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The next best thing to owning a mountain
cabin would be turning your everyday abode into a rustic retreat where
each day feels like a getaway. Where do you start? What will it take? Is
it affordable? Let’s take a look at some options for both city and
country-dwellers alike.
The keys are environment and atmosphere. Altering the environment around
you and changing the atmosphere to that of a rustic retreat can be
accomplished easily and affordably, even one step at a time. Once you
have taken the first step, whatever that may be depending upon your
budget and priorities, you will experience an immediate psychological
change. And atmosphere is what we’re really after here. Recall the
vacations you have taken and enjoyed in a rustic, mountainous
environment. Reflect on the aspects that made it feel so special.
For the smaller things:
Sights – Chances are the view is at the top of the list. But even if you
are in an apartment, no problem. Fill your wall space with visuals such
as Native American art, nature scenes, cowboy or Western art.
Lighting is important and very affordable from the simplest candle to an
old lantern and can give
 off the
illusion of a cabin light. Grouping candles or burning them in a
chiminea can provide the perfect atmosphere.
Sounds – What kinds of sounds evoke the feeling of the mountains, a
rustic retreat and lifestyle? Music is a great place to start. Bill
Miller, outstanding Native American guitar and flute; Michael Martin
Murphey’s album Blue Sky Night Thunder; new age or nature CDs with bird
and water sounds. How about the music that you may have listened to on
that great trip to the mountains? Turn it on and the trope will
transport you instantaneously.
Indoor or outdoor water fountains provide the sound of a nearby mountain
stream and come in all shapes and sizes from desktop to large ponds.
Gather some river stones for added visual effects.
Smells – Ahhh, now this is what it’s really all about isn’t it? That
smell. If it could be bottled and sold, well someone would have a lot of
money. And it is bottled to an extent, so there are means to bring it
home. Aromatherapy is a wonderful way to induce the preferred
environment into your home. Incense for example. Try cedar, sage, or
pine, and keep them burning. It will change your environment. Similarly,
scented candles add not only scent, but visuals as well. Let’s not forget
the fireplace, a great fixture for both scent and sight. Another
option would be oils that may be burned in a pot-pouri burner, or simply
in a pan on the stovetop
Textures and textiles - Woven blankets, raw wood, reeds, grapevines,
leather, burlap, cozy knitted afghans, woolen camp blankets, heavy
hinges.
For the larger projects:
Exteriors
One option that is attractive and affordable might be the Mackinaw
Timber Buildings from handyhome.com These are purchased in a kit that
the homeowner builds. All materials are furnished except paint, stain,
drip edge, and shingles. The wood is pre-cut knotty pine. Packages are
available in sizes 12' x 8', 12' x 12', 12' x 16', and 12' x 20'.
Partitions, lofts, and front porches may be added to create additional
space and visual effects.
These packages make the perfect backyard getaway, artist or writer’s
studio, guesthouse or weekend house on some acreage in the country.
Whether your land is actually in the mountains at 8,000 feet, or on flat
ground at 400 feet, you will feel closer to a rustic life. What could be
better than walking across your backyard into your own private rustic
retreat?
Of course more expensive and extensive log cabin kits are available if
you are in the market to start from the ground up. But let’s say you’re
not, you just want to re-create what you already have. You may not be
able to change the texture of your home to logs, so focus instead on
exterior changes with color rather than materials. Paint in a natural
shade more closely resembling raw wood or red cedar, adding a window box
of flowers, a front porch with heavy cedar posts and a pair of rocking
chairs.
Flooring – Throw rugs are a great way to change the look of a room in an
instance. Adding Navajo rugs will bring about just the look you may be
searching for. Obviously wood floors would be ideal, but for the
budget-minded or those with pets and young children, there are many
vinyl options that resemble wood floors closely. Getting rid of carpets
will add to the atmosphere you are creating, and will give the illusion
of more space.
Walls/ceilings – Redoing your walls in log is likely not an option.
Alternatively, adding rustics beams across the ceiling or doing the
walls in a knotty pine will bring in the rustic look, while adding depth
and character. If you can gain access to salvaged wood, this will work
nicely too.
Furniture – In the furniture department, there are varied options and
many rustic Southwestern mountain homes contain a mixture of styles
including country, Western, and Native American.
Samples of each:
Country: worn and weathered, antique or not. Old ladders, mantels,
anything distressed.
To accessorize, keep your eyes open for everything from antique kitchen
gadgets and utensils, to linens and claw-foot tubs.
Western: Cowhide print, hand-crafted cedar furniture, bunk-beds.
To accessorize, look for old cowboy boots, spurs and hats, branding
irons, horse-shoes, specked enamel dinnerware, Roy Rogers or John Wayne
memorabilia, antique guns, saddles, blankets and tack, faux animal fur.
Native American designs and accessories work well with the above styles.
Try a traditional pueblo log drum for a coffee table, Native American
artwork and crafts, antique beaded apparel, spirit sticks,
dream-catchers, blankets and rugs, pottery and baskets.
Landscaping – Your yard provides a wonderful opportunity to re-create a
relaxing, outdoor environment as magical as any you may find on a
mountain getaway vacation. Planting pine trees such as pinon, blue
spruce, or junipers will bring home some of the scents that heighten a
mountain getaway. Add a garden filled with mountain herbs and flowers
such as yarrow and columbine.
Add a rustic cedar fence, a wooden
bench and an outdoor fire pit with some pinon logs and you’re set. Wagon
wheels, a bull’s skull, beautiful rocks from favorite areas, log
benches. In this re-creation, a loose, naturally landscaped yard will
work better than a formal lawn. Research the native plants in your area
and though they may not grow naturally at your favorite mountain lodge,
the key here is to create an environment, and landscaping with a natural
environment will produce the desired effect although the plants may
differ. Also, a natural landscaping will entice your local wildlife and
before you know it birds of all varieties, squirrels, and maybe even a
raccoon, will be visiting your urban abode.
These are just a few tips and suggestions as to how you can get started
on creating your rustic getaway right in your own home without spending
a bundle. Let your imagination take you into a new journey toward your
dream-home, and remember that you are re-creating an atmosphere and an
environment, so use whatever tools, textures, and ideas necessary to make
yourself comfortable in your home. Make every day a get-away.
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Sponsored by
www.cedarclassics.com
Wildorado, Texas
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