Modern Cabin Style

It seems like modern construction and decorating is definitely starting to impact large-scale high-end mountain projects.  However, I don't see it having much influence on more moderate projects.  That's one of the reasons that I really like this modern cabin, originally published in Country Living.  It's pretty rare to see a normal family sized cabin, designed with these airy, light modern surface materials and contemporary interior furnishings.

I am really appreciating all the pickled pine wood and the white color palette.

This room is so smart looking and it's really all due to the light colors in the woodwork and modern shaped furnishings.  These choices are really no more expensive than the typical rich wood and brown sofa look you see so much in cabins.  One of the nice things about choosing to design and decorate in this style is that part of the look is open empty space, which means you need fewer, although carefully chosen, furnishings.  In this case, there are a number of statement making pieces, such as the two light fixtures, the dining table and chairs and the crazy furry pouf.

Although this house gives a modern impression, it is actually an old ranch style house in the Berkshires, remodeled by Hauswork Design. Formerly dark, dingy and depressing, most of the materials got a contemporary face-lift, except the fabulous stone fireplace, found as is on the site.

And, of course, a piece or two of over-scale high-impact art is required.  When a room is mostly in whites and creams, it's important to use a lot of textures so that it doesn't become too bland.  In this case, the rustic wood bench used as a coffee table, the tongue and groove on the wall, the white hair hide on the floor and the nubby fabrics all keep the eye both soothed and entertained at the same time.

Interesting collections united by the white color scheme add additional eye candy.

In the kitchen, the theme continues with natural woods contrasting with more white.  The mortar on the stone chimney is very white and has been left thick so that it, too, makes a white statement in the room.

A simple but stylish entry.

A sliding barn door system with horizontal planks adds modern interest to a wall in the master.  A simple contemporary natural linen bedding collection in lots of textures keeps things clean but stylish.

A lot of the furnishings and soft goods were purchased at stores like Ikea and West Elms and Bobby Houston of Hausworks pickled the pine walls himself.  Carefully adding in a few authentic and collectible mid-century modern pieces and splurging on a few modern elements elevates the entire design.  

The most modern cabinets, hardware and fixtures contrast with the rustic wood siding.  

No color allowed.  Even the dog slips beautifully into the neutrals color palette!

If you love a quiet color palette, see our cream and white fabric collection and our cream and white wallpaper collection.

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!

Vintage Skier Fabrics

As a fan of retro ski style, I love Pierre Frey's chalet fabrics.  In fact, Pierre Frey has given us not just one, but two spectacular vintage ski fabrics.  The original favorite, called Tyrol, has an early 20th century style with wooden skis, sleigh rides, Tyrolean costumes and snow covered chalets.  It's utterly charming and has always been a favorite with us at Dragonfly Designs.

Pierre Frey's Tyrol in color 01.  So adorable!

In more recent years, Pierre Frey introduced a second more retro fabric called Les 3 Vallees which has a 40's vibe.  The skis are still wooden but the clothes are mid-20th century.  And in this fabric, we even have trains and gondolas.  It is every bit as charming as Pierre Frey's Tyrol, but the overall feeling is entirely different.

Pierre Frey's Les 3 Vallees.  A wonderful 1940's ski world.

Of course, having these two fabulous vintage fabrics to choose from can create a decorating conundrum...do we go 40's or 20's?  Sometimes life is just difficult, right?

Both fabrics are printed on 100% cotton.  And when Pierre Frey creates a print, he goes all out using many gorgeous colors, layered luxuriously one upon the other to give the design depth and richness.  You really have to hold these fabrics in your hand to truly appreciate the quality of the materials, design and printing techniques.

For cabin and chalet owners with larger budgets, these fabrics make up beautifully into curtains, bedspreads, headboards and toss pillows. In fact, if budget is absolutely no issue, go crazy, and use them in a bedroom like a traditional French toile--upholster the walls, all the bedding and any upholstery in them.  Now that would be an amazing bedroom, indeed!

An example of the way French toiles are traditionally used...one fabric everywhere.

If you are more budget-minded, simply upholster the headboard or make up Euro shams in either of these fabrics.  Then just mix and match them with affordable store-bought bedding.  This approach can elevate any bedroom and give it a custom designer look.

In living rooms, I would select a thicker woven fabric for a sofa.  However, I have used these vintage ski fabrics in the past on upholstered chairs that get infrequent use, as well as on many a toss pillow, of course.  As for curtains, I always love curtains in mountain rooms as they soften up the hard wood and rock surfaces and add a coziness and warmth to rooms.  Pierre Frey Tyrol or Les Tres Vallees curtains in the great room?  Yes, please... either will do nicely, thank you very much!

Money stretching tip--Especially for those on a budget, splurging for a few yards of Pierre Frey to make toss pillows is well worth the expense as these will add much beauty and character to your room.

Tyrol pillow.  Small bits of fabric can add big impact!

An inviting place to cuddle up and gaze out at the lake.  Here, Pierre Frey Tyrol was used in one of my client projects years ago on two identical chaises placed side by side in front of a spectacular view window in a Tahoe home.  The chaise fabric was a Ralph Lauren, now discontinued.

By the way, Tyrol comes in two colorways which are almost identical, 01 and 02.

Tyrol 02

Tyrol 01

And there is also a version in red only called Tyrol Arielle...

Tyrol Arielle

Fabulous!

If you like wallpaper, Pierre Frey makes a coordination wallpaper called Salzburg...

Salzburg Wallpaper

Pierre Frey also makes available a number of coordinating weaves, small patterns and stripes which only add to the delightful-ness of any room lucky enough to feature Tyrol or Les 3 Vallees.  Some of our favorites are shown below.

One other Pierre Frey ski fabric you might enjoy is called Eidelweiss Grand and consists of a charming collection of vintage ski patches.

Grand Eidelweiss--vintage ski patches!  So adorable and perfect for those lovers of a blue and white color scheme (and I know you're out there!)

If you love red in cabins (and many people do), here are a few red Pierre Frey coordinates for Tyrol and Les 3 Vallees that will really warm things up and create a high impact room...

Anatolie Rouge Ancien--a tough woven fabric that would work beautifully on a sofa.

Khea rouge.  An upholstery weight small pattern with delightful embroidery. 

Camargue Ecre Rouge.  A durable small patterned linen, great for curtains, bedding and light upholstery.

Camargue Rouge

Rayuyre Caravane.  A small scale stripe in linen and viscose.  Great for upholstery, curtains and bedding.

Patiala ocre.  A pretty fabric from Pierre Frey's Eastern European ethnic collection.  A favorite.

There's another way to go with these fabrics, however, and that's the subtle route.  Why not let them be heroic in a quiet cream and beige room?

Khea taupe (small pattern).

Although we love Tyrol and Les 3 Vallees, Pierre Frey has created many more fabulous chalet fabrics.  If you would like to take a look at all our favorite Pierre Frey fabrics for mountain houses, see here.

If you'd like to have samples of these or any other Pierre Frey fabrics, we love to send them to you.  Just click on any of the fabrics above and follow the instructions to email or call us to request samples of your favorites.  We are always happy to send you the samples you need to create a beautiful mountain home.  We can also recommend and help you put together fabric combinations that will sing together in your home.  It's our favorite thing to do, of course!  And that goes double when it's Pierrre Frey.