“There’s No Place Like the Cabin”
The Cabin Bathroom and Closet
When you hear the word “log home” what rooms immediately come to mind? Before you mentally respond, I would like to offer a scenario that may challenge your perspective. After a long day, you park the car adjacent to your log home and when you open the door, where are you heading? Sure, you may stop at the kitchen and drop your stuff off in the bedroom. But you can’t fully transition into your evening routines without making your way to the cabin closet and pausing in your cabin bathroom. These spaces hold who we are on hangers and shelves and allow us to decompress as we wash the day’s cares away. We may not immediately think about them in our synonyms for log home, because both the cabin bathroom and the cabin closet may not be the prettiest or most organized. Yet, our mornings, evenings, and moments in between would truly be challenging without them. As we delve into the sixth installment of our design series, let’s envision cabin bathroom and cabin closet spaces worthy of the attention they deserve.
The Cabin Bathroom
Let the design in your cabin bathroom be light and homey, with a few references to the past. That way your time spent there can retell a story or two. You’ve been wondering what to do with grandma’s inherited dresser, right? Well, cross off cabin bathroom vanity from your list of “To-Do’s” in your log home and repurpose it into the focal point of the room. Paint it a bold color, or simply clean it and stain it to its original glory. Dress it up with a few photos of grandma with the dresser as it was before and add a bowl sink for added dimension. Because log homes tend to be naturally nostalgic, the exposed logs will be a beautiful backdrop to the added piece of history in your cabin bathroom. Add a touch of elegance with a relaxing soaker tub. Choose a tile in your shower and across the room’s floor that resembles the backsplash in your kitchen for a consistent design theme. Think of the hardware and other cabin bathroom features as the jewelry of the space. Choose finishes like brass, bronze, and silver with a traditional style to pay homage to the dresser, or a more modern form to bring the cabin bathroom in your log home into the present.
The Closet
You don’t need a walk-in cabin closet to pursue great design. All you need is strategy. Consider investing in a closet system that has shelves, hanging space, and drawers perfect for your individual needs. On the highest shelf of your cabin closet, store all the belongings that are only occasionally needed. Have a double hanging section for pants and shirts and a single hanging space for longer pieces like jackets, dresses, and jumpsuits. Place woven baskets in the shelving areas for textured organization and have over-the-door solutions for easy to reach items. Accessorize your cabin closet with hanging bars, drawer handles, and wall hooks that match the finishes across your log home. For softness, remove the cabin closet doors and replace them with curtains displaying a pattern that pulls out the colors of the rug or flooring in the room, or that are sophisticatedly simple. That way, when the days come that your cabin closet floor starts collecting your things more than the closet itself, you can beautifully close it off with the curtains, and only you and maybe your furry family members would know the difference.
The Basics for Both
Be mindful of finding ways to make these spaces in your log home not only useful, but inspiring. Don’t leave the cabin log walls bare. Adorn them with pictures and quotes that will motivate you when you start your days and end them there too. Whether it’s a full-length size for the cabin closet or a hung piece above grandma’s dresser turned vanity, incorporate mirrors with frames that complement the other accent finishes. Instead of expected bath rugs for your cabin bathroom, do something different and roll out a runner that captures your design aesthetic in just a few feet. Hang lighting where the space allows and display greenery near the closest windows. (But faux plants also work great in these spaces and across your log home for those without a green thumb.) Organization is often the goal in not only the cabin bathroom and cabin closet, but in life. However, even if everything has not found its place at the end of the day, it’s okay, because if you’re log home is occupied with people you love, then the true synonyms for home have been fully recognized.
About the Author
Julia holds a BA degree in Communication Studies and is passionate about using words well to tell the stories that matter most in our world. When she’s not working on new ideas for Conestoga Log Cabins, you can find her decorating, baking, or looking at vintage typewriters while antique shopping – all done with a cup of coffee not too far away.