You’ve seen the ads: Leave your everyday cares behind and get away from it all at a luxurious wilderness lodge! You can feel the stress leave your body as you imagine yourself lounging on the deck of your cabin suite, tucked away in the natural splendor of one of America’s great forests. You long to relax just close enough to nature to enjoy its majesty, yet surrounded by comfort.
Let’s go one better than that oft-imagined annual getaway. Let’s jump on one of the latest trends in interior decorating — cabin chic — bringing the look and feel of the luxury lodge back home. Enter a world where the rugged outdoors melds seamlessly with rustic, yet sophisticated, style.
Whether it’s a single room decorated as your own private retreat or rustic touches throughout, there are many ways to make your home your own private vacation getaway — minus that high-priced daily room rate — and lower those stress levels the minute you step across your threshold every day.
Using a lodge theme with warm colors, natural elements and high-quality materials will reflect that cozy, casual, yet sophisticated, elegance you’re going for, allowing you to experience the back-to-nature ambiance and lived-in comfort found in the world’s most luxurious lodges.
Concentrate on outdoor colors such as earthy browns, deep blacks, hunter greens, rustic reds and burnished golds. Wildlife themes can be reflected in accessories along with plant life such as evergreen trees, acorns, pinecones and wildflowers.
Your furniture should be all about comfort with oversized sofas and chairs in rich, buttery leathers that invite you to sink down and unwind. Rest your tired feet on plaid or patterned ottomans. Burnished bronze or iron accents add interest; rough wood and stone enhance the lodge look.
Bring in the natural light with unobstructed windows that help bring the outdoors inside. Keep window coverings simple, such as single draperies or wooden blinds.
Be creative with accessories. Mount or display outdoor equipment such as skis or fishing rods. Themed rugs, pillows and throws will add to the ambiance. Add candles for a soft, warm glow.
