and boast, but add an antler chandelier or sconces for some charming lighting. For the ski chalet, decorate with some old ski poles, skis and snowshoes. Frame your ski route maps and display them on the walls. Use lanterns and candles to add soft, warm lighting to any decorating theme.

5. 

   Last but not least, decorate your porch for welcoming comfort. Add some comfortable rustic wood chairs, rockers and even a small table for outdoor entertaining. Add rustic pots, weather vanes and wind chimes. Build or purchase an outdoor storage bench to place boots, shoes and other gear.

Resources

• Great Rustic Furniture
• Rustic Furniture website
• Rio Grande rustic furniture