Saving an Existing Log Cabin--Exterior Walls Go Interior in this Clever Remodel

What do you do when you love your small cabin but your family needs more space?  The Bacon family solved the problem by leaving the original Vermont log cabin intact and building rooms around it.  In the photo below, you can see the original outside walls, which are now indoors. 

The rag rug is from the 1930's.  The dining room table came from Canada and the mismatched chairs are from the 1880's

The Bacons are lovers of camp and cabin antiques.  The island in the new kitchen area is from the 19th century.  The hickory hoop chairs are from the 1930's.  The kitchen has been accessorized with a collection of tin plaid picnic boxes from the 40's and 50's.  

In the great room, older upholstered chairs have been recovered in a classic Lee Jofa floral fabric.  Leslie Bacon collects old hooked rugs and there is a large beautiful example on the floor and a smaller cabin-themed hook rug hanging above the fireplace mantle.

On the front porch, comfortable old rockers supplied with wool plaid blankets provide a cozy place to sit with a hot cup of cocoa and watch the snow fall.  Vintage accessories contribute to the charm of the porch.

Old carved Black Forest boxes are shown to advantage on an old store display rack.

The master linens are all vintage along with the braided area rug, above and below. 

Classic cabin arts from the hand-made quilt, pine cone lamp, hand-woven basket, cabin mirror.  The log walls create a charming backdrop for the Bacon's pretty collectibles.

A charming old hand-made cabin and scissors that were once part of the signage on a tailor's shop.

Although the many collectible pieces are from different eras and sources, they are kept cohesive with a color palate made of muted greens, red, yellow and blues.  In fact, it almost looks as if the same can of green milk paint has attended to the front door, the dining table base, the kitchen island and other vintage items scattered throughout the interior.  This color scheme is also repeated in the fabrics and rugs tying the rooms together.  The log walls and wood floors provide a pretty but subtle backdrop, allowing these colorful items to shine.

The couple enjoying their antique hickory game table amidst their charming collection of antique cabin furniture and accessories.  Bandit the dog supervising.

"Our architect thought I was a little nuts to keep the old cabin, and that it would have been a lot easier to start from scratch", Leslie admits.  "But I love when people use what they have around.  That's why folk art appeals to me. Something someone else might have thrown away, I'll always be happy to keep around me."

From Country Living.  

We always have a number of antique and vintage pieces in our online store.  To view our current offerings, click here.  

8 of the Most Charming Cabin Kitchens Ever

Yes, there are some gorgeous lodge kitchens out there.  You know the kind...no budget, big spaces...high impact.  That's not what this posting is about.  We're talking charm today.  Of course, a healthy budget never hurts, but when it comes to charm it's about more than that.  Charm is something that money really can't buy.  Charm takes cleverness, style and confidence. Not everyone knows how to mix together just the right amounts of whimsy, pretty and color to come out the other end.  But these folks do.  Let's take a look...

No pretentions, just rustic pretty.  This kitchen looks like it was cobbled together over the years with unfitted cabinets.  It wasn't though.  Designer Colette van den Thillart found the main unit in the UK and had it shipped to be installed in her inherited Canadian family cabin.  Each piece was carefully selected to keep the original old cabin look.  Love the creams, white, natural pine and the way these finishes mix with the sea glass paint on the old logs and bead board. My favorite detail? Why, the curved stained wooden back splash, of course!

This kitchen is an example of how a few statement making pieces are all it takes.  Here, old painted barn wood cabinets, some fabulous industrial style bar stools and two impactful old warehouse lights come together spectacularly in a simple, light and airy, rustic kitchen that is heavy on the charm and style.

A great use of antique pieces.  The lower cabinets were a former store counter which were cut in half and installed on either side of the range.  A gorgeous stone back splash and a high impact hood featuring some old flea market applied woodwork and this small but utterly charming kitchen comes together with panache.

A sophisticated version of charm with rustic wooden beams, headers and trim around the base of the hood.  Black leaded windows, iron strapping on the beams and two beautiful lantern pendants add touches of black to the otherwise cream and beige color scheme.  Can you make out the word "stock" in the tile behind the cook-top?

In this cabin kitchen, a wonderful Adirondack stick style island becomes a centerpiece.  The sage painted cabinets and the pretty floral curtains are the icing on the cake.  Bent willow bar stools available here.  

With a large old family camp, many would be tempted to modernize and update.  I love the way this family has decided to focus on adding charm with pretty paint colors, accessories and to let an unpretentious but much loved space simply be what it is.

And then there's the art of selectively updating, where new cabinets and appliances get tucked into a patina-ed older space and the charm lies in the contrast of new with old and the clean with the untouched and aging.  A shiny retro Robin's egg linoleum floor, polished antique furnishings and the brightest of white paint all contrast with the aged and rugged upper walls and ceilings.

