The nation’s premier log home magazine, Log Home Living encourages the dream of log home ownership. Each issue celebrates the log home lifestyle, provides practical advice, and offers photo tours of the nation’s most beautiful log homes.
Many principles guide me through life, but there’s one motto to which I’ve always subscribed: Expect the worst … that way you’ll be prepared. And, if by good fortune, the worst doesn’t happen, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. You may think that’s pessimistic, and I guess on the surface it is, but when you adopt it as a creed, you find that happy accidents happen all around you. One of my recent serendipitous byproducts was thanks to the pandemic. Though I’ve been a remote worker for nearly a decade, my husband was tied to his Washington, D.C. office, which meant our family lived in one of the metro area’s super-pricey, traffic-nightmare suburbs. However, during those tough days, he, too, started working remotely permanently, and suddenly we found ourselves with a freedom…
Holly: We love things that are different and unique, so we love old houses. It all started with an 1862 house that we bought, gutted and redid ourselves. We brought it to life, but we knew it wasn’t going to be our forever house. Ironically, that same love for old houses fed into our decision to build one from scratch; we wanted it to have an old feel. That’s what propelled us to look at a timber frame and tweak it to have a historical-home look. We joke that we built a brand-new, 200-year-old house! We decided to do it entirely ourselves, while both my husband I were working and I was raising four children and homeschooling. We only had nights and weekends, which is why it took so long.…
1: Ambient Lighting Provides overall brightness and is the foundation of a lighting plan. Fixtures: Chandeliers, ceiling- or wall-mounted fixtures, recessed or track lights 2: Task Lighting Provides additional lighting to perform specific jobs. Fixtures: Directed track lights, pendants, under-cabinet fixtures and portable floor and desk lamps 3: Accent Lighting Provides visual interest to highlighted areas. Fixtures: Directional can lights, spotlights, sconces, puck lights, rope/ribbon lights and candles See the home that goes with this kitchen, p. 44 With this understanding of function in mind, use the following questions to determine what might need an update in your own space: Is my lighting strategic? Successful lighting design is all about matching the perfect light source to the intended function in the right place. Identify the spots you want to emphasize,…
Tabletop Zen gardens are a popular, calming addition in living spaces or offices. These tiny, mental oases often incorporate small plants like bonsai trees, stretches of sand that can be “swept” into patterns and small, distinctive pebbles. But what if you want to replicate that look on a larger scale? It is possible to create an expansive garden based entirely on the designs originated by Buddhist monks in the 6th century, complete with shallow reflecting pools and meditative walkways. But you don’t need a ton of space to bring a bit of contemplation into your landscape. These simple strategies will help you find your own Zen. Designate a small Zen space: Scattering elements throughout a larger area without committing to a structured Zen-style look can feel haphazard. Instead, consider a…
These days, as you’re shopping for anything from tomatoes to trucks, the term “hybrid” is thrown around … a lot. Now, even modern homes may be categorized as hybrids – especially in the log and timber home space, but what does that mean, exactly? The definition has morphed over time. It could be as simple as contrasting a full-log home with one that’s built with conventional stud walls that are enclosed with applied half-logs. It’s also the complex intertwining of several building systems, such as full logs and timber framing, into one cohesive home. The definition is vague and depends on who is providing it. So let’s begin at the beginning. In a “true” log home or a “true” timber frame home, its components are made up, obviously, of wood.…
1. True to the Appalachian style, the 12-by-8-inch western hemlock logs have a hewn finish, adding texture to tradition. 2. Built with Tennessee fieldstone in warm shades of brown, gray and gold, the fireplace is the room’s dominant feature. 3. Wide bands of white chinking not only infuse the space with Southern-style character, they also make the home weather-tight. 4. Throughout the room, table lamps in all sizes and motifs supply a soft glow to the cozy quarters. 5. Reclaimed heart pine beams from an old distillery were given new purpose as flooring through the space.…
