Log Home Ideas

Perhaps because I grew up in Washington, I tend to imagine log cabins nestled in forests full of evergreens with mountains and lakes in the background. The truth is there are log cabins and log homes in all sorts of climates, including the southwestern desert. If you want to honor your noisy gecko neighbors, you could include them on your cabinets, drawers, doors, or other parts of your log home. One way is with this brass gecko cabinet pull. It’s a heck of a lot more creative than the usual simple plastic or metal circular knob. It also signifies an interest in nature and the animal world around your home, something many log cabin owners are eager to connect with.

http://www.martinpierce.eu/

You’ve heard of welcome mats, of course; well, here is a “Welcome to our cabin” sign that is perfect for, well, log cabin owners. Genuine twigs from genuine trees spell out the message, and the 17.5″ x 10″ sign is accented with green wood trees and genuine pine cones (yes, today’s word of the day is “genuine”). Everything is surrounded by a braid twig trim and a frame of “mini logs.” A wire hanger on the back makes it easy to secure the sign anywhere (though I’d suggest putting it next to the door…). This looks like a good way to welcome guests or renters (if you use your log cabin as a vacation rental).

It is available over at Cabin Fever, and it costs just under $25.

Okay, this antler-decorated Christmas wreath strikes me as a bit odd (and, uhm, phallic), but it’s an interesting example of a way you can include a rustic touch in your Christmas decorating. Just because you live in a log home, there’s no rule that says you can’t do normal decorating (lights, tree, wreaths, etc.), but it’s just more fun if you can embrace the log style all year around, including at the holidays. Antler furniture (such as chandeliers and lanterns) is particularly popular in log homes, and I’ve seen quite a bit of it, but this is the first antler wreath I’ve seen. You can get these wreaths from Cast Horn Designs starting at $249.00. They’re made from “the finest materials, including six of our popular whitetail deer antlers.”

http://www.casthorndesigns.com/wreaths.html

What better way to celebrate nature than with a tile mural that highlights a favorite scene? This pine-loving landscape is from Motawi Tileworks, a company that specializes in, you guessed it, tiles.

This particular mural was done for a public library, but it should give you some ideas of what would be possible in your log home. A tile mural might be hard to integrate into log walls, but it could work as a kitchen backsplash or on any interior (read: flat) wall in your home. It could also be framed and simply hung as a piece of art work.

Motawi

What better way to welcome a visitor to your rustic log home in the woods than with a bull moose door knocker? (It ought to match nicely with the moose head towel ring you’ve already installed.) I know, I know, you’re thinking I have some kind of moose obsession, at this point. I don’t. I don’t think. Anyway, I’ll pick another animal for the next log home accessory I feature. I promise. Maybe.

Anyway, if you are interested in the moose knocker, you can find it over at the aptly named Doorknockers.com. The 2 1/2 pound, solid brass knocker will cost you $144.

Maybe it’s just me, but I think a big part of the fun of owning a log home would be shopping for the kind of house accessories that would just look odd in your average suburban house or urban condo. Who but a log home owner could get away with having a moose head towel ring on the wall in the bathroom? (I wanted something like this as a kid, but my mom forbade it…) This particular cast iron moose is from Cabin & Lodge Hardware and Fixtures, where it sells for $25. The ring has a 6″ diameter, which should be big enough for even the fluffiest of towels.

Cabin & Lodge Hardware and Fixtures