Nothing says comfort more than walls and furniture with a natural wooden look and a house that gives off cozy, rustic vibes. It’s no wonder log cabins are popular vacation spots and loved by people of all ages. Staying at such a cozy place near the nature, is one of the best escapes from the hustle and bustle of everyday city life. A welcoming breath of fresh air for most people.
The good news is, you can make any room of your home look like a log cabin with just a few tweaks:
- Rustic furniture made of real wood
- Large, comfortable seating areas
- Warm/dimmable lights
- Fur throw blankets (or faux fur)
- Dark, earthy colors on walls (or a log cabin-style wallpaper)
- Wooden flooring (or vinyl with a wooden pattern)
- Antique decorations
- Throw pillows
#1 Choose rustic furniture made of real wood
You want your furniture to give off a rugged, outdoorsy vibe which is essentially what you feel when you step into a log cabin. Get tables and chairs (or even benches) for your dining area that are made of real wood.
Get a wooden bed with a metal frame and some minimalist wooden shelves for your bedroom.
For your living room, you can use wooden furniture upholstered with leather. Wooden coffee tables and side tables will add to the rustic feel.
For cabinets, shelves, and wardrobes, for various uses around the house, get those that are made of wood as well.
There are some wooden storage benches that also add to giving off that rustic feel to your home. You can keep them in the hallway for people to sit on or even place them at the bottom of your bed.
#2 Make a comfortable seating area
When it comes to choosing sofas, armchairs, or even dining table chairs, remember that comfort is everything. Whether you have a big home or a small one, whether you often entertain guests or just want to have a cozy night in by yourself, you want a place that will be comfortable and homey.
You can still incorporate the rustic feel of wood by getting sofas with wooden frames or chairs that are made of wood. Make sure, however, that the seating area is as comfortable as can be.
You don’t want people to be distracted because the furniture was too comfortable to sit on, and you don’t want to regret having purchased a piece of furniture that looks nice, but you don’t really like. One good way to do that is to get rustic seats with cushions so that they are nice and comfy to sit on.
#3 Dim the lights
Sometimes, the magic in a setting has everything to do with the lighting. Rustic cabins are often associated with dim lights and old-fashioned lanterns. Here are some ways to go about it:
Get rid of white, fluorescent lights. Use yellow lights instead. They are dimmer and give off a warmer color, something similar to what you would see in log cabins.
Light up some candles. If you don’t want to have to redo your house lights and purchase new ones, you can just opt to turn off the bright lights and turn on some candles instead. Getting scented candles will add to the atmosphere, especially if they smell of pine or apple pie or have a natural, woodsy smell.
Get yellow bulbs and rustic fixtures. If you want to go all out in giving your home a rustic feel, you can opt to buy yellow light bulbs and even light fixtures for your living room or dining room that have a wooden frame or a rustic feel to them. Some of them are for the center ceiling of the room:
While others can be mounted on the wall for bedrooms, hallways, and even bathrooms:
#4 Get a (faux) fur throw blanket
A room isn’t completely rustic unless you’ve got a throw blanket, made of faux or real fur.
Throw blankets provide a cozy, relaxed setting to your room. They’re warm, soft, and fuzzy, and you can wrap them around yourself whether you’re sitting and chilling on the sofa or reading in bed.
When it comes to fur throw blankets, whether they’re made of real fur or not, there are so many different options available on Amazon. Aside from coming in different colors and sizes, you can find those that are lightweight or reversible.
When it comes to choosing your fur throw blanket, don’t forget to get something that matches your rustic theme. Usually, sticking to colors like brown or grey or white will enhance the rustic feel of your home.
Another option, if you don’t want to get real or faux fur throw blankets, is to get one made of wool or fleece/polyester.
#5 Paint the walls in dark, earthy colors
One of the best ways to give your house the atmosphere of a log cabin is to paint the walls with dark earthy colors. SF Gate’s Home Guides suggests using the following colors:
- Brick red
- Spruce green
- Rich brown
- Coal black
- Golden yellow
- Creamy beige
- Blue denim
Painting the walls is a budget-friendly way of making over your home. Instead of tearing down everything and building from the ground up, you might want to consider redoing just the walls instead. You can even install a faux wood ceiling to add to the rustic feel, as these are inexpensive as well.
#6 Consider a log cabin wallpaper
The good news is, in case you don’t want to paint your home, or you aren’t allowed to, log cabin wallpaper exists and it looks like real wood.
You can buy a few of these and use them to paper your living room, bedroom, kitchen, or other rooms of your house.
Having a log cabin wallpaper will really help to create an authentic log cabin experience in your home.
#7 Consider wood flooring (or at least vinyl flooring with a wood pattern)
A house won’t look a hundred percent rustic unless you style your floors with wood too. Traditional hardwood makes your home look warm and cozy, but it can be a challenge if you’re on a budget. If you aren’t convinced that getting real wood is the way to go, you can opt for vinyl flooring which easily gives your floors a wood-like appearance.
Amazon has a lot of options to choose from when it comes to wood vinyl flooring that will make it look like your floors are made of real wood. Make sure to get one that looks light and warms so it can easily blend with your furniture and walls. SFGate’s Home Guides also recommends using plank flooring instead of strip flooring, which provides a more rustic look.
#8 Opt for antique decorations
Accessories play a huge part when it comes to styling your home. From floor lamps to trays to various items you have around your house, you can add antique-looking decor to bring out a more rustic feel.
Here are some ideas you might want to consider:
- Coffee table tray (link to Amazon)
- Floor lamp (link to Pinterest)
- Wooden box (link to Amazon) – can be used for storing jewelry or putting candles and other things.
- Jar/pitcher with leaves and branches (link to Pinterest)
- Dresser/mirror for rooms (link to Pinterest)
- Howard Miller Clock (link to Amazon)
- Rug/carpet (link to Pinterest)
You can also accessorize other parts of your house by getting fixtures that look like kerosene lamps or old fashioned lanterns or putting up artwork in antique-looking frames.
#9 Pillows
Aside from getting a nice faux fur throw blanket to make your sofa as comfortable as possible, you might want to throw in some pillows as well. Rustic-themed pillows are not at all that hard to find. You can find quite a lot of different rustic throw pillow covers from Amazon, varying in color, fabric, texture, and more.
If you’re not sure what makes a throw pillow complement your rustic-themed home, you might want to choose to get those that are beige, brown, or cream in color. If you plan to go with print or patterned pieces, you can look at stripes, plaid, and animal-based patterns that feature woodland wildlife.