Cabin life is slower, more relaxing, and a welcome alternative to the everyday hustle of normal life. These seven cabin-inspired home decorating tips will bring the spirit of the cabin into your space.

Do you yearn for the casual, outdoorsy feeling of the cabin lifestyle? Try these home decorating tips even if you live in the middle of the city.

1. Start With Scent Invite the outdoors in with Juniper Ridge’s Cabin Spray or Campfire Incense distilled from real regional plants, trees, moss and herbs.

2. Comfort at the Core Comfort and softness are key elements to the optimal cabin experience, so keep your living room comfy by adorning it with a beautifully-patterned Pendleton Blanket or two in order to create an inviting space to relax. And if you really want to camp it up, get yourself a Poler Napsack; you may never leave your house again.

3. Wood is Good Wood is an important part of the cabin aesthetic and experience. While it’s not reasonable to redo your entire interior with woodgrain, simply adding handmade wooden elements such as a driftwood candle holder helps mix up the materials in your home to capture a mixed rustic feel.

4. Decorate Distinctly While other home decorating tips on this list may be subtler methods of obtaining the cabin feel, sometimes it’s best to not beat around the bush. Adding blatantly outdoorsy decoration such as a beautiful ax from Best Made Co. can really drive your point home and serve as a centerpiece for the rest of your nesting.

5. Bring the Warmth Gathering around the fire is one of the greatest cabin joys, so buy or make a fire pit for your own backyard to create community, share stories, and keep your summer nights going longer. If you’re less drawn to a fire pit for space or legal concerns, add warmth indoors with P.F. Candle Co.’s Campire Special Soy Candle.

6. Cook Like You’re Camping Though this isn’t technically a decorating tip, large, simple, delicious summer family meals are one of the best parts about cabin life. Bring your friends and family together for camp-inspired meals as part of your weekly meal planning. (Bonus: for dessert, step up your s’mores game with specialty marshmallows from Wondermade.)

7. Loosen Up and Let Go The ethos of the cabin is one of simplicity, casual living, and the character of the space, goods and people it contains. Make it a point to loosen up on the minute details of curating and cleaning your home just as you would at the cabin. Leave room for imperfection, add interesting, non-matching “collected” items to your decoration and goods, and ultimately allow your space to feel “lived in.”

Follow Garth on Twitter @garthinkingcap

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Photo by Chris Ford

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What happens when one style meets another? Is it catastrophe waiting to happen or is there hope for harmony?

That’s why we created Style Clash. Some design styles are more flexible; others force us to stretch outside our comfort zone. Each week we will offer tips for mixing competing styles successfully.

What do we mean by “successful”, you ask? If nothing seems strange, jarring or just plain ugly, then I’m all for it regardless of time period, colorway or material. I call it a successful Style Clash.

For our third installment in the Series we will mix Country with Scandinavian and see where we land.

A warm, cozy Country style kitchen (image above) welcomes every visitor with fresh-baked bread and hot cocoa. It is rustic elegance at its finest.

Although there are many shades of Country style (French, English, Rustic, Americana), the common thread throughout is muted colors, soft floral or striped patterned fabrics and primitive, relaxed furnishings. Everything appears ready-to-wear, comfortable and lived-in.

Lots of wood is a must – wide-plank floors, wall paneling and beam ceilings, left raw (image above) or painted a washed over white. A Country home usually shows wear and tear, with antique or flea market found objects as well as handmade pottery and baskets.

The sleek simplicity of Scandinavian style (image above and below) was born out of an attraction to easy, versatile living. It wasn’t just IKEA that woke our yearning for the efficient and uncluttered, but the Swedish surely know how to create fresh, clean and au natural interiors.

A Scandinavian room can range from the casual and aged to modern and new, but fresh and un-stuffy is key to interpreting this interior design style. High ceilings and large windows allow for the most sunlight, something yearned for in a country known for long winters, dreary days and very little natural light.

Combining these styles (top image) may seem impossible to imagine, but that’s why we are here. Style Clash turns this unlikely duo into a design marriage made in heaven.

The melding of Country with Scandinavian (image above and below) results in a crisp, casual and completely inviting room. Imagine the living and dining areas pictured here full of family and friends, fabulous food and great conversation. Notice the stone floors and wood beam ceilings, white walls and comfortable, warm carpet.

The clean, uncluttered and airy feel of Scandinavia melds seamlessly with the casual, rustic and aged attitude of Country. It’s subtle but significant. If I had to define the style mix, I’d call it bright and comfortable with a versatile, up-to-date agenda.

Meet me here next week as we continue to cruise the spectrum of interior design styles, two at a time. Ciao for now!

Images: Ina & Matt, Interior Divine, HGTV, Blackford and Sons, emmas designblogg.

The post Style Clash: Country Comfort Meets Simple Scandinavian appeared first on EcoSalon.

What happens when one style meets another? Is it catastrophe waiting to happen or is there hope for harmony?

That’s why we created Style Clash. Some design styles are more flexible; others force us to stretch outside our comfort zone. Each week we will offer tips for mixing competing styles successfully.

What do we mean by “successful”, you ask? If nothing seems strange, jarring or just plain ugly, then I’m all for it regardless of time period, colorway or material. I call it a successful Style Clash.

For our second installment in the Series we will meet Mid-Century Modern with Gothic and see where we land.

If you watch the TV series ‘Mad Men’ then you recognize Don Draper reading the newspaper in his handsome and functional Mid-Century Modern style office (top image). The decor is simple, straight-forward and 1950s to a tee.

