Log Home Decorating Ideas"Ideas to help you create a beautiful log or lodge style home"
If you have always wanted to live in a log home and are searching for log home decorating ideas, you're not alone. Log homes are rustic, earthy (in a good way), casual, natural to the environment and most are absolutely gorgeous to behold. I can speak from experience, having lived in a log home for five years. And yes, it was wonderful. The picture you see is from our home. Our Great Room was very large, with log walls, high cathedral ceilings finished in knotty pine, beautiful windows and doorwalls on each gable wall end...it was much like living in our very own lodge. However, log home owners are definitely in the minority, mainly because of the cost to build them. They are more expensive per square foot than a conventional home, particularly the custom designed homes. So, most folks purchase log home magazines and dream of 'someday' while sipping on their afternoon refreshment. While there may not be a log home in your future, if you love the lodge style decor of these homes, there are some log home decorating ideas you can create in your existing home for a similar look. Some are more costly than others, but if you have the budget for it, you can do some creative designing and have fun in the process. There are two important decisions to make before you take any action on this project.
For example, if you have a contemporary look throughout your home, it may not be a good idea to transition your great room to a lodge decor. If your home is traditional, country, eclectic, etc., it is a more feasible style to incorporate. The second log home decorating question you need to come to terms with is your budget. You can spend quite a bit of money creating a lodge look, or you can keep it very simple. Make a realistic decision at the onset so you don't set yourself up for disappointment. Now that you've made those decisions, here are some suggestions for your 'log home' decor. We'll start with the most significant and work down to the simple and inexpensive log home decorating ideas. If your room is large enough and the wall construction strong enough, you can literally put half-log on the walls and knotty pine on the ceiling. Remember that any type of log material put on the walls will decrease the overall size of the room because of the thickness of the log. You would need to have a contractor experienced in log home construction assess your room and help you determine if this is feasible. You should have a cathedral ceiling, or wall heights of at least 9 feet if you are going to consider putting knotty pine on them. However, if the room size and wall construction can handle the material, it is an awesome look!
Your room may not be large enough for all the log material, but you can still get a log home type look by replacing your standard trim with log trim, or a chunkier trim material. Put the trim around the windows as well as the floors. If the room has cathedral ceilings, you can install a log center beam or several smaller log beams to create the rustic decor. Here is a valuable log home decorating idea for you.If you decide on this look, paint the walls a color other than white. Choose an off-white or lighter neutral color from your color scheme; it will present a warmer and more cohesive look than stark white against the log-type trim. Floors can be wood, carpet, tile or stone and look great with the log home decor style. If wood or tile, area rugs work well to add some warmth and color to the room. Textures are a good thing, too, in the carpet, area rugs, upholstery, etc. Windows can be treated very simply, particularly if you have logged the walls and/or trimmed out the windows with log or log type trim. Wood blinds are a beautiful way to complete the windows. Be careful not to get too fussy with window treatments - simple is good.
The upholstery in a lodge decor is typically comfortable, traditional, and on the large side if the room can handle it. Bold colors in shades of green, red, blue and gold look gorgeous against the natural walls. Think of indian-print blankets and you'll get the idea. Casegoods, which means your accent tables, dining table, barstools, and the like, can literally be made from log. This can go a long way toward achieving your lodge decor if the budget won't allow for log walls. For accessorizing, the walls can be left fairly simple if they have been logged because the natural material is so beautiful it does not need much adornment. Unless you love the look, you don't have to hang a deer head over the fireplace! Other wall accessories that look great in a lodge style interior decor are natural material wreathsclocks, artwork that brings in the outdoors, and anything that is constructed from natural material.
Wood carvings are another great opportunity to complete your rustic lodge decor. We had a five foot hand-carved bear in our Great Room that was always a topic of conversation with guests! (Look - there he is now!)For more great log home decorating ideas for furniture and accessories, you can always study log home magazines. Better yet, find a log home show to attend and you'll have great fun as well as finding lots of log home decorating ideas for your lodge decor project. Have fun and enjoy your very own lodge style corner of the world! Return from Log Home Decorating Ideas to 'Log Home Decorating' Back to Great Home Decorating home page
DO YOU HAVE A HOBBY OR A PASSION?
|
First log home decorating idea: is there a room or area of your home that is appropriate for this type of look? Will a lodge look blend with the style you currently have in the home? 
