Log Home Ideas

Fireplaces are the focal points of many living rooms or great rooms, whether residing in log homes or not, but something about a log home demands a little more attention to this important architectural piece. The fireplace has been an integral part of log cabins since the beginning, when they were the sole means of heating the house and cooking for the family. With all that history in mind, you mind want to create something special, especially if you’re building a high-ceilinged great room with a loft as is so common in log homes. You want a fireplace that stands out even amongst all that space. One way to achieve that is to get a special mantel.

These carved wooden mantels would look great above the fireplace in the home of a nature lover. The company does everything from frontier life scenes and bucolic villages to elk, bears, and wolves traipsing through the forest. They specialize in nature scenes, but from their FAQ, it sounds like they’re willing to try their hands at just about anything. A $250 design fee is required up front, which is then put toward the purchase price of the finished mantel.

http://www.loghomedoorsandmantels.com/

Looking for a way to add a touch of wilderness to even your bookshelves? (Well, you probably weren’t, but if you like bears, these bookends might turn you on to the idea). They feature a pair of mother bears and their cubs, placed just so to support your books and keep them from tipping over. The set will cost you $115 and is available from Anteks, a store with lots of Old West and wilderness-inspired furnishings for your log home.

http://www.shopantekshome.com

Most of us are familiar with bathroom sinks made out of porcelain, but if you’re building a log home, why not consider a wood sink? With the proper finish, wooden sinks hold up well, and this teak double sink is truly handsome, not to mention unique. How many bathrooms have you been in that have something like this? It’s more of a piece of art than a simple sink and countertop, though I’m sure it’s functional too.

The sinks are one of many pieces made by Four Seasons Teak Root, a company that specializes in crafting furniture from the roots of the Asian teak tree. The company practices environmentally responsible harvesting and ensures new trees are planted for each one they use. Aside from this sink set, Teak Root does chairs, tables, porch swings, and benches. Check out their site for some beautiful pictures from their gallery.

http://www.teakroot.com/

One of the first things you’ll notice when you become a log home owner is that you can’t put flat things on log walls. Logs aren’t flat, so it just doesn’t work very well. This goes for everything from hanging pictures to mounting shelves to installing outlet covers and light switch plates. Fortunately there are companies out there that cater to log home owners.

Atkinson Electric has a wide range of switch plates, outlet covers, and covers for cable and telephone jacks, all designed to work just right with log walls. Of course, you could get plates made from the typical white plastic, but this company is again thinking of your must-match-log-walls needs, so their covers come in wood. You can get anything from Alaskan yellow cedar to apple to birch to pine.

Atkinson Electric

As with most houses, log homes usually have bathrooms (unless you’re going really rustic and you’ve just got an outhouse out back), and bathrooms need lighting. The thing about log homes is that most of what you find in the furnishings department at Ikea isn’t really going to go with the rustic feel of your house. What you might need is lighting that says back-to-nature. Or in this case, back to fishing.

If you’re building a cabin or home on a lake and someone in the family is an avid fisher, this could be a fun vanity light for the bathroom. Fish aren’t for everyone, of course, but if fishing is in your blood, you know who you are. This is a unique way to tell everyone else who visits your home who you are too. At the very least, it’ll tell them you don’t shop at Ikea.

http://www.avalanche-ranch.com

I like perusing the backs of log home magazines in order to find interesting builders to visit and all sorts of accessories for log cabins and homes, but if you’re actually planning to build a home, random listings won’t help you much. You need to find someone who can help you build a home in your area. Sometimes doing a Google search will help you find builders or contractors, but if logs are your dream, you could also visit the Log Cabin Directory.

There you can search listings by state, and you’ll find a more comprehensive list of builders than you can get just looking in the backs of magazines. They also cover timberframe builders, if you enjoy the look of wood with exposed beams and supports, but you’re not ready to go all log.

So, you feel a log home needs a deer head mounted over the fireplace, but you’re not a hunter, and you don’t want any wildlife killed for your house decorations. No problem. No animals were harmed in the crafting of this carved wooden deer head from the Curiosity Shoppe. Life-like and life-sized, the faux heads are available for $450. If you want your fake head to look a little more realistic, you’ll have to paint it yourself (or hire someone to), but if you don’t mind the wood look, and you’re not trying to fool anybody, you can mount it as it is.

Curiosity Shoppe