Very few accessories and lots of glass and natural materials are key to this design style. Notice the stone flooring and wall, as well as the wood mantle and ceiling beam (image above). The furniture is lean and compact, made of wood or metal with sturdy, svelte legs; upholstery is anything but ornate (image below).

Some surmise that Mid-Century leans toward minimal, but shag rugs and pops of red-orange, bright yellow and olive green hardly say serene or plain.

In comparison, Gothic Style (image above and below) falls from a far more plush and passionate planet. It is dark and dramatic. Ornate decoration, deep, rich colors, dark woods and opulent fabrics create a mood unfit for the shy or timid. A glamorous chandelier falling from the center of a Gothic room is practically a requirement.

Combining these opposing styles may be impossible to imagine, but that’s why we are here. Style Clash turns the unimagined into a design marriage made in heaven.

The clever mixing of Mid-Century and Gothic (image above, images below) results in refined, edgy and come-in-and-stay-a-while rooms. The dark walls and richly textured velvet upholstery say Gothic to the core, while svelte wood furniture and metal legged modern chairs are born straight from Mid-Century.

The fireplace becomes sleek in a marble finish; the chandelier remains a major focus in each room, but less ornate and glam. If I had to define the style, I’d call it dark and dramatic with refined finesse.

Meet me here next week as we continue to cruise the spectrum of interior design styles, two at a time. Ciao for now!

Images: The Mid-Century Modernist, Daily Mail UK, Gramercy Park Hotel, Graham Atkins-Hughes

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I’m not much of a holiday decorator. I don’t spend two days unwrapping little chotskies out of bubble wrap (you know, the same ones I spent two days re-wrapping last year) and setting them up all over my home. I don’t hang hundreds of blinking lights from my roof or station large plastic figures on my front lawn. My holidays are a tad less elaborate and adorned. And I like it that way.

First of all, I hate packing and unpacking of any kind. I’d rather stick needles in my eyes. And I don’t like excess stuff sitting around, especially theme-oriented, color coordinated stuff.

Having said that, autumn is upon us and with the changing weather and falling leaves comes a feeling of nostalgia and celebration. But not to worry – there are plenty of simple, subtle ways to express the approach of the holidays without going over the top.

I’ve gathered an idea or two for garnishing your home – from tabletop to mantle to martini. Things that aren’t always exclusive to the holidays but that celebrate the seasons nonetheless. Here’s hoping you’ll see something that tickles your yearning for decoration, in the simplest most sensible sense.

On the top of my list but the farthest from reality, is this platinum and diamond encrusted skull (image above, For The Love of God). It’s the creation of British artist Damien Hirst, who has a morbid fascination with death and dying, and it sold for $100 million dollars in August 2007. No it isn’t simple or sensible. It’s glamorous and shocking, but I couldn’t resist.

Speaking of glamor, I’m a glutton for black. It goes with everything and makes everything look good. Just check out Leigha’s post last week for more details about bringing on the black.

I’m loving these touches of black with the slightest twist of orange or cream or candied apple (images above). And dried anything, from twigs to flowers, placed in a simple vase, turns an ordinary tabletop into interesting, without going gauche (image below).

All things metallic are hip right now, so use your imagination with gold paint and old buttons or beads. Preferably not all at once, just dabbing a little here and there does the trick.

So the table is set, but what’s the point of a party without a flavored martini?

Pumpkin Pie Martini (image above)

1/2 oz Sylk Cream Liqueur
2 oz Vanilla Vodka
1/2 oz Pumpkin Liqueur (or substitute pumpkin spice syrup)
1 tsp (or more) Whipped Cream
1 Cinnamon Stick for garnish

Pour the cream liqueur and vanilla vodka into a shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Add the pumpkin liqueur or syrup and shake again. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with the whipped cream, and garnish with a cinnamon stick. Serves 1.

Of course, you can’t have autumn without pumpkins, although I fly on the shy side with these gourd-like squashes. Carving with the kids is great fun, but when it comes to decor for your home, let’s leave the knives in the kitchen.

I’m needing a few of these velvet critters, so soft and snugly (image above). Or try your hand and paint them in plaid or polka dot; winter white or graphic delight (images below).

Draw a black raven or bats, use a doily as a stencil or monogram your initials (images below)….

…clothe them in old black stockings or leftover lace.

Let’s move on to flowers and wreaths; mantles and cakes.

Like I’ve said, crafts and such just aren’t my thing – I seek out simple and easy. So these orange calla lilies (image above) do just the trick. I’m loving how they’re arranged leaning to one side – asymmetrical is where it’s at.

I often have an aversion to wreaths – they are so easily overdone and embellished with too much garnish and frill. But these two gems (images above and below) capture the pure and crisp of the changing seasons and upcoming holiday cheer. You might even find one on my front door this year.

I’m crazy about these cheesecloth covered glass vases (images below), in all heights and sizes. Look closely and you’ll notice the black medical stitches down one side. Fill them with dried flowers or twigs and you’ve got a subtle way to share the Halloween gore without going too far. Add a spider if you’re so inclined.

Last but not least, these cakes made the cut. I’m not a pastry chef, nor am I competent in the ways of the kitchen, but I had to include them for the mere fact that they say Halloween at its most simple and sophisticated. Bon appetit and happy holidays.

Images: Better Homes and Gardens, Molly Findlay, this is glamorous, Delia Creates, Shelter Pop, Wise Craft, coco + kelley, green wedding shoes, style me pretty, Michelle Rago Ltd., Pinterest, Martha Stewart, Simply Grove, Country Living, Fina Art & Paper

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