Dreaming of the Cabin Life

Lately I’ve had cabins on the mind. I’ve always loved camping and the outdoors and the idea of a little rustic cabin tucked away on some land really excites me! A few years ago my parents almost bought some property in the woods that opened up to a beautiful meadow with a small cabin. They ended up not going through with the sale, but boy, it was gorgeous. Ever since then I’ve had cabins in mind as a future destination for holidays and summer vacations. Some place I could curl up by the fireplace with a big mug of tea and a good book. Some place with lots of land for running around. Some place I could throw out a blanket for a picnic. Some place peaceful and surrounded by nature. In my mind, this cabin looks a little something like this…

The cabin would be nestled somewhere flat surrounded by woods, a bit like this:

But it might be in a wide open meadow surrounded by woods too. Regardless, there will definitely be a nice big porch. Preferably one that wraps around the entire house and has a covered outdoor fireplace, just like this:

When you came inside, there would be a great big living area with room for tons of family and friends to all hang out together. It would be light and bright with white walls and gorgeous, rustic, wood work, somewhat like this:

You’d want to curl up by the fireplace for sure! It would be the perfect spot to play a board game or sit and chat. The stone from the fireplace and rustic wood beams would be repeated through out the house. You’d also find them in the kitchen:

The stove and hood would most definitely be carved out like the picture above for a dramatic and rustic look! Obviously a big island is a must! You need a place for big buffets at family dinners as well as a place to sit and much on appetizers while chatting with the chefs! Not to mention – where else would you breakfast?!

That same stone and rustic beams? We’re not done with them yet. They’d absolutely show up again in the bathrooms. Maybe behind a free standing tub for a picture perfect bath:

And perhaps in another bathroom, it would become the backsplash at the vanity.

And speaking of bathrooms, there would have to be an outdoor tub for kids to splash in and adults to lounge in at night and look up at the stars.

And with kids around, there’d have to be a bunk room for big family sleepovers! The room would be chock full of beds to sleep as many people as possible and there would be a great chair or window seat for reading. You’d see the same style of rustic wood work in here again.

The bunk room would probably have a barn door that was almost always open so the kids could come in and out of the room with ease.

The other bedrooms would be darker and cozy with plenty of wood. At least one of them would have a rustic stone fireplace.

The other would incorporate more wood work and some Pendleton inspired rugs and blankets. Both rooms would be the perfect place to lay out for a mid-day nap or snuggle up for a long, cold night. The darker feel of the bedrooms would promote sleeping, but also encourage guests to head out into the lighter brighter parts of the house when they woke.

Overall, the entire cabin would be the perfect place to visit, a place for family and friends, a home to retire too. It would be comfortable and rustic, a great retreat, a place to relax. It would encourage slow activities like reading, cooking, board games, hiking, walking, gardening, long baths. The cabin would be a place to escape from modern technology and the stresses of everyday life. The cabin would be like an old wool blanket wrapped around your shoulders. At least that’s what I’m imagining. After all, right now this place only exists in my mind…

What are you daydreaming about? Do you design retreats in your head? Are they cabins? Do you have cabin? What is your favorite design element of cabins? The rustic beams? The stone work?

Sources: exterior, outdoor fireplace, indoor fireplace, kitchen, bathroom tub, bathroom vanity, outdoor tub, bunkroom, barndoor, fireplace bedroom, rustic bedroom