AN UPDATE ON MY LOG CABIN RENOVATION

Hi there.

Several months ago I told you about the vintage log cabin Brad and I purchased in nearby Fawnskin, California. If you missed the post you can find it here.

Built in 1932, our old log cabin is one of the originals built in this mountain community that was once nothing more than a logging town. In fact, this is the old sawmill, located just down the street, where the logs for our cabin were likely milled.

At long last we are making progress so I wanted to give you an update on my log cabin renovation. We started with the demolition, removing the wraparound back deck that was falling down and hazardous.

We also demolished the kitchen and mudroom, removing a wall to open up the space. Below is a photo of the BEFORE kitchen. The rough hewn cabinets, stainless steel sink, ugly curtains and fake brick veneer backsplash are now all gone.

We also removed the fake brick linoleum flooring you see in the photo below…

and have installed hardibacker in preparation for a new tile floor. We have also installed all new electrical wiring throughout the cabin.

The original kitchen shown below was separated from the mudroom by a wall which had cabinets on the other side of it.

The wall and cabinets are now gone and a new header board went in to secure the ceiling and roof structure.

Originally the range had been placed in an odd position, floating in the middle of the kitchen as you see below. I plan to relocate it into this cute little nook that had previously contained an awkward and useless seating area.

The bench has been removed and I plan to push the range into the nook, where I will enjoy beautiful forest views as I cook. The photo on the right is the inspiration. I hope it will look similar to this one day soon.

Image on Right Via

What remains from the demolition is piled in the front yard waiting to be hauled away.

In the meantime I have been hard at work on the interior design and acquisition of building materials. As a bonafide Pinterest addict, I have a secret Pinterest board dedicated to the cabin renovation in general, as well as a public Pinterest board with all of my kitchen inspiration. I hope you’ll visit the board here. So, let me show you some of my design inspiration for the kitchen. Below is what I have in mind for the kitchen cabinets, backsplash, countertop, shelving, hardware and color scheme.

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To approximate this look without spending a fortune I purchased kitchen cabinets from IKEA’s new Sektion collection in Laxarby Black-Brown with white interiors.

I love the fact that Brass and Copper are coming back in fashion and will likely use these brass IKEA drawer pulls on both my cabinet doors and drawers. I think the contrast of brass against the black cabinets is very rich looking.

I’m in love with the idea of making a DIY sink faucet out of exposed copper pipe like the images below.

Image 1 Via, 2 Via, 3 Via, 4 Via

The problem is that this system requires 2 separate water feed pipes and since I decided to purchase the IKEA Domsjö double bowl sink with only one pre-drilled hole, this idea won’t work. So, I settled for the IKEA Glittran Faucet in black with a white handle. I’m really hoping I can achieve the raw pipe faucet look in the bathroom instead.

To approximate the look of the butcher block countertop and floating kitchen shelves as seen in the inspiration kitchen, I selected IKEA’s Hammarp Oak Countertops.

I will also be installing a white subway tile backsplash using 2″ x 4″ tiles from Home Depot.

I am giving some thought to using a dark grout as in the inspiration photo below. What do you think? White grout or dark grout?

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I selected this Vita Elegante Bianco 6″ x 24″ porcelain tile that simulates calcutta marble for the kitchen flooring. The tan colored veins running through the tile will compliment the wood paneled ceiling which I am leaving as-is. I plan to lay the tile in a herringbone pattern as seen in the inspiration photo on the right.

I actually sort of like the existing light fixture that hangs over the sink. I considered painting it black and leaving it. However, I’ve changed my mind…

and plan to install lighting like you see in these inspiration photos below. I’ll use copper pipes to configure a similar support structure for my exposed hanging light bulbs.

Image on Left Via | Image on Right Source Unknown

I plan to do something similar with copper pipe and copper S hooks for use as pot, utensil & towel racks on one wall.

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I found these great S hooks on Etsy here.

I think beautiful tea towels make lovely decor in a kitchen and plan to hang some off of a bar as seen in the inspiration photo below. I’ll create a gallery wall similar to this one as well.

Image on Left Via, Image on Right Via

As you have seen, almost every surface of my log cabin is covered in rough-hune wooden planks. As cosy and rustic as it is, I think it’s a bit dark and dreary. So, I have decided that I am going to whitewash the walls of the cabin to brighten them up, while at the same time cover previous water damage that has stained the wood. The photo on the right is my color scheme inspiration. I plan to leave all of my wooden ceilings as-is, whitewash the walls, and with the exception of the kitchen and bathroom where I plan to tile the floors, I will refinish the existing hardwood floors to match the ceiling.

Image on Right Via

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this progress report on the renovation of my log cabin. What do you think about my choices, do you have any recommendations or suggestions for me? I’d love to hear from you! Stay tuned as I plan to give you regular updates on the progress.

So there you have it: AN UPDATE ON MY LOG CABIN RENOVATION