Home » Misc » Cabin decor ideas home

Cabin decor ideas home


15 ways to create a cozy, rustic space |

(Image credit: Future)

It's no wonder that cabin decor ideas are all about creating a sense of warmth and retreat, given the wild landscape that often lies beyond the doors. On the peak of a snowy mountain, or tucked in a pine forest overlooking a lake, cabin decor typically pays tribute to nature, while also creating a reprieve from it.

The cozy cabin look is an obvious choice for log homes, Adirondack camps and midcentury A-frames, but it's an appealing decorating idea for anyone after a look that's casual, nostalgic, and welcoming.

15 cabin decor ideas for a welcoming retreat

Whatever the style of your current home, there are country decorating ideas to achieve a cabin decorating look to suit it. Here are 10 beautiful ideas for cozy cabin vibes. 

1. Use hides and leather

(Image credit: Kathryn Hunt Studio / Conor Harrington Photography)

The textiles you choose for your home play a big part in setting its overall tone and style direction. In this Long Island cabin, choosing materials that speak to nature and the local landscape, like hides and leather, are a key part of this rustic bedroom idea, and help create the cozy atmosphere we associate with cabin decorating. 

2. Choose neutrals

(Image credit: Bria Hammel / Spacecrafting)

If you love the charm of a rough-hewn space, but prefer a more polished or sophisticated style, choose organic, neutral furniture and decor. 

Neutrals feel calming and chic, and create a more contemporary design. Opting for organic shapes and fabrics, like un-bleached linen, concrete, and natural wools maintain an elevated look that still fits within the rustic shell of a cabin home. 

3. Set the scene with green

(Image credit: Kathryn Hunt Studio / Conor Harrington Photography)

If cabins are all about paying homage to nature, then green is the ultimate cabin  accent color. Above, designer Kate Hunt of Kathryn Hunt Studio chose a classic subway tile for her clients' cabin bathroom, but instead of going for stark white, she chose a soothing jade color that underscores the home's connection to the outdoors.

4. Incorporate stone

(Image credit: Bria Hammel / Spacecrafting)

In case we haven't made this clear, the key to decorating a cabin so that it has a sense of place (i.e., it feels like a cabin) is incorporating natural materials to tie the interiors to the outside.

While wood is an obvious choice, especially in log cabins, stone is another must-have material for cabin decor. Try a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, or use it to frame your range for a standout rustic kitchen idea, like designer Bria Hammel did for this Stone Lake, Wisconsin, cabin. 

5. Retrofit rusticity with reclaimed materials

(Image credit: Kathryn Hunt Studio / Conor Harrington Photography)

Just because your home doesn't have a traditional cabin structure doesn't mean you can't make it feel that way inside. If you're looking for a way to make your ski condo feel a little more authentic, for example, or you want to add mountain charm to a new construction, look to reclaimed materials, like salvaged barn board, which lend a authentic, weathered look to any space.

Designer Kate Hunt added historic charm back to her client's gut-renovated Long Island home with reclaimed, salvaged and repurposed materials, including wood from a local barn. 

6. Pile on the texture

(Image credit: Rumor Designs)

In a home with a rough-hewn shell, like a log cabin, texture plays a central role in creating an inviting atmosphere. Design firm Rumor Designs achieved a welcoming bedroom idea by mixing a vintage wool rug, a metal and linen bed, and plenty of pillows. 

'In our Behr Cabin project, we added character through layers of pillows, throws with plenty of texture and wooden logs mixed with fresh painted chinking to achieve the ultimate cozy feel,' says Lindsey Jamison, lead designer at Rumor Designs.

7. Add camp blankets

(Image credit: Amy Brightman)

Camp blankets, or thick wool blankets often adorned with Southwestern or Adirondack-style prints, are the cabin bedding of choice. Amy Brightman chose them for Warner's Camp , an 1880s farmhouse she owns and designed in the the Adirondack State Park, to create a space she calls 'cozy and true to the area. '

You can purchase similar blankets new from brands like Pendleton or Hudson's Bay, but they're also a flea market favorite and you shouldn't have to search too long to find a vintage version. 

8. Go minimalist to let nature shine

(Image credit: Stonorov Workshop Architects.)

If you're after a soothing, zen-like space, take a minimalist approach to cabin decorating. Simple furnishings, white bedding, and few window treatments allow nature and the views beyond the windows to add the decorative element. Plus, sleek design juxtaposed with the rustic architecture of a cabin home creates a balanced, harmonious feel. 

9. Create a vintage cabin feel

(Image credit: Aimee Mazzenga)

Cabins are the perfect canvas for vintage finds, so indulge your desire to visit your local antique malls and flea markets. 

Items like pennants or camp flags, antler mounts, signs and postcards can be gathered to form a retro wall decor idea, like this one at Camp Wandawega in Wisconsin. Or, start a collection of antique objects like lanterns, oars, skis, or tools to create a display with a story. 

10. Add antique pieces

(Image credit: Rumor Designs)

The lived-in nature of antique pieces make them a natural fit for cabin decor. 

'In our Cow Creek project, we incorporated a dining table that has been in the owner's family for generations and added tea kettles/pots from the owner's grandmother to bring this slowed-down rural look to life,' says Jamison, whose firm also designed the above space. 'The owner has stories of babies being born on this table way back in the day!'

11. Paint the walls white for a Scandi feel

(Image credit: Cedar Point Aframe / Evelyn Barkey)

Cabin decor tends to skew dim and cozy, but there's no hard-and-fast rule that is has to be. Just take a look at the bright and cheery wall paneling idea at the Cedar Point Aframe.

The angled walls of the cabin are painted white to open up a smaller living area, while the perpendicular walls are left au natural. Owner Sarah Scott took a cue from the combination of white and wood tones, and chose a clean-lined sofa and ceiling fan for a Scandinavian look. A vintage chest adds a subtle rustic element. 

12. Add leather (and antlers)

(Image credit: Bib Coscarelli)

This room, at Camp Wandawega, is a study in cabin decorating. It sets the scene with deep colors like rich browns, forest green, and navy, and rounds out the look with the most classic of cabin decorating trios: a pair of leather sofas, taxidermy mounts, and an antler chandelier. 

13. Mix old and new for an updated cabin look

(Image credit: Chris Daniele)

'When designing a space, I generally like to get creative and pair old with new,' says  Brightman. 'I think the look we achieved here is a blend of mid century and art deco, with a nod to the Adirondack Great Camp style.'

To get the look, layer vintage furnishings with unexpected contemporary pieces, like the white armchair in the corner of the entryway above.

14. Pull your color palette from nature

(Image credit: Rumor Designs,)

Since cabins are all about embracing the outdoors, the paint ideas and decorative elements you incorporate into your home should pull from its surroundings.

This entryway from Rumor Designs uses a color palette of sage green, gray-blue, and brown for the walls and furnishings, which are echoed in the Earth-toned rug.

15. Soak in the view

(Image credit: Stonorov Workshop Architects)

Cabins celebrate nature, and what better vantage point from which to take in the great outdoors than a soaking tub filled to the brim with bubbles? (Especially if it follows a long day on the hiking, biking, or skiing trail).

In this space by Stonorov Workshop Architects the simple, contemporary lines of the Duravit bathtub add just the right amount of modern contrast to this primitive bathroom. 

How do you modernize a cabin?

Modernizing a cabin isn't like updating any other home, because the characteristics that may make it feel dated are likely the same ones that give it its rustic charm. So, you can't exactly give it a gut renovation. But, you can achieve both the goal of having a modern cabin space without stripping away its character. Here are a few ideas:

Kaitlin Madden Armon is a writer and editor covering all things home. Her work has appeared in Real Homes, Architectural Digest, Martha Stewart Living, Refinery29, Modern Luxury Interiors, Wayfair, The Design Network, and lots more. She graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in journalism and currently lives in Connecticut with her husband, three kids, and black lab.

15 Cabin Decor Ideas That Are Super Cozy

By

Sarah Lyon

Sarah Lyon

Sarah Lyon is a freelance writer and home decor enthusiast, who enjoys sharing good finds on home items. Since 2018, she has contributed to a variety of lifestyle publications, including Apartment Therapy and Architectural Digest.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 12/08/22

The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto

Cabin-like decor reminds us all of simpler times and brings about all of the warm and fuzzy feels, so there's no wondering why it's so popular right now. Feel like hopping on the bandwagon? Whether you're inspired by your home's architectural details—such as exposed brick and wooden beams—or just are looking to bring more comfort into your abode, you've come to the right place. We've rounded up 15 of our favorite rooms that absolutely nail cabin decor to a T.

〚 hut 〛 ◾ Photos ◾ Ideas ◾ Design

Cozy cabin in the forest in Canada

Anna Pufik's house 0 2601

for a romantic getaway. But the main idea of ​​this housing is, of course, interaction with nature and outdoor recreation, because the house is located in the thick of the forest. The interiors themselves are decorated in a Scandinavian style, but they also offer tenants original decor elements, such as…

Like from childhood: a small but functional tree house (46 sqm)

HomeAnna Pufik 0 3549

dream to live in a tree house. They designed a house that literally floats 20 feet above the ground and is now renting it out on the Air B&B website. According to the laws of the genre, the cottage is quite small in area ...

Cozy little hut in the woods with a swing, a place for meditation and a terrace

HouseAnna Pufik 4 4483

This lovely little hut in the woods is a grown-up realization of its owner's childhood treehouse dream. Inside, everything is very compact, the owners managed to equip many cozy relaxation corners on several levels, including a place for meditation. There was even a place here for a swing by the window - another wonderful reference to childhood. But then…

Dark, but cozy interior of a cabin in the woods by a lake

HomeAnna Pufik 6 5545

Dark, almost black walls - frankly, not the most obvious choice for the design of a small wooden cabin in the forest far from civilization . But the owners of this small cottage in the state of Washington decided to take a chance and did not fail - the interior turned out to be very cozy and sincere despite the bold color scheme. The house is decorated in a country style with many…

Charming cabin in the forest in Canada

HouseAnna Pufik 3 1789

Canadian decorator Lynne Knowlton is a real romantic, because only romantics can create such interiors. “Sleep under the stars, listen to the rustle of the treetops, smell the coniferous forest” - together with her husband, they created this fabulous hut in the forest to escape from everyone from time to time and spend a day or two in the midst of serene nature. And although they built this ...

Cozy cabin in Tennessee

HouseAnna Pufik 7 4845

It is clear that living in such a house would not be very convenient, but spending a weekend or a few vacation days is just right. This cozy wooden cabin in Tennessee is lost in the forest in the middle of untouched nature, therefore it gives the owners the opportunity to escape from the hustle and bustle of city affairs to a quiet and carefree place. Looks like a house…

Holidays in an American hut in the forest

HomeAnna Pufik 0 289

In northern Atlanta, the winter is not as cold as in our area, so usually there is no snow here at Christmas and the scenery is not quite familiar to us. From the windows of this small hut (150 sq. m.) a very breathtaking view of the nearby forest opens, but only the wonderful decor inside the dwelling speaks of the onset of winter holidays in this place . ...

Fisherman's hut | ivd.ru

The path leading to the house and part of the territory are lined not with the usual pebbles, but with wooden blocks The antique sideboard from the beginning of the last century makes the atmosphere of the house more authentic, convinces us that all this is not a game of a fishing hut, but a natural continuation and rethinking of its style. The living room, the terrace, the forest surrounding the house merge into a single whole. The building seems to have grown into the surrounding landscape. and

now that the sandy shores of the pond are overgrown with grass, it is hard to believe that the pond is not natural at all, but man-made A small entrance hall connects the living room and the kitchen, from which you can get into the bathhouse. Here, in the hallway, there is a beautiful spiral staircase leading to the second floor, to the bedroom. An open fireplace is not used as often today, since its cassette counterparts are cheaper and safer to operate. But you can even cook food on an open fire in it. Thanks to the furniture made especially for this room, the tiny kitchen looks unusually cozy. Interesting element

- a shelf above the windows, running along the entire perimeter. It housed the favorite clay utensils in these places. The owners decided not to lay out all the walls with shower ceramic tiles

- this is both expensive and not too much matches the general style. limited to one corner Although you can run out of the bathhouse straight to the pond, the owners still decided to install a barrel of cold water inside. The barrel is connected to the sewer and plumbing, so in it, regardless of external weather conditions, there is always clean water of the right temperature nine0003

Elements of Japanese decor do not look alien here, they do not seem to be a tribute to fashion. The impression is that they were created specifically for this corner in this house by the water. The bedroom on the second floor looks very restrained. The only thing that decorates this room, in addition to the wooden ceilings, is the wallpaper with sailboats. This decor was not chosen by chance

- in his youth, the owner dreamed of becoming a sailor Ground floor plan Second floor plan

Sauna door assembled from separate boards connected to each other with forged nails and battens. In addition to beauty, such a door has another very important property

- it is quite heavy and therefore will not open from every draft. Originally made and step at the entrance. A specially selected flat stone is laid here

If you live by a stormy sea for a long time, sometimes you really want to look at the still water. Here, in the pond, the water always keeps the reflection of the house standing on the very shore. And this is the first thing you see every time you come back from the sea, and your heart is filled with peace. .. dark pond - appeared at the owners under the influence of certain circumstances. The fact is that part of the adjacent territory, where they decided to put a bathhouse, turned out to be very low and swampy. Therefore, before anything could be erected on this site, it had to be drained. Of course, it was possible to act by standard methods: pour land, make a drainage system. But the architects Vita Polkovnikova and Ina Kulikovskaya proposed another option: to dig a large pond, thus draining the adjacent territories, and to build a guest house with a bathhouse on its very shore. The idea was approved and construction began. Only not as usual, from laying the foundation, but from the organization of the pond. nine0003

Despite its decorative appearance, the pond is actively used for its intended purpose. For those who like to freshen up after the steam room, there is a separate exit from the bathhouse, and the descent to the water is equipped with a wooden ladder. The pond has an L-shaped shape. The main facade of the house looks at its longer part with its glass bay window, and the smaller one seems to flow around the corner, and the windows of the bath overlook it. Naturally, both from the bay window and from the bath there are separate exits directly to the water. The banks of the pond are made in the form of an embankment of sand and gravel mixture. Only where the house stands, the wall and part of the shore that goes into the water (under a wooden deck) are concreted and lined with natural stone of local origin. The depth of the pond is about two meters. It is filled with water in a natural way - due to groundwater, located here very close to the surface. And since the pond is not just dug in the ground, but has bulk sandy banks and bottom, the owners managed to avoid problems with unnecessary aquatic vegetation. However, from time to time it still has to be cleaned, and this is perhaps the only trouble that it causes. All other emotions associated with the pond are extremely positive. nine0003

In the dark, it looks like the house is on an island. Isn't it romantic to live on your own, even a very small, piece of land in the middle of the water? .. The reservoir created a special, quiet and thoughtful atmosphere on the site, which determined the style of the house. It resembles traditional fishing huts for these places, but it also bears the stamp of minimalist simplicity, which is rather inherent in Japanese dwellings. The authors of the project say that they did not seek to accurately recreate any particular architectural style, but only borrowed the most suitable details for this case literally from everywhere. In addition, the most important element of the building - a huge glass bay window - arose already during construction, when it suddenly seemed to the owners that the living room with a massive fireplace would look too cramped and needed to be enlarged. And since at that moment the main load-bearing walls had already been erected, it was necessary to come up with an external glass element, which ultimately brought the house to life and visually lightened the massive structure of the log house. nine0003

It should be noted that the design of the house is extremely simple. The foundation is formed by a concrete slab lying on a bulk sand and gravel cushion 50 cm thick. The building itself, as already mentioned, is a wooden frame made of local spruce. An interesting detail: all of its logs are not milled, but hewn by hand. The peculiarity of their processing is that they are neither round nor square, but have two flat and two rounded sides. Thus, the walls of the house are flat outside and inside, and not the standard convex shape for a log house. The gaps between the logs are filled with natural moss. The outer side of the building is not lined with anything, but only treated with special tree oil Tree oil (Norway). They refused to use a cheaper protective varnish - it is less durable and can crack from temperature changes. It is clear that if water gets into such a crack, the tree will darken or even begin to rot. nine0003

Even when the windows are closed, it seems that you are sitting upright outdoors, by the water. And if the glass walls of the bay window are moved apart, the room is filled with the sound of the surf and salty sea air. The roof is covered with reeds, traditional for fishing huts. This material has many advantages: it is environmentally friendly, does not cause allergies, is naturally resistant to moisture, is very light and relatively cheap. However, in order to make the right reed roof, you need to know some of the subtleties of its installation. Firstly, the roof must have a slope of more than 35. Secondly, only annual plants are suitable for its installation, the stems of which are 1.5-2.2 m long. And, finally, it is necessary to be able to securely fasten bundles of reeds on an inclined plane. To do this, first fill horizontal slats on the roof rafters, and then tie reeds to them with copper wire or hemp rope. Moreover, the lower part of the stems must necessarily protrude beyond the roof by 2-4 cm - only then will the water flow freely from the roof without falling on its wooden parts. In our case, copper wire was used for fastening as a more modern and durable material. By the way, the service life of a reed roof, contrary to popular belief, is quite long - from 50 to 90 years old

The internal layout of the building is no more complicated than its design, and the set of rooms is common for a bathhouse-guest house. On the ground floor there is a living room with a fireplace, a kitchen, a bathroom and a bathhouse with a dressing room and a shower room with a separate exit to the street. At the same time, the living room, a noticeable part of which is the same glass bay window, is double-height and has a height of two floors. On the second floor, which is almost half the size of the first floor, there is a bedroom and a sitting area, arranged on the inner balcony-stairwell. By the way, this small but very elegant room is the only one in the house from where you can see the sea through a glass bay window, on the ground floor it is blocked by trees. nine0003

Kitchen, living room and bedroom have almost no interior decoration. Everywhere - open pine walls, floor and ceiling. True, in the bedroom one of the walls is covered with wallpaper with a romantic pattern, but in terms of color they also fit into the overall tone. The bath is sheathed with aspen clapboard, and the bathroom and shower room - with waterproof plasterboard, followed by tiling.

Since the house was built on an already developed site, there were no problems with life support systems: sewerage, water supply, and electricity were already connected. The only issue that had to be resolved was heating. As a rule, houses of a small area are quite easy to heat with a cassette fireplace, by forced air convection. But in this bath, a fireplace is installed not of a cassette, but of an open type, which means that its efficiency is obviously lower. But on the other hand, it is very large, thanks to which it also allows you to heat the whole house. Moreover, the premises of the first floor are equipped with warm electric floors. Thus, even despite the large glazing area, the house turned out to be so warm that, arriving for a couple of days in winter, the owners stay in it, and not in a large house, which is much longer and more expensive to warm up. nine0003

If we turn to the financial side of the matter, we can say that such an architectural excess as a terrace over the water did not significantly increase the cost of the project. It was not she who became the main expense increase, but custom-made bay windows (two-chamber double-glazed windows in wooden frames) and an open fireplace.

Only one thing can be said about the site: its main decoration is the same man-made pond. The rest of the territory is a typical forest belt near the sea: several mature trees and grass in half with sand. On the side where the plot faces the street, a small number of flowers and flowering shrubs are planted. The owners are quite satisfied with this, because it is precisely for the strict ascetic beauty that they fell in love with this place. Aprud only added charm to it and, like a precise touch, completed a perfect picture of the landscape, sustained either in Japanese or in the Baltic style. nine0003

Terrace above the water

The terrace hanging directly over the water is a very beautiful architectural image. But in order to competently implement this idea, it is necessary to take into account several key points. The first one is the choice of material. In order for the boards that are constantly above the water not to dampen and rot, you must abandon inexpensive spruce and choose some harder, water-resistant tree.

In this case, it is larch, but you can take, for example, oak. The second point is the stability of the flooring structure. The fact is that the bottom in this man-made pond is sandy, which means it is not too dense, unsteady. Piles driven into such soil will inevitably move apart, and the flooring lying on them will warp. nine0003

Therefore, the piles here are only a supporting element, and the main load falls on the concrete wall of the pond from the side of the house and the protruding part of the concrete foundation slab. At the same time, only a wooden flooring "hangs" above the water, and the concrete slab that serves as the foundation is entirely on the shore, that is, like the rest of the house, rests on solid ground. The third thing to pay attention to is the choice of material for piles. and water-repellent treatment of wood. In this case, the piles are made of oak and smeared with resin, similar to that used for the treatment of boats. Made with the same material and the wooden flooring itself, but only from the inside. nine0003

Drying oil can be used instead of resin.

It only remains to add that, even with all the above measures taken into account, the service life of such flooring does not exceed 7-10 years, and it may lose its external attractiveness even earlier.

Aggregated calculation of the cost of works and materials for the construction of a house with a total area of ​​58 m

2

nine0139 448 nine0139 29 nine0133 pcs. nine0127
Name of work Unit rev. Qty Price, $ Cost, $
FOUNDATION WORKS
Set-out, grading, excavation and excavation m 3 36 18 648
Manual reworking, backfilling, soil compaction m 3 8 7 56
Crushed stone foundation, preliminary work and horizontal waterproofing m 2 79 8 632
Formwork, reinforcement, concreting (slab foundation including terrace) m 3 83 60 4980
Coated side insulation m 2 35 2. 8 98
TOTAL 6414
Applicable materials according to section
Heavy concrete m 3 83 62 5146
Crushed granite, expanded clay, sand m 3 23 28 644
Hydrostekloizol, bitumen-polymer mastic m 2 160 2.8
Rolled steel, fittings, knitting wire t 0.9 390 351
Formwork panels, lumber, nails, other materials set 1 180 180
TOTAL 6769
WALL (BOX)
Preparatory work, installation and dismantling of scaffolding m 2 90 3. 5 315
Log wall cutting m 3 32 110 3520
Covering device m 2 84 15 1260
Terracing and supporting structures m 2 34 986
TOTAL 6081
Applicable materials according to section
Lumber (beam, edged board, larch, spruce) m 3 46 160 4600
Lumber (oak) m 3 2. 6 430 1118
Natural resin l 90 7 630
Fasteners and other materials set 1 210 210
TOTAL 6558
ROOFING
Roof truss assembly m 2 73 8 584
Installation of rafter and ridge shields m 2 73 4 292
Hemming of cornices, overhangs, gables m 2 36 11 396
Vapor barrier device m 2 73 1. 4 102
Reed cover device m 2 73 8 584
Gutter installation line m 21 8 168
TOTAL 2126
Applicable materials according to section
Natural reed m 2 73 9 657
Vapor and wind barrier film m 2 73 1.9 139
Edged lumber m 3 2.4 120 288
Waterproof plywood m 2 73 4. 8 351
Gutter system, fasteners and other materials set 1 250 250
TOTAL 1685
WARM CIRCUIT
Insulation of walls, coatings and floors with insulation m 2 126 2 252
Filling openings with window and door blocks m 2 48 35 1680
TOTAL 1932
Applicable materials according to section
ISOVER insulation m 2 126 2. 6 328
Wooden window blocks (double-glazed windows) m 2 34 160 5440
Wooden door blocks, fittings and other materials 7 - 1580
TOTAL 7348
ENGINEERING SYSTEMS
Installation of water supply and sewerage systems (connection, wiring, installation of devices) set 1 2700 2700
Fireplace device set 1 2650 2650
Floor heating installation set 1 380 380
Electrical work set 1 2100 2100
TOTAL 7830
Applicable materials according to section
ENSTO floor heating system (Finland) set 1 700 700
Fireplace set 1 1600 1600
Sauna equipment (Finland) set 1 2200 2200
Plumbing and electrical equipment, heating and installation appliances set 1 3700 3700
TOTAL 8200
FINISHING
Facing GKL surfaces on the frame m 2 32 12 384
Protective surface treatment (façade) m 2 116 4.

Learn more