This is the area where you can really add your own personal touch to finish off the transformation of your house to a real Log Cabin Style Home with that authentic cozy yet outdoorsy feel that most of us have experienced or at least dream of experiencing in a real log cabin in the woods.
While on a full blown new construction or remodel project, this is one of the very last steps that you will complete in the process, it is also a great place to start a gradual transformation of an existing home into a Log Cabin Style Home.
You can begin your transformation with something as simple as an outdoor themed throw rug in the center of your living room. Add a beautiful wildlife or scenic mountain landscape painting or art print to hang on the wall. Then finish it off with a carved wooden bear, bighorn or trout on the end table!
Just something that simple actually begins to set the tone for that good old Log Cabin Style Home feel.
This part of the transformation is a very personal thing. Our tastes all differ so significantly based upon our past experiences and perceptions of what feels right here.
Consider A Theme
One of the best ways to make your decorating look and feel great is to pick out a theme and try to build around it as you choose your individual pieces. Also remember, some people are very simple and even minimalistic in their tastes, others enjoy the feel of gathering large collections of their favorite styles. A theme helps to keep these from just feeling like clutter.
Here are some themes that we have seen over the years that seem to have worked very well in Log Cabin Style Decor.
Fishing And Canoeing
This one is quite common and simple to find pieces to decorate with. We have seen everything from grandpa's old fishing rods and some antique lures and nets, to an artificial skiff set up vertically with some shelves built into it for books or knick-knacks. Mounted trophy fish and paintings or photographs of a fly fisherman on a quiet stream or in the middle of a thrilling battle with a monster trout make great wall hangings.
An old pair of waders, some neat pieces of driftwood, some whimsical carvings from the tourist trap gift shop outside of your favorite national park, an old tackle box or fisherman's basket, a fishing vest, or old hat with three or four lures, flies or jigs hooked into it, a hand-carved plaque with your favorite fisherman's tall tale saying carved in it, all of these make great additions to this theme.
We once even sold a beautiful old cedar strip canoe to a gentleman who simply wanted to hang it on the wall in his cabin as part of the decor! He had literally been searching for about 10 years, just to find the right boat for his setting!
Hunting
Hunting is probably one of the things most commonly tied to the Log Cabin Style in most people's minds. Yes we understand that this doesn't always sit well with a certain portion of the population, but hey, this is your home and preferences we are talking about here!
Many cabins just have a deer, elk or moose head mounted on the wall somewhere. However we have seen some really neat cabins with a full blown hunting theme to their decor and it can really be impressive.
When your decor combines several game mounts and maybe a bear skin rug with an old gun collection, maybe an archery display, some beautiful wildlife paintings, some antler lamps, chandeliers and maybe even furniture, you are creating what can truly be a beautiful and awe inspiring setting!
Camping And Survival
Here's one that goes hand in hand with the whole cabin experience. Maybe your hobby is backpacking, mountaineering or rock climbing. All of those pastimes have their own unique pieces of the outdoor experience, their gear, their history, their photography and artwork, things discovered and carried home as souvenirs, etc.
Gather them up and use them as part of your decor for a setting that is uniquely you.
Bears, Deer, Elk Or Some Other Favorite Animal
Oh yeah, don't forget Squirrels and Chipmunks or maybe Birds!
We have seen some really neat places where the decor is dedicated strictly to one type of animal such as bears. We have a great memory of one place that must have had a hundred or more bears featured in their decorating. Mounted bears, bear skin rugs, carved bears, bear lamps, bear paintings and photographs, bear cookie jars, a six foot chainsaw carving of a bear from a log, wooden bears sitting on the mantle, carved bear cubs climbing the log handrail on the stairway, bear throw rugs, a bear sitting on the chandelier, bear themed upholstery on the furniture, bears on the drapes, bears on the potholders, dish towels, and wash clothes, bears on the bath towels and bed spreads, well you get the picture!
It was a really cute place! So choose your favorite woodland creature or group of creatures and build a theme around them. The souvenir stores, rustic furniture stores, online stores will love to supply you with all of the things you want around this theme.
Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Snow Boarding And Snowshoeing
We have seen lots of neat decor around this theme! Old skis, ski poles, sweaters, beanies, snowshoes, boots, gloves, posters of Olympic events or different ski resorts, old signs, banners, warming huts, ski lift seats, backpacks, paintings and photographs all make excellent starting points for your winter sports themed cabin!
The Wild, Wild West and Ranching
This one is wide open territory. There are hundreds of ranching and western oriented things that could be incorporated into your theme.
Old guns, boots, chaps, spurs, saddles, saddle blankets, bridles and bits, branding irons, ropes, cowhide furniture pieces, a cow skin rug, horse shoes, a pot-bellied stove, the tailgate or wheel from a covered wagon, how about the back end of a chuck wagon, ten gallon cowboy hats, a carved wooden horse, a Frederic Remington bronze sculpture, a log bench, paintings of cattle drives, rodeos, campfires and pasture settings, etc.
This makes a very rustic and unique setting if that is your flavor in life!
Native American Or Prehistoric Indian
This goes right along with the wild west theme above. It can either compliment it, be a counterpoint to it, or completely stand on it's own.
Buckskins, bow and arrows, quivers, cradle boards, craft work, buffalo, war horses, spears, weaving looms, blankets, eagles and feathers, peace pipes, knives, arrowhead and pottery collections, turquoise jewelry, bead work, moccasins, paintings and artwork.
A Native American themed cabin makes a very unique setting and might be an even more personal connection with your past if you happen to have some ancestral heritage there.
Antiques
This one fits in very well with a Log Cabin Style Home. Whether you just want a few antiques here and there or you are a real collector, they fit exceptionally well with the rustic setting of a cabin.
A table and chairs, old dressers, an icebox, kitchen appliances and cupboards, old dishes, glassware, a sewing machine, a butter churn, antique tools, a washboard, the list is endless. Combine these with old artwork and pictures or hand crafted items and you can create a wonderful setting in your home.
These are just a few of the many themes we have seen with some details to give you a mental picture of where you want to go with yours. What do you love? What do you already have? Could it be expanded into a great themed decor? All of this is up to you!
Lastly here are a few more ideas for themes that will work well with your Log Cabin Style Decor in your home. Let your imagination run wild!
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