Enjoying The Log Home Lifestyle
By Lydia Quinn

So you've taken the plunge and bought your dream log home. Congratulations! Whether it was purchased as your main home or as a vacation home, there are many reasons why the log home lifestyle is different from living in a traditional home. Here are some tips to help you enjoy the true log home lifestyle.

Proper Decor

First and foremost, your decor should be a good match to the rugged, rustic beauty of the log interior and exterior walls. The logs should be the backdrop to decor that reflects your own personal style without clashing with the primitive uniqueness of the logs. Whether you choose furniture made from logs and twigs, traditional wood antiques, ranch style decor, an old western motif or just a comfy cabin style with a modern edge, there are many styles that will go well with a log home interior. If practicality, usability and cost is your main goal, then even simple wood furniture from places like IKEA would be a good fit. However, if you really want to stay true to the tradition of log home interiors, then consider spending more on some antiques and handcrafted wood furniture. Extremely modern furniture with straight edges and bright colors may not match well with your log home's interior but you can always mix and match to find that perfect eclectic feel that best reflects your personality. A type of furniture that would go perfect in any log home is log furniture. You'll find there are talented craftsmen who create beautiful chairs, beds, tables and benches completely from logs.

Nature

One of the reasons people buy a log home is to be closer to nature. Whether they buy a log cabin deep in the woods as a vacation getaway or ski lodge, or whether they choose a larger log home in a forested but sparsely populated area, you can bet the setting will more than likely be somewhere where nature and wildlife is bountiful. You can better enjoy nature by having a patio, deck or balcony where you can have meals outside. Also, don't obstruct the view from your windows with furniture, lamps or curtains that can't be opened completely. You want to be able to see the beauty outside your windows during every season. You may also want to bring nature into your home to help decorate it. You can make gorgeous decorations for holidays and year round by using pinecones, fallen leaves, twigs and branches. Pinecones can even make a beautiful centerpiece for your hall table or dinner table. You can also decorate your art and picture frames with found twigs and branches.

Warmth

I'm not just talking about heat here, it's obvious you should keep your log home at a warm yet comfortable temperature. I'm talking about adding a warm and cozy feeling to your log home so you and your visitors will feel comfortable and at ease. Increase the warmth of your log home by having lots of throw blankets available, hang them over your couch or sofa. Add lots of pillows. Have candles around to light when the mood strikes or when guests visit. Lighting also plays a huge part in the sense of warmth of your home. You'll find many types of lighting that works well with the interior of your log home. If you're going for the rustic look, a chandelier made from a wagon wheel or antlers would work great. For a slightly more modern look, consider metal lighting such as lamps with punched tin lampshades or lighting fixtures made of wrought iron. Lighting placement is also important, but even more important for a log home since a log home's interior tends to be darker than a traditional home's interior. Typically, you'll want to have a couple lamps in each room, but you may also want either a hanging lamp to give light to the whole room or a third lamp. Test your lighting schemes to see what works best for your particular interior environment as some log home interiors may have a lighter finish or even a finished and painted interior. Whatever lighting you choose, it should enhance the nightime ambience of your home while remaining practical.

Peace

If your log home is a true vacation getaway home, then you may not want to have distracting things like a huge TV, video game consoles, massive stereos and computers. Instead, have things available that will truly enhance the peace and calmness in your home like books, puzzles and board games. Also, have plenty of tea, coffee and/or hot cocoa handy. Just sitting by the fire drinking hot cocoa and reading a book, or sitting by a window with some herbal tea watching the snow fall, these are some of the true joys of log home living.

Lydia Quinn writes for Log Home Exchange, where you can find information on buying and selling your log home. Visit us at: http://www.loghomeexchange.com/

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