Cabin Furniture

The cabin furnishings you choose can go a long way in setting the feel for your (or a renter’s) vacation cabin. There are many different styles available, from unfinished, country, rustic, cottage, log, or cedar furniture. Each has it’s own style that will give your cabin a unique cabin decor. You can choose furniture for your cabin based on a number of things. Personal preference for style goes a long way, however, take into account the natural style of your cabin. Details in your cabin’s architecture can give some design ideas. Another deciding factor may be the location of your getaway. Rustic furniture may fit better at a cabin in the woods and cottage furniture in a cabin at the beach. After deciding on a theme and furniture preference, take a look online for a provider. Lots of places online specialize in cabin furniture in many styles and designs.

Unfinished Furniture

For the handyman on a budget, buying unfinished furniture can be the path to a beautifully furnished cabin. Unfinished furniture, however, takes a little know-how to make it usable and durable for the long term. Once you’ve picked out your pieces of furniture it’s advisable to go over your pieces and look for rough edges, knots, loose joints and sap pockets. After sanding your furniture, make sure you seal each and every part. This includes knobs and the insides of drawers and doors. When sealing completed, the desired finishe can be added.

Country Furniture

With simple lines and appearance, country furniture has always been a very popular option for cabin décor. This style of furniture is usually handcrafted and made to be solid and long lasting. Most often it is varnished and left unpainted to let the quality of the wood shine through. Painted pieces tend to be in whites and other light shades. While some may think it lacks the character of rustic or cottage furniture, the simplicity of country furniture makes it easy to blend with any style cabins.

Rustic Furniture

Often made of sticks, twigs and hewn logs to give a natural appearance, rustic furniture is popular for furnishing cabins. Makers of rustic furniture use a couple of different techniques to achieve the rustic look. The “bentwood” technique takes fresh sticks and twigs and steams them to make them more flexible. They are then bent into the desired shapes and. This “stick” technique takes sticks of all shapes and sizes and uses them within the actual structure of the cabin furniture. Most rustic furniture is made from soft woods such as willow, but hard woods can be used as well. Almost any piece of furniture can be made in a rustic style.

Cottage Furniture

True cottage furniture is made in a Victorian style and is often lighter and more delicate in color (tans and pastels) and build. Cottage furniture is often used in suites and consists of pieces like vanities, wash stands and dressers. Beds were built to stand well off the ground and frequently had fancy carvings or paintings on head and footboards. This style of furniture became very popular in wealthy New England vacation cabins and lodges in the later part of the 19th century. Eventually, cottage furniture was produced in affordable versions and saw more widespread use in homes. 

Log Furniture

Lend your cabin an authentic feel with log furniture. Beds, chairs, tables and more can be crafted of hewn logs. This furniture style is very similar to rustic furniture. Instead of using small twigs and sticks, log furniture is made (as its name implies) using the whole log. Furniture items can be finished as sleek to rustic. Most log furniture is put together using the mortise and tenon joint method, instead of using nails and screws--lending it more strength and durability. If you’re on a tight cabin decorating budget you may want to steer clear of log furniture. It often has to be custom built, which can drive up the cost.

Cedar Furniture

Thought somewhat expensive, cedar furniture is popular in cabin décor for it’s simple beauty. Very light in color and often unfinished, cedar furniture is a good choice for someone who likes the look of wood, and its pleasant smell. For this reason and cedar’s close grain, it should not be stained. Some cedar chests are finished with a clear coat on the outside and left unfinished on the inside. Chests, dressers, and armoires are often made of cedar because the smell helps to repel insects like moths, which can often damage fabrics.