Cabinets prettily painted, striped flooring, rough sawn wood on the walls and a pretty collection of oil paintings. More on this same kitchen, below...

Antiques and simple slipcovers in a lovely blue linen, a gorgeous hanging lantern.  All this combine in a kitchen that contrasts luxury with simplicity.  

Hope you enjoyed seeing some of my favorite charming kitchens!

Anthony Baratta does Camp Style

Here's another Americana-on-steroids ski house by Anthony Baratta.  I'm a big fan of his colorful, creative and crazy mix.  In this Sun Valley house, the emphasis, as usual, is on the exuberant, the whimsical, and the, well, fun, fun, fun!

It must be delightful to be a guest in any his design projects, but particularly the ski houses, where there are so many "camp" themes Baratta can develop and play with.  Like a musician, Baratta rifts on a theme, twisting and turning it, repeating it, changing it and repeating it again.  One of his first themes is always color...

In the great room, bright color dominates.  Baratta loves primary colors; red blue and yellow.  But that is never enough--Baratta always has to throw a few more hues into the palette as well.  More is always more with Baratta.

 Another theme is custom-made.  Baratta loves to take a motif that everyone recognizes and blow up the scale, amp up the colors and turn it into custom furnishings and finishes.  A great example of this is this Chinese checkers inspired custom area rug.  This is a perfect motif for a family cabin, since playing games has always been a big part of "camp" life.  Another motif used in this room is the star. Whether this comes from traditional American quilt motifs or whether it is a nod to the American West (ranch brands, sheriff's badges), it's hard to be sure.  It doesn't really matter, though--it looks great in the room.  I can see a lot of other motifs used here, like canoes and paddles on the coffee table, the cabin miniature on the coffee table, the Indian head on the mantle, the checkerboard lampshade, and of course those amazing full-scale totem poles that have been energetically painted in Baratta's preferred bright color scheme.  

Bird's eye view of Baratta's custom area Chinese Checkers rug.

Nothing is ordinary.

Above, Baratta has turned a simple hallway into a wild mix of fun and color. Again, he's combined lots of themes together, like the pine trees and tents custom painted on the dressers with antler handles.  The old kerosene camp lantern, a rooster door stop, a tramp art box, gasoline can lamps, and of course another custom rug that mimics old hook rugs, but again, increased in scale and impact.

Charming European painted antiques mix with more Americana and plaid, of course.  Yet again, the custom area rug, a vintage inspired image of an Idaho tourist map featuring Sun Valley.  Really, how charming is this mix?

In the entryway, a braided rug, painted European antique chest, Americana quilt and folk art.  

Traditional lodge furniture, skier fabrics and plaids.

In the sitting area, above, lot's more camp and cabin-life motifs mix with another of Baratta's favorite themes: plaids.  As in almost all of his designs, plaids play an integral roll.

Okay, let's get the party started...here come the plaids.  This is a signature Baratta look, plaids on the furniture, walls and ceilings.  Again, the carpet has quilt inspired motifs.  Or are those Parcheesi board motifs?  Frankly, I'm not sure, and it really doesn't matter.  What matters is the whimsy and delight, right?

Another rug to love, especially that Airstream!  The red deer fabric is called Robin and it is available here. 

Fish, bears, canoes and winter scenes are inset into a braided area rug. Notice the side chair beautifully upholstered in a handmade quilt.  Take a moment to look closely at all the charming winter scenes in this, yet another, fabulous area rug.  Love it!

A custom made headboard hand-crafted in sticks with a beautiful painted summer lake scene topped with a stag painted medallion.  The fabric is an old Pierre Frey snowflake fabric, now discontinued.  

And below, a sitting area in the same bedroom... big, bold stripes mix with an amazing custom area rug that uses vintage ranch style motel signs for inspiration.  Look closely and you'll see that he has framed each sign with a course or two of traditional braided rug. So clever!

Another fabulous custom area rug, vintage rattan furniture painted red and a European painted trunk.

A bunk room to love.  Camp blankets, skier area rug, snow flake ceiling and charming folk art accessories.

Another seating area.  The area rug here relates to the Chinese checker rug in the first photo, but the images have been tweaked for this room.  The plaid fabric is a Diamond and Baratta design for Lee Jofa.  It has been discontinued, too. (William Diamond, now deceased, was Anthony Baratta's design partner for many years.)

Baratta bathrooms are never overlooked.  Here door panels have been painted with winter scenes and a red and white picnic table-themed fabric has been used as wallpaper on the walls and ceilings.

If you love Baratta's wonderful, crazy mix, and want to see more, here's another ski house project he designed.  Click here, to see more, more, more plaids, folk art and quilts!