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Small log cabins of up to 1,500 square feet in size are popular, affordable choices for buyers who are newcomers or veteran owners.
Log cabin interior design and décor styles vary widely based upon preferences. Ideas include traditional, expandable, heavy timber, open-space, window-centered, wood species-centered, rustic and seasonal.
- Traditional Design
Traditional small log cabins may utilize 6 inch-by-12-inch logs that have a polymer-based fill for the gaps in-between. These cabins are popular with hunters, campers and for recreational purposes.
A loft-style interior design provides an open feel to the second- floor sleeping area. The kitchen and bath can occupy much of the first floor. Antiques, leather-style furniture or early American décor complement this type of small log cabin.
- Expandable Design
Homeowners who want a small log cabin can design it to be expandable as the household grows. Expandable designs include doors to future new wings of the house or access to a dreamy screened- in porch. Are children growing and room is getting snug?
Add a story, and determine the size, based upon available income. Owners of expandable houses may find themselves empty- nesters one day. At this point, selling the expanded home can yield profit to buy another small log cabin that is perfect just for two.
- Heavy Timber Style
A heavy timber roof system defines how a small log cabin is structured. Looking up from the ground floor to the ceiling, beams are intentionally exposed for a natural effect.
Heavy timber roof systems are a commonly-requested customized interior design that captures the imagination. The result is a distinctive Appalachian feel in the home. And the energy-efficiency cannot be beat!
- Open- Space Great Room
The heart of the home, the great room is a central open space for gathering, meeting or quiet solitude. Looking out from the center of the room, owners take in a 360- degree view of the inside.
Comfortable and inviting, the great room offers breathtaking views of mountains or lakes on the horizon. High ceilings, groups of small cozy arrangements, and a fireplace pull this design together nicely. A great room makes it tempting to linger in any small log cabin home for a long weekend or a summer school break.
- Window- Centered
Windows as an interior design element create an airy look and feel. They can arch from floor to ceiling or be positioned functionally, just above a kitchen sink.
Glazing options include single, double, and triple glazing, depending upon a location’s climate and the desired indoor temperatures. Window-tinting options can help reduce solar heat build-up, but tinting can make it more difficult to naturally light a room.
- Wood Species- Centered
Manufacturers have up to 80 commercial wood species in the U.S and Canada from which to choose for a small log cabin. They are generally easy to order and affordable. Colors and stain selections are even wider. The selected wood species helps to define design and décor.
- Rustic Décor
This style can be the guiding theme of the entire small log cabin. A bedroom can have a large dormer with a beautiful end table. Vintage lamps can be found in any room for low, subdued lighting. Furniture with hues of earth tones, natural wooden tables and simple, light-weight draperies pull together the rustic small log cabin look!
- Décor for the seasons
Using seasonal log cabin décor themes helps to personalize a small log cabin. Whether all- decked- out for Christmas or set up with picnic blankets on the floor with checkered table clothes, cabin creativity reigns all year long.
An extensive variety of designs and decor makes small log cabin living a wonderful retreat experience in the woods, at the lakeside or near the mountains. Not only are small log cabins functional and durable, they are beautiful and stylish, as well. Affordability, flexibility and “born of the imagination” are some of the inspiring qualities of today’s modern small log cabins.
