Interior Design & Style Tips for Your Cabin

When configuring your cabin’s design scheme, first determine your taste. For instance, are you casual-rustic or traditional-formal? For inspiration, flip through magazines, tour other cabins, and make notes about specific elements you are drawn to.

Also, consider the cabin’s location. “So much of what makes a true cabin is the use of common, native material,” says interior design expert Michelle Fries, of BeDe Design. She suggests that owners utilize reclaimed material whenever possible. Think flooring, beams, sinks, doors, doorknobs, heating vents and furniture.

And don’t be afraid to think outside the box when you decorate. “Old tables and dressers make fantastic bathroom vanities, especially for powder rooms where you can get a little more funky and throw practicality out the window,” notes Michelle. Adding subtle touches, such as old woolen blankets or vintage fabrics and patterns, also conveys an authentic cabin feel.

Michelle tells folks to resist the urge to buy things in sets. “It’s more time-consuming, but the payoff is huge,” she says. “By layering in different fabric and furniture, you create the authenticity of an old cabin where the hand-me-downs live.”

We’ve all heard about the importance of “giving a room a purpose,” but Michelle says that just doesn’t work these days. “[We now have] great rooms [and] oversized islands for cooking, eating, entertaining, and [doing] homework. We’ve got laptops and wireless [enabling us to move about the house],” says Michelle. “[It’s best to] just make rooms conversational and comfy.” The same holds true with furniture. Catalogs and showrooms are great for generating ideas, but don’t limit yourself with what you see. It’s fun to switch things up and use furniture in a surprising way. “I love seeing fully upholstered indoor pieces on a porch or patio, a hammock in a kid’s room, or a chandelier in a barn,” notes Michelle.

She says homeowners often make two common mistakes when designing a space. The first is choosing furniture not properly scaled to a room – either going too tiny or too big. The second misstep is using multiple palettes throughout the house. “Painting each room a different color feels choppy and distracting,” says Michelle. “I prefer using one neutral color throughout the home and then adding interest to a room with a rug, a fabric, a window treatment, or a piece of art